Hi,I only joined this forum a couple of weeks ago but I sort of feel like someone Homer would have written about, journeying far and wide (in my own mind, that is). It started with a simple tic in my right eye. It escalated primarily to my legs with particular attention in my thighs. Of course I have had the occasional twitch basically everywhere - my arms, feet, back, abdomen, etc. At its worst it had me second guessing every single step I took as I walked, which caused me great concern. At its best I felt 100% normal. I've been up and down with this thing for a few weeks now and I thought I'd share some insights that I've gathered both on my own and from the wonderful people on this forum. - if you suffer from anxiety then ANXIETY is the first thing that should be addressed, not ALS or anything of the sort. You already have your diagnosis. Why look for another one? When you are anxious you tighten everything up. It's called tension. When you sit down/lay down those muscles and tendons have a chance to loosen up. What happens? You get these twitches. It's normal and happens with regular exercise as well. Your muscles are not static. They move and are supposed to. Trust your body instead of fighting it with your mind like I have been. - ALS and ANY serious disease does not really ebb and flow. It progresses steadily forward. If you had something serious you would not be on a forum. You'd be at the doctor or at the emergency room. The fact that you can just sit here, type, and ponder away probably tells you that you're more anxious than sick. You can't be okay one morning and then not okay that afternoon. If something was seriously wrong it would be constant. It isn't constant because your symptoms all have to do with the state of your own mind. - Realize that the more stressed/anxious you are, the worse this seems. As I said above, you're tense. Everything is tight. And it's not just your body that's tight. Your mind is FATIGUED. You may not realize just how profound an affect this can have on your overall sense of well being. It's called being "sensitized". Your nerves are in an excited state. You jump at every little twitch. This makes it a vicious cycle of anxiety/worry/symptoms/more anxiety/more symptoms/more worry.Until you ALLOW yourself to calm down your nerves will stay in this state. Do yourself a favor and give yourself a break. ALLOW yourself to take a day off. Then, see how you feel. If you feel okay then give yourself another day off. Then a week. Then a month. Then a year. I guarantee that just by allowing yourself a break you'll feel better. Reverse the cycle of worry. Instead of building on fear and negative thoughts, build on confidence and positive thoughts! I mean, why not? Worry will be there for you tomorrow if you want it to be. It's not going anywhere. But will you be there for it? Don't be. Don't give in to it. Obviously I still have my struggles with anxiety. I'm not 100% symptom free yet. My nerves are still a little shot and I still get twitches and some cramping in my legs. But it's getting better because I'm letting it. I'm leaving it alone. I'm telling it, "Go ahead, do your friggin' worst!". And you know what? It's not so tough. It's NOT ALS or anything of the sort. It's fear and worry and anxiety. I'm getting better and you can too. Don't fear your own body. It works so much better when you leave it alone. Get out there, take a walk, breathe in the fresh air, look AROUND you instead of INSIDE yourself. There's a whole world out there that exists outside of your own head. Don't get trapped in there like I did. Live, breathe, laugh, love. You deserve it. Let yourself have it. God bless. I hope this helps someone. -Tony
My Short Journey...
- Thread starter FairyTony
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