Seeing as how I have received so much support from all of you while lurking, I thought I'd share my story. Warning - this is a long one, but I felt the need to get it all out.In my job, I travel quite frequently. Leaving a wife and 2 little girls at home (w/a mother in-law that lives with us). I always enjoyed getting away from the stresses of home (house of females). However, towards the end of February, I was coming up on a big travel trip. First a 3-day team meeting in Las Vegas, home for 4 days, back to Vegas for a conference, then straight to Austin for a couple of days, just to return home to speak in front of 5,000 people! Needless to say, the trip sounded hectic, but fun at the same time.During my first trip to vegas (the team meeting), I started noticing that my left eye was twitching. Weird - I thought. Then the twitched moved to the side of my nose, and then I started feeling all of these pusles in my face. Mainly left lower check/jaw bone and upper right temple area. This was a little un-nerving. The eye twitch became worse. Now, at this time, a lot of my co-workers were getting sick. Colds, Sinus-infections, the Flu, etc. It was that time of the year.When I returned home (for my 4-day reprieve), I started noticing that my sinuses felt they were swelling up. It felt like somone was constantly pressing on the left side of my face. On Monday (the day before I left for Vegas again), I made an 11th hour call to my doctor to help diagnose (thinking possible sinus infection) and to get some meds before my long 7-day trip away from home. I didn't want it to get worse while I was out of town. He ended up prescribing a 10-day dosage of Amoxicillin. I was concerned what the sinus pressure would do during my flight, so he gave me a sample of Flonaze to take for a couple of days to help with the pressure.So I return to Vegas for a little work and a little fun, but the fun soon subsided as the face twitching wasn't going away and was starting to feel more persistent. Also, on a couple of occasions, I did get a sense of a few short burts of electrical shocks. This really freaked me out, so I called the doctors office to see if the medication might cause any of these sensations. Of course, they said it shouldn't. Great.I don't remember when it started exactly, but now I was starting to get pins/needles feelings in the left side of my face, my left leg and my arm. Not necessarily all at the same time. I told my self that if I didn't feel better come time for the Austin trip, I wasn't going. Needless to say, the symptons were waining a bit and was enough for me to make the Austin trip. While in Austin, I wasn't feeling a 100%. I was still getting the off and on facial "flutters" (feels like a butterfly is in your skin and flapping its wings) and the pins/needles feeling in my arms and legs. Then on Sunday (the day before heading home, and 2-days prior to my presentation in front of 5,000 people), my entire left leg was filled with pins/needles. It was worse than I've ever experienced. It was my entire leg. Not just the upper half, not just the bottom half, not just my foot, but my entire leg. I tried stretching it out, massaging it, taking a hot shower, etc. It was really freaking me out.The following day, the leg was better, but still feeling odd. When I returned home, I had to head straight down to the convention center to "rehearse" the next days events and my presentation. I was felling ok - but not great. The following day, my leg was feeling better and I mustered through my presentation without any hiccups and I was proud of myself afterwards. The craziness of the past week was over. Phew!Now...jump ahead a week and a half, and I'm back on the road for a few days. I started noticing that my left knee would vibrate off and on. Now, I've felt muscle twitches here and there, but nothing ever persistent. This vibration wouldn't stop. Than, a day later or so, my other knee started vibrating. This soon turned into muscle twitches in my calves (mainly left, then the right wanted to join in - oh, thanks), the bottom of my left foot and every now again in my quads. Now here's where I made a *HUGE* mistake. I went on to the internet to research what could be going on, and sure enough, as you all have witnessed, the pointers weren't pointing to anything pretty.While out of town, I immediately called my doctor to say what was going on, and sure enough I was dreading the next words that were about to come out of his mouth - "when you get back, let's get you in for an MRI". Now... me and tight spaces, we don't get along so well. But without going to far into that story, I will say I was able to survive mainly for two reasons, 1.) I was allowed to do an Open MRI (although I don't think it matters, you still get nervous) and 2.) I told the technicican of