Tongue Twitching: Sensation or Quivering?

[TempleHall1]

1. Those of you that mention tongue twitching....is it a twitch that you can feel inside your mouth ? 2. I have what I would call tongue "quivering" in that i cannot feel it but have the following senario-a. tongue at rest inside mouth..no noticable movementsb. tongue stuck out all the way...rock solid except last 1/2 inch (tip) which is noticably quivering along peripheryc. tongue stuck out about halfway....quivers like crazy on top about midway....does this all the time now, far as I knowI bring this up because new nero today seemed to spend more time observing my tongue than anything else so now I'm freaking out about my tongue being an early sign of you know what. I have no other mouth or swallowing issues...tongue sticks out straight. "c" concerns me the most. I know from some other reading here that many, maybe even most, tongues will quiver some when stuck out....but quivering very noticably on top, all the time ?Scheduled for EMG end of week...

 

[edirish73]

Temple,I can assure you with a 100% certainty that at least 90% of the forum members have had tongue issues. You can call it any way you want: twitches, buzzes, vibrations, etc. These little funny tongue sensations mean EXACTLY the same as a bicep or calf twitch : ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.Temple are you willing to let go this hyper-awareness and anxiety ? Do you want to get better and leave all this fear behind you? I guess your answer is YES YES. So stick around and believe me , you will be just fine. As a matter of fact, you will be so fine that, in the future, youll be asking me how to become a Lezzie Fumigator. Hey , if you promise to manage your anxiety you may even become my sidekick. Can you imagine that " The Twitchy Buzzy LEZZIE FUMIGATORS All Mighty Duo" Lezzie Bars BEWARE, we are taking you out of Business!!!!Relax, again you are fine,Eduardo

 

[Krackersones]

Tongue quivering or any movements for that matter while you are sticking your tongue out means NOTHING!!! I KNOW this because I can feel tongue twitches, electrical shocks, etc inside my mouth, not all the time but consistently every day and have for a year. This is a real abnormal symptom as I never had this before and most others who report this on the board also say it came along with the bfs stuff. When I have reported this to the four neuros I've seen none asked to look at my tongue while I was sticking it out. All wanted to see it as it rested down inside my mouth. I also googled this and found a site about routine physical exams (not neuro exams but the ones nurses and docs give everyone) and it said if a person's tongue twitches when they stick it out so you can see their throat it is NORMAL. I have never seen my tongue twitch inside my mouth. When I feel it I don't look. When I look when I'm not feeling it, I don't see anything moving if my tongue is resting inside my mouth and neither have any of the neuros. However, I know whatever is happening with my nerves has effected my tongue, lips, and other areas of my face since I get random twitches in those areas regularly and have for a year.Feel free to ask me any questions. I know the tongue symptoms are scary as is this whole mess is general. I think this is one thing you can rest easy about though.Krackersones

 

[calmmommy]

Let me tell you about the whole tongue thing. Please relax! I remember I was in a store once with those full length mirrors and that's when I first realized that when I stuck out my tongue, the whole thing would quiver like jello if you shook it. Then I continued to stare at this full length mirror with my tongue out. At this point in time, I believe everyone in the store thought I was crazy, but hey, they didn't have a quivering tongue, so they didn't know how urgent it was that I kept staring at it...exactly as you put it...half way out. Then I realized the most horrible thing. It looked like I had a bite taken out of the tip of my tongue. It was completely asymmetrical. You can search my past posts. There must be at least 10 about tongue atrophy and twitching. I'm sure I almost hit several cars trying to stare at my tongue in the rear view mirror while driving, which is not a good thing. In reality, while my tongue is at rest, I have had two twitches that I can actually say were real twitches. And believe it or not, I did not feel the tongue twitch at all. From what I understand about bulbar ALS, if that's what you're worried about, your tongue will quiver like crazy while at rest, and it will not just be one twitch here and there.Anyways, I'm sure after this, you will be convinced that you are starting to slur your words. But believe me when I say that you aren't slurring your words. I have had two EMGs of my tongue, one done by an ALS specialist, and both were normal. The specialist really freaked me out when she told me that my tongue was definitely not normal looking and asymmetrical, but the EMG still came back clean in the tongue.Now, I completely apologize because I just tried to calm you down and you're now going to look down the page and see that I have had 3 abnormal EMGs. But guess what, I have no fibrillations in my tongue. I can still walk. I can still carry my kids around, and not one of the neuros I've seen think I have ALS. Please don't let anxiety take over your life. I'm telling you this because I see you're fairly new to this board, and I can truthfully say that I have let anxiety control my life. I've ruined many precious moments with my husband and kids staring in the mirror, doing strength tests, checking my own reflexes, and seeking constant reassurance from neurologists. Stop sticking your tongue out. I tell you this because eventually your lips/cheeks will start to quiver and then you are going to worry if that is a sign of ALS. Oh, and then you'll have facial fatigue and you'll think that's a sign as well, when all along you did it to yourself. By the way, every neuro I have seen has spent a decent amount of time looking at my time as well. I think it's just part of their job. Have a good night

 

[twinTwosome]

I feel your pain. Boy did I waste a lot of time staring at my tongue in the mirror. You wouldn't believe how many mirrors I could find in which to engage in this anxiety-inducing passtime. Every bathroom mirror--tongue check. Rearview mirror? Yes, Jro, I have almost crashed while examining my tongue as well. It was then that I swithced to the handy-dandy vanity mirror on my sun visor. I could check my tongue and at least drive in a straight line. As all self-respecting vain chicks do, I carry a mirror or two in my purse. Those would come in handy while sitting in a waiting room or restaurant. Of course in a restaurant you can use the napkin holder or your nice, shiny knife to check out your tongue. If that fails, just excuse yourself to the restroom and check it out! I couldn't go shopping without checking myself in dressing room mirrors or sit at my desk without sneaking a peek in the mirror in my desk drawer. Of course, I was usually shaking like a jonesing junkie while tongue-checking, which inevitably made it worse. The tip would shake all over. My neuro did a good job of giving me a near heart attack by noting the movement around the perimeter of my tongue too. Thanks Doc! It turns out, everyone's tongue quivers, especially when they are anxious. My "tongue issue" resolved itself when I stopped looking at it. What that means is--it still quivers, but I don't worry about it anymore! I even went to the dentist last week and didn't once think of how much my tongue was moving around. You will stop worrying about it too. Unfortunately, regular freak-outs are part of the BFS recovery process. Becky