Trouble Submitting Posts & Leg Cramp Issues

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PossibleThree

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I have tried to submit 2 posts and have been unsucessful so hopefully this one will go through. Four weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a major cramp in my leg. I stretched the leg out and went back to sleep, thinking nothing of it. The following two weeks, I couldn't seem to fully recover from the cramp and now the pain had migrated to my other calf. So then the symptoms began while on vacation. While noticing my calf, I notice a twitch. I completely freak out. By the end of the evening that calf is dancing. The following day, the twitching is in my other calf. Third day both calfs and my right pec muscle. Fourth day at nearly a nervous breakdown, the twitches are everywhere. Is this progression too fast? About me I am male, 44 years old, agorophobic, ocd and just a nervous type of guy. Previous to the muscle cramps and twitches and within a month of issues- marrital issues, IBS, cancer scare (colon), *ALS charity event (family friend with ALS), vacation from hell (agorophobic and serious vehicle problems), problems at work, home remodel project, etc. Probably one of the most challenging last several weeks of my life. Now this. I'm scared. If I did not have faith in God and find this site I don't know where I would be right now. Does all of this seem normal. I have seen a neuro and had tons of blood work and all was normal. I am scheduled for an MRI and EMG. I have no weakness anywhere but am continually testing myself. I have started lifting weights. I find that the muscles that get used seem to develop the twitches. Since reading this site I think the twitches have decreased. I do notice that when I am really stressed and start thinking the twitches get worse. Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated..God bless
 
Honestly, the way your twitches started is amazingly similar to me - first one calf cramped then the other - then the twitches started..... like wildfire all over - like an electric storm or a Christmas tree inside my body! I ended up having a lumbar MRI done and it showed alot of disc nerve impingement issues and also some stenosis which the dr feels caused my leg cramps/twitches. I am the same age as you - before I even sat down to do my EMG neuro told me "You dont' have ALS". He said he could tell "by looking at me". He said stat. wise it is HIGHLY unusual for people in their forties to have ALS. You're going to be okay. Just hang in there.
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement! My posting should have read less than < a month. I am so thankful for this website. I should have also mentioned that I have GERD and have suffered from ulcers as a kid. I know I sound like a mess but most people would never know I had any issues. I am a type A outgoing person. This however has really set me back. I am taking about 500 mg of magnesium along with a plethora of vitamins and the mag seems to really settle the twitches down. That and .5mg of Klonopin.I also experience the vibration/buzzing in my legs at times. My feet do get tingly too like they are going asleep if I bend my legs (squat) for any period of time. ALS may be rare in your 40's but this friend is only a couple of years older than I, so I know it does happen.
 
Your symptoms started out the same as many others on here. I have had widespread twitching for 5 months had all the tests and all is normal. Try to take a deep breath and calm down. You don't have ALS. Nobody on this board does. I know it is scary but you have to just try to believe your doctors. There is a great amount of support on this board also. Remember you are not alone in your symptoms. We have all been there. ~Leslie
 
It seems to me that the all important test IS the EMG which I have not taken yet. How soon after you develope the twitches should the test be taken? I see some on the forum have had numerous tests. Does this mean if the first is normal the remaining tests may not be? If I'm not feeling weak in any way does that mean I could still have a bad result? I was asked by the neuro if I felt weak. This was her first question. I stated no. She then proceded to have me do steps across the room. Nothing signifigant. Then she asked me to do tread steps while she left the room for 5 mins. Then, when she returned, the calfs wouldn't twitch. My calves killed me the following day. She asked my wife if she had seem them twitch on previous occasions (I guess insinuating that it was in my head) and she said she had. After the exam they did twitch very hard. I so wish I could be like many of you with months of experience and so much less anxiety. This is so new to me. And....my name is Tom. I should have put that in my first post.
 
nine9three,My symptoms started very similarly to yours as well. My posts will tell a long story if you ever have too much time on your hands and want to know how crazy this drama can get. I will tell you one reassuring thing told me by my neuro, Dr. Engel. He has been treating ALS patients since the 1950s. He was the head of the neuromuscular division of the National Institute of Health and is the Vice President of the MDA. He told me he has never seen someone with ALS whose twitches came on within weeks bodywide without any weakness. He does not think I have ALS for this and other reasons.Krackersones
 
