23-year-old Struggling with Sleep Apnea & AFib

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Arkansawyer

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Hello all,I discovered this site on an ALS board and thought maybe my questions were more appropriate here.I am 23 years old, married, and soon to be a father. Seven years ago I was diagnosed with central sleep apnea, almost three months ago I was hospitalized with Atrial Fibrillation. They found no structural problems with my heart after extensive testing and I was released after a three day stay. I was put on atenolol (a blood pressure medication), prilosec (I have more than a few stomach issues), and a baby asprin a day. After I had been home a couple of weeks I noticed that I was having more minor muscle twitches than normal, then about two weeks ago I had this weird episode where my left hand started shaking mildly and would occasionally jump at the wrist a bit, I noticed it when I was washing dishes and even though it did not stop me from doing the task at hand I went and had it looked at. The ER doctor gave me a scare when he said in light of my over all conditions he thought that there may be some systemic issue. My bout of A-Fib in particular worried him, though my PCP felt it was more related to my stomach issues and a chemical intolerance due to the circumstances the night I was hospitalized.Needless to say I wasn't satisfied without a clear answer and a day or so later I turned to doctor Google. The first thing I found was of course ALS, ever since then I have noticed more muscle twitches, everywhere from my arms, legs, and stomach to occasionally near my jaw though my legs, calves in particular, are the primary spot, I have also had some tingling in my arms and legs, and my knees have begun to feel stiff. I have also in the past week or so I notice that sometimes I feel like I'm vibrating inside my chest, back and shoulders, though when they try no one else can feel it, and it seems like my left hand now keeps a constant minor tremor. It also disturbed me that for the day or so after my initial bout of tremoring in my left hand that my forearm was sore as if I had worked out. I also feel clumsy fingered now sometimes. I also have noticed that my left hand seems to tremor slightly now, particularly right after I open it from being closed and the fingers seem to twitch from side to side some. I went to my PCP for a follow up and he did quite a few tests I followed his fingers with my eyes, did something like a police field sobriety test, gripped his fingers and he also tested my reflexes at the knees, as well as making me stand eyes closed and arms out and a few other odds and ends. When asked he said that I passed these tests with flying colors, said that my symptoms while odd pointed toward nothing in particular and ordered blood work, an MRI, and an EKG. I also saw an internist in this time, and while I did not go as in depth with him about my symptoms he did many of the same in office tests as my PCP and found nothing out of the ordinary, I asked him about ALS in particular and he said he was 99.99% certain that it was not the issue. On further research I found out about BFS and thought that some of what I was feeling sounded similar so I came here looking for more information. So after that wall of text I guess my question is do my symptoms sound similar to what people here are experiencing. I am stressing beyond belief lately, between school, a baby on the way and a mountain of medical bills from my hospital stay, and now I can't shake a fear of ALS from my mind and am terrified that I have something serious that will cut my time with my wife and yet to be born child. The people on the ALS forum I posted other questions on were very helpful and reassuring but I am still concerned.
 
Hello Arkansan,I wuold like to ask if you are still on prilosec and if the dose is high enough.Prilosec changes poshporus-calcium equilibrium in the body, therefore it changes Ca level in the blood, and via that it might induce twitches, as muscle contraction is regulated not only by Na, K, but also with Ca ions. by the way, atenolol seems to be also affecting muscle ionic channesl (if I am not messing or missing something) - do look at the info in the web and check if therr is no side effects of motor kind for atenolol.As far as your neuro exam is Ok, forget ALS thoughts please. ALS starts with clinical weakness in about 95-99%, surely very seldom in 23 years old people, and because of Dr. Google and incorrect/outdated info realting twitches to early MND onset, ALS boards are often full of twitchers who in fact are not suffering with ALS (like us).Again, AF withut real heart problems (I suppose you had that conduction studes etc.) for me points rather for what is called cardioneurosis in my country - it is a disorder of autonomic neuro system caused by stress and overall sensitive nervous system, fitting well into the group in which diseases like BFS might exist. generally central sleep apnea is a stress factor big enough to crash your sleep, and many years of the stress might result to AF and stomahc problems (wich are often a children of prolonged stress and disbalanced autonomous system reactions), therefore atenolol and prilosec comes to the stage, and boom - twitch twitch twitch...
 
I am still on prilosec 20mg once a day and have been taking it these laste three months, I also have been drinking mylanta like there is no tommrow as the prilosec generally has not stopped my stoamch issues. I have also been on a very limited diet due to my stomach troubles. Essentially I have eaten only, turkey sandwiches, chicken breast, chips, and the odd bit of brocolly the past three months, whilst I have drank only water and apple juice.
 
As for chicken... I am not so sure it is always good for person with stomach issues (becaus in me myself it causes awful heartburn - even plain chicken soup and breast), so I am going to try turkey and quails now :)))Feel so much sympathy because having not eating what do you like or having pains after each meal is so frustrating... I should not eat so much tomatoes for example... but still can not quit them completely!
 
It is defintley no fun not being able to eat the things we like. I love tomatoes to but they also irritate my stomach to no end. The thing I miss most is tea, I love tea but it sets my stomach off every time.
 