my concerns and they just put a cloth over my eyes. They blindfolded me, and it worked! No problems. I was more concerned about getting the results of the test than worrying about being in tight quarters. (just for reference, I'm 6'4" and 260, just to give you an idea of the crampness)The doctor ordered up a C-Spine Scan to look for a pinched nerve and said if that came back normal, he'd recommend a brain scan. Here, I'm thinking I have a brain tumor or something and was wondering why he just didn't ordered up an entire scan. Anyhow, the C-Spine came back normal. Great. But more symptons started appearing. I started to notice that I felt jittery. I was shaking. I would hold a piece of kleenex or paper in my hand, and I could see it shaking. My whole body felt like it was shaking. During this time, my doctor was on vacation and I was freaking out. I'm shaking, I'm twitching, and I'm going nuts. I called the doctors office and asked to see another doctor to see if they'd order up the brain scan while my doctor was on vacation, just so I could get the results sooner than later. My first C-Spine scan was on a Monday, this was that Thursday. Lucky enough, the MRI place was able to fit me right in that afternoon. Great, I thought. At least I'd be able to get the results before the weekend. Guess what...no call on the results on Friday. Oh, Fabulous!That weekend was not good. My legs were twitching and vibrating like crazy. Every once in a while, my torso would want to join in the fun and I'd get twitches in my sides and my lower abodomen area as well. My whole body was shaking as well. Finally, on Monday, the doctor called and said the brain MRI was normal. I was happy to hear that and all, but that doesn't solve anything. I'm still twitching! My doctor believed all along that all of this was caused by stress and anxiety, but he wanted to rule everything else out.A few days later, I was taking a shower in one of our other bathrooms that has more water pressure than the shower in our room. The water hit the left side of my face in such a way that the left side of my face hurt the rest of the day. At first it was kind of a sharp pain, that then turned into a dull achy pain. From my left eye, down my cheek and even into the opening of my ear, but not in the ear. I was back to feeling like someone was pressing their hand against the left side of my face. I had an appointment with my doctor the next day (right after he returned from vacation) and told him of all my symptoms that I've been experiencing for the past couple of weeks. His thought on my face was that it could possibly be neuralgia. He ended up prescribing me some Nortriptyline and recommend that I take 25mg-50mg every night before bed. He also ordered up a few Xanax pills because his belief was that all of the twitching and shakiness was due to Anxiety and Stress.I took the Nortriptyline for a couple of weeks. I didn't like the way it made me feel. The first day I took them, I did not feel right at all. Almost zombie like and shaky. Nortriptyline is an anit-depressent but also treats chronic-pain (in this case, for my face, I guess). My doctor said to take them for 2-3 weeks and we could re-evaluate. The meds take time to get into your system and do what they're supposed to do. Now the face pain has always come and gone. It's not a pain as so much as a pressure (someone pressing my face) with a little pain around the ear. Needless to say,the Nortriptyline made me feel depressed, shaky (me or the meds? we don't know) and a feel other nice side effects thrown in like dry mouth and constipation. I've never had constipation before but I sure as hell didn't like it!I had another appointment set up with the doc to talk about the meds not working and to discuss next steps, which he told me earlier would be a Neurologist referral. The day before the appointment. The face tingling returned, along with the arm tingling and then the leg tingling all at once. I thought I was having a stroke! (btw...my grandmother died of a stroke when she was in her mid-fifties) I called the doc, asked if there was anyway that I could get in that evening. I didn't want the thought of me potentially having a stroke running through my mind all night. Thankfully, they told me to come in.We discussed a few things. Talked about the stress and the anxiety. I told him about these forums I've been reading and asked him if he's ever heard of BFS. He hasn't. With that, he recommended that I see a neurologist that has recently finished their residency (all the new teachings) or someone who is up to speed in all the latest research. He ended up referring me to a neurologist at the Loyola Medical University in Chicago who heads up their Neurology department. However, I can't get in to see him until May 30th. Ugh!In the meantime, my