Newbie Experiencing Unexplained Twitches

[ia.There.are.too.man]

Im a newbie here, but have found comfort reading various stories that people have posted. My ordeal dates back to last January when I began experiencing an unexplained muscle twitch in my pectoral muscle. That particular twitch lasted less than a day, but after googling twitching, a full blown attack of twitches began in lower extremities especially arch of left foot and calves of both legs. For whatever reason, I became fixated on the arch of the foot twitching even though I had sporadic twitching elsewhere, even in forearms and thumb. I would get a very bad feeling every time I saw the twitch in the arch of the foot thinking it was something sinister. Now that I am educated about ALS, I realize ALS just doesnt start that way (pectoral to feet) but at the time ALS anxiety began to soar to new heights. I spent the next 2 months doing strength testing, hopping on 1 leg, standing on toes, walking up stairs, push ups etc. Long story short, I made appointments with neurologist in April 2012 who did a NCS and EMG and a strength test - all tests came back clean. I was diagnosed with fasciulations and he told me to "ignore them". Only thing off was low B-12 which I began to supplement. My symptoms actually subsided for the next 12 months. I lost my fear of ALS and functioned rather well. I didnt give that disease any thought. Well, Just a few weeks ago symptoms have returned. My wife says that I probably have been twitching all the while and I was just not focussed on them. I am not sure if the twitching just started again or maybe it never went away like she said. My attention is turned inward and introspective again even when I am in conversation with someone I notice I am thinking about my twitching. Of course they dont know it but in my mind I am panicing. I still have no appreciable weakness, though my legs feel rubbery at times. I dont know what the timetable is if you get a clean EMG and a diagnosis of fasciulations: is a repeat EMG recommended annually ? What are the chances that the fasciulations last year are now ALS related ? Has anyone had symptoms disappear then come back ?

 

[Gloria123]

You are just like pretty much everyone here. You are fine, I'm almost positive, based on what you wrote. I only had one EMG, and I'm almost 2 years into this. I sometimes have the same thoughts, like "should I have had another EMG?", but my twitching is pretty much the same (I have a slew of other strange symptoms - mainly sensory ones that have started - like buzzing, etc.). I'm thinking, if you don't have weakness, then you don't need an EMG. I think we become hypochondriacs due to the nature of the weirdness of our symptoms and what most of us are afraid of. I think if you take your mind off the twitches, and realize you may just have to live with them forever (unfortunately), you will start to notice them less and less.

 

[Gloria123]

You are just like pretty much everyone here. You are fine, I'm almost positive, based on what you wrote. I only had one EMG, and I'm almost 2 years into this. I sometimes have the same thoughts, like "should I have had another EMG?", but my twitching is pretty much the same (I have a slew of other strange symptoms - mainly sensory ones that have started - like buzzing, etc.). I'm thinking, if you don't have weakness, then you don't need an EMG. I think we become hypochondriacs due to the nature of the weirdness of our symptoms and what most of us are afraid of. I think if you take your mind off the twitches, and realize you may just have to live with them forever (unfortunately), you will start to notice them less and less.

 

[ia.There.are.too.man]

I had that similar buzzing in my left leg when this started last year, it ran all the way down to the little toe. The toe actually moved every 20 seconds or so when it buzzed. Felt like an electriucal sensation but had a hard time describing it to my doctor . That went away after a few days though and never returned. At present its just random twitches with a hot spot in my left arch. Its very hard for me to ignore something. I keep fixating on it and doing strength tests. I decided not having a follow up EMG unless there is appreciable weakness. My neuro pronounced me as benign last year, and Ive read BFS cannot become ALS. Im a tense person by nature. I regret the day I googled twitching. As they say, ignorance is bliss. Almost everything Ive read said twitches without weakness are benign but its difficult to convince a hypochondriac of that. I just wonder if my twitches returned or was I in fact always twitching but managed to put it out of my mind.