Actually our fellow WindyCityGentleman might have some useful info on natural meds used in case of severe GERD or stomach issues - if you write a PM to him, I think he would gladly share his experience and knowledge. He found that natural mucus producing potions, like flax seed tea, are very good.I also love tea. and also had to decrease it and at least drinking not so deeply strong one I am used to. But being for a month on common herbal potions made me even worse because most of them for pleasant color and taste include hybiscus, and this is so deadly acidic herb that I was completely screwed up...When I am fed up of tea, I am using a potions called Kompot - they include dried apples, bluberries, strawberry leaves, blackberry leaves and fruits and are very refreshing, pleasant and mildly acidic or not acidic at all. It was stated on the packs that company headquarter is in Germany, so maybe it is also available in other parts of the world, not only in my Eastern European country.
 
Hello again.Well I am back. It has been slightly over four week since the initial bout of jerking in my left forearm. I have started taking a B-vitamin supplement and have noticed a decrease in the general number of muscle twitches. The internal vibrating sensation I had from time to time seems tied to anxiety as when I am well rested and not focused on it it seems to vanish. My only real concerns now are that from time to time one of my hands or legs will tremble and jerk slightly if I am using, these episodes seem to pass on their own, though again I notice them late at night or if I haven't slept well. My other concern is that sometimes my right hand will feel stiff and weak, there seems to be no noticeable weakness and these bouts either pass on their own or with a brief nap. I also notice that sometimes if I rest my hand on my legs and press my fingers into them it seem like I can feel a very fine and fast twitching, though when I ask my wife if she can feel it she say the only thing she can feel is my pulse, I have also noticed this sensation in my shoulder once. I guess my question is if any of the members here have had similar symptoms and if you have is there anything you have found that alleviates them? I am trying very hard not to worry about something more serious like als but find myself having a very hard time with it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
If you look at my history I have had as many stomach issues as anyone on this site. I too felt that prilosec was not helping my stomach and played a part in my starting with BFS. After 4 years on the medicine I quit cold turkey about a year ago (it started making me very dizzy all the time).You might want to try liquid gaviscon instead of mylanta. It actually puts a coating on top of your stomach and prevents reflux and also has an antacid to neutralize any acid that does make it through. Chewing gum can also be helpful because your saliva can help neautralize any acids. There are lots and lots of herbal remedies and some are more helpful than others. The one that helped me by far more than anything else (including prilosec) was called Iberogast. It can be very hard to get here in the US ( I order it through Amazon). It has nine different herbs and acts as a tonic to calm your entire digestive system. One of the primary ingrediants is Iberis Amare (probably mispelled). This works as a prokinetic agent that moves food through your stomach more quickly. There is a theory that many of the people with stomach issues have a problem with food remaining in their stomach too long and this increases the potential for reflux. At any rate, each of these nine herbs helps with a different part of your digestive system. For me, it worked when nothing else would. When I took the Iberogast the first time I could barely eat, had nausea, intense abdominal pain and was losing lots of weight. The night I first took the Iberogast I litterally could not stop eating. I was starving as it finally eliminated the nausea. I also had no stomach problems even after devouring a gigantic meal. Read the amazon reviews - In terms of teas there are several that are helpful in terms of digestive issues. I like ginger or peppermint teas which help with digestion and can calm your stomach down. Other helpful things include aloe vera juice (heals inflammation), deglycerized licorice (coats your esophogus and stomach), and altough this might sound counter-intuitive apple cider vinegar. The vinegar is not for everyone so I would caution on that one, but there is a theory that some people actually do not have enough acid in their stomach. As a result, they have difficulty digesting food and thus stomach problems. PM me if you want any more information.
 
First of all....you sound a lot like the "tremoring" fraction of the BFS sufferers. I have been struck hard too by those , maybe you already stumbled over my fingers video LOL. Nothing you describe sounds new to me after reading on the board, ans a lot I have experienced too : This is actually not only "my " symptoms list, I have had many many members contacting me telling me they are sharing a good portion of those. And well, I have been suffering from stomach issues for years. I use the Iberogast as well, because I found it the most helpful remedy, especially when taking it with bit warm water. I think you might give it a try, because although it is herbal it really works very fast and intense, it is the most used herbal med here in Emilyomousey I think. And the price on amazon in US is about the same as we pay here in our local pharmacy
 
Thanks for the advice guys, I have heard good things about apple cider vinegar for acid reflux so I might just give it a try, certainly won't hurt. Do many of you notice fatigue as a trigger? I ask because the day before yesterday I slept only about 3 hours and by later afternoon I was vibrating inside like a cell phone from the chest up, last night I did not sleep very well either and today I seem to notice a good deal of clumsiness in my legs, however the past few days before my sleep schedule got messed up I was doing fairly well. It is a vicious cycle for me, I do well for a couple of days then something jars my nerves and I am back in ALS paranoia mode and low and behold I notice more twitches, vibrations, and other symptoms, and next thing I am checking my self for signs of atrophy and worrying about whether I am walking funny or just over analyzing everything. Thank you all for your patience/
 
Sleep is a huge trigger for BFS and stomach issyes. Not getting enough sleep really throws your nervous system out of whack.
 

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