Bouncing Back from Health Anxiety

[mc35]

Hi all. Never thought I'd be back here again! I went through a somewhat crippling health anxiety episode two years ago, everything from rare cancers to the standard twitching fears I'm sure you're all too familiar with. I did the whole neuro thing, EMG, saw a shrink, got on some low-dose meds, etc. etc. And I came out of it good as new/feeling better for it.Fast-forward to the present, and you can't go five-minutes without seeing something about the ice-bucket challenge (I donated) and then reading these sad stories about the afflicted. Which is to say that it's triggered some renewed panic over this twitch I've had in my left calf for the past five days. The thing that freaks me out is the persistence and the fact that it's pretty much confined to this one acute spot. It seems to get going when the leg is bent at the knee while sitting; less prevalent, if at all, when the leg is stretched out. Ceases if I flex the calf muscle. In general, my twitching episodes had pretty much subsided until this new one (or at least I stopped noticing/worrying about them), but now I'm hopelessly focusing on the calf and my mind is going into those dark spirals. Fun times! (32-year-old male, btw)Anyway, I think I know what you guys are going to tell me, but I think it would help to hear you tell it anyway, because I'm trying not to go back down that road. Thanks!

 

[ionyZarrion]

Hi!You have absolutely nothing to be concerned about. I have twitched in my calves every second of every day (even when i flex) for over four years. It's so benign it's not funny! Calves are the most common area for twitching!As for the ice bucket challenge: it sucks that it makes us think of als but burying our heads in the sand and being selfish won't make als go away but all the money and awareness being raised by this just might. If it funds the lab that discovers the cure wouldn't it be worth our anxiety? I hope so.Good luck on your journeyDar