doctor ordered up an EMG test for my Left Arm/Leg, which I will have tomorrow. I'm a little nervous about the needle poking and such, but at this time, I want answers. Hopefully good answers, but answers none the less.I'm sure this has to do with stress and anxiety. Not only have I've been suffering the twitches, the tingles, the shakes, but I've pretty much have a had a headache every day for the past few weeks. It feels like a tension headache. Tightness in the neck that radiates up the back of my head. However, last week, my typical tenison headache turned into something worse. I was leaving the office and felt a little headache. I was thinking I should've taken something, but I didn't. Started the drive home, and during the drive it hit me - WAM! - a MAJOR excruciating pain of a headache above my left eye brow to the top of my head. It was almost too painful to drive. As soon as I got home, I took some OTC Migraine formula pills and went right up to bed. The next day, the worse pain was over, but the pressure pain was back in the left side of my face again. Was this my first migraine??? It was brutal.Anyhow... I've gone on long enough. I appologize for the rant, but I needed to get it out. This site has helped me so much, I just felt I needed to lend my story. The doctor was right in that I'm sure a lot of this has to do with stress and anxiety. It was so bad that I was checking-out from my family, my job and just purely focusing on the way I was feeling and wondering what was wrong. Scouring the Internet *DOES NOT HELP*. It makes it worse. However, running into these forums has helpmed me tremendously. I don't twitch as much, just here and there. However, today (ha!) the muscles in my left arm on the top and bottom of my elbow have been twitching since last night and its driving me nuts. I think we I was reading my daughter a bedtime story in the chair her room, my elbow was on the chair and she was laying in my arm, pressing down on my elbow. Since then, this new arm twitch has reared its nuisance little head. I rubbed some tiger balm on it and wrapped it into an ace bandage, but it doesn't seem to be going away.Anyhow, I can bring that up in the EMG test tomorrow. As I said, I'm a little nervous of the test, but I want it over with. Any tips on how to handle it or words of encouragement will a go a long way. Thanks for reading this far. I'm sure this sounds like a lot of dribble and blabbering but I wanted to share as much as I could. The only thing I can say is *Thank You* for sharing your stories. They help!
Sharing My Story: Long, but Necessary
- Thread starter rkeeli1
- Start date
Prayers with you tomorrow. I am sure its BFS along w/ a lot of anxiety. I am going through simular things minus the pins and needles etc. I have seen a neurologist and she did a clinical exam and reflexes and didnt even suggest a EMG. In my head I am contemplating a EMG but...it is against what she advised and she is the cheif of neurophysiology, I am trying my hardest to believe her and my heavenly father that what I have is benign. I prayed he would open me up a soon appt. with a good neurologist and they had a cancellation the day I called and got me right in.I am sure you are fine- easier said than to accept..but God Bless and I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow.Lovely
Thank You, PregnantNHappy. Through all of this, I am suprised my PCP didn't send me to a neurologist sooner. With my insurance, I don't need a referral, but I wanted to follow the doctor's path. Maybe that was silly of me, but I trust him. He's the one that ordered up the MRI and the EMG. I'm thankful to get the EMG test taken care as opposed to having to wait for the neuro on May 30th.I hear everyone say that the EMG isn't really painful, just uncomfortable. Define "uncomfortable". As I said, I'm ready to have this test and lead me down my path to figuring this thing out. It doesn't mean I have to like it. 
The twitching and such has subsided quite a bit from what it was a couple of weeks ago. The head pressure was constant but have noticed that its getting better in the past 2 days. I still fell shaky now and again. I don't know if that was from coming off the medication or stress popping up again. The Xanax does help calm me down but I don't want to feel dependent on it. I don't necessarily like to pop pills, but if it helps...well.
The twitching and such has subsided quite a bit from what it was a couple of weeks ago. The head pressure was constant but have noticed that its getting better in the past 2 days. I still fell shaky now and again. I don't know if that was from coming off the medication or stress popping up again. The Xanax does help calm me down but I don't want to feel dependent on it. I don't necessarily like to pop pills, but if it helps...well.