In Need of Support and Advice

[Cyclonejared]

Hello everyone. You don't know me but I know some of you from reading this site at difficult times.

You've helped me without knowing it but I really feel I have hit a wall now.
I guess as is obligatory for a first post, here's a brief history.

My first twitches were nearly two years ago in my calves. I went to my GP within weeks and she said they were probably nothing and if they were something then there would be nothing they could do about it anyway!

I turned to the internet and fortunatley found this site as well as the 'other ones'.

Somehow I coped quite well and convinved myself it was nothing. The daily analysis of the calves dropped from every hour to every day to every week, to almost rarely at all.

Then in early January this year I kind of slowly became aware to the fact that I was twitching in several places.

My arms, legs, eyes, even buttocks. I turned to the net again and tried some supplements to see if they would help.

There was little change and then I very badly strained my ankle playing football (I guess that's soccer to you guys in America) in Febuary.

I became more aware of my twicthes and started to look at the *** symptoms again on websites. Suddenly everything started to fall in to place. I was convinced I had it.

My main hotspots had become a strange twitch in my left elbow that was unlike the others. It kind of grabs and contracts the small muscle just below the elbow. And I was starting to get worried about a twitch on the side of my hand between my little finger and wrist. This could be fast and small but it could also be a big twitch that kind of holds in the muscle for a second or two and then lets go.

I went to the GP (a different one) and she tested my reflexes and stuck some pins in me, asked me a few questions and said I was fine but if I was still worried in a month then she could refer me to a neuro.

That was early March and for a week or two I did ok and elbow twitch seemed to subside.

But then it came back and my hand twitch seemed to bother me more (or am I watching it more) although the twitches in the rest of my body seemed to be less. I also noticed cramps in the arches of my feet and occasionally in my hand.

Then I convinced myslef that the muscle on the side of my right hand that is twitching feels different when I prod it compared to the left and is slightly less elevated where it goes across the palm of my hand. yet right is my dominant hand.

I trawled this stie daily for re-assurance but after a few nights bad sleep when I woke up several times in a kind of shock that I couldn't breathe, I stumbled across (when I was looking for *** hand symptoms) info that sleep apnae - similar to what I am getting - can be a symptom of ***.

This has thrown me into complete panic. Too scared to go to the doctors and too scared not to. I am weight training like a madman and starting to run again now the ankle is better and I have not noticed a loss of strength.

It feels like the final piece in the jigsaw and I don't know where to turn.

If anyone has had the hand twitch I described I'd be really pleased to hear from them. I'm 37, I do a lot of computer work and have seen it could be a consequence of that.

I know this is a terribly long post and I am really sorry for that. Waiting months to see a NHS neuro and for tests doesn't really feel like an option either.

I have a family that needs me at the moment and I need to be strong. Can anyone help me deal with this?

Thank you for your patience in reading to the end of this.

 

[BandersnatchF]

Apparently, sleep apnea is a common occurence in A/L/S patients. However, sleep apnea is a common occurence in everybody else, too! Tens of mllions (literally!) of Americans have it, many of whom have never had it diagnosed. You know those "breathe-right" strips for your nose? They were invented in part to combat sleep apnea.

Headaches, which are common, are a symptom of brain cancer, which is relatively rare. Just because you get headaches doesn't mean you have (or will get) brain cancer. Same deal here.

 

[Grigoli]

Hi, I to am a new member, I don't even know if I have BFS, I am leaning more toward MS with my self-diagnosis. I have had the twitching on and off for about 3 months now. But as far as waking up feeling like you can't breathe. I have had that on and off for several years. I have no sleep apenia. But I can wake up feeling like someone just squeezed all the air out of my chest. I just sit up, take a drink of water and try to breath normally. It sometimes takes a while for the sensation to go away, but it does and then does not show up for months or years again. I do find it to be much more prevelant when I have been anxious more.
Good luck,,,,hope this helps.

 

[Grigoli]

Hi, I to am a new member, I don't even know if I have BFS, I am leaning more toward MS with my self-diagnosis. I have had the twitching on and off for about 3 months now. But as far as waking up feeling like you can't breathe. I have had that on and off for several years. I have no sleep apenia. But I can wake up feeling like someone just squeezed all the air out of my chest. I just sit up, take a drink of water and try to breath normally. It sometimes takes a while for the sensation to go away, but it does and then does not show up for months or years again. I do find it to be much more prevelant when I have been anxious more.
Good luck,,,,hope this helps.