I feel your pain and fear I am a newbie here as well and have had twitching that started in my left calf and now is everywhere everyday buzzing sensations foot and joint pain etc ...I have been to a nuero had an emg had blood work and ct scan of head all normal although I am scared to death myself ....Every test every visit every exam is normal .....I have a history of high anxiety as well and prior to this had major life stressing events as well ....hang in there buddy and believe what the doctors tell you
 
Tom; I know that **S can happen in your forties - but do you know HOW unusual/rare it is? I was so concerned about having it that I looked up the actual statistics - for a women under 45 (me) the risk is literally like 1 in 1,000,000. For a man your age I would think its similiarly low. When I realized that somehow it did make me question myself. I think thats why the drs were so sure and quick to tell its not what was wrong with me. Of course I cannot lie - I still have very bad momemnts of doubt. But then I say to myself - okay so if the chances are THAT low and I don't have any weakness or atrophy in my muscles - only twitches and wierd sensations - then how low are the chances? Somehow that makes me feel better. You don't have to have an EMG - I think the only reason I had one is becuase I was in such as state of panic and fear that the drs were trying to reassure me - it even said on my EMG order paper - "rule out motor neuron disease" not "confirm motor neuron disease" I don't know if he would have done it unless I brought it up.... Candi
 
I'm starting to feel a little better after all the positive feedback. I must say that last night was a rough one. I really pushed my legs on the Mountain bike. When I got home, my calves were litterally dancing. I was experiencing multiple twitches (3-5 at a time) in each calf simultaneously like waves. Is this still BFS. I had to stop watching. Still no weakness. I have been pounding the weights and have noticed that my bicepts are more firm? If after an EMG is returned normal, I don't see any reason to have another. And some on this forum and even this link are suggesting I don't need one now.I'm confussed. The Neuro is going to schedule the EMG this week or next (waiting insurance approval). She would also like to do and MRI upper spine. I have had all kinds of back problems since I was a kid and know that my back is messed up so really not sure about the MRI. All I care about is that I don't have a**.-Tom
 
I can tell you I just had a lumbar MRI and back issues (stenosis and three diffuse disc bulges) are suspected to have caused my cramps and twitches (at least in my legs). The dr. thinks I seriously aggravated my spinal column/nerves when getting ready for a yard sale and various other stressors (thats when my leg cramps started.) Thats also when the twitches started. However my EMG was not normal like almost everyone else here - mine was abnormal but not for ***. My back was abnormal for radiculopathy (compressed nerves). The limb part of the EMG (which were tested becuase thats where the majority of my twitches are) were normal. I guess they can tell the difference between the EMG abnormalities and their causes? Don't know if this helps you at all. Candi
 
Ok... I do love this forum and the folks who give up their time to help. I am especially grateful as a "newbie" for the supportive words. BUT...I read different posts and get conflicting information. So just when I start to feel that all is going to be OK I read something that says well....maybe not. I am four weeks into muscle cramps and two weeks into the whole muscle twitch thing. I refuse to look at any a** site for fear of reading something contrary to what is being said here. I have NOT had an EMG test yet. It is being scheduled. How worried about this test should I be. Many if not most on this board have a great fear and apprehension over this test. Should I?????? Should the test be done a month out....two months out??? I am having a tough day!!! Alot of anxiety!!-Tom
 
Tom- You should not be worried about the EMG. Listen to Amy. Clean clinical exam is all you need. Many on here have never been examined by a neuro, only their GP and/or never had an EMG and were still properly diagnosed BFS. I went through the cramps and leg stiffness and have had several bouts of it. The docs just aren't impressed by this. Don't waste your time fretting the EMG. I fretted mine sooo much. My GP ordered it prior to me seeing a neuro. I went to see the neuro and he took my history and did the clinical exam and never mentioned the EMG. He then said "what conditions are you worried about?" I told him ALS and MS and he said categorically, you don't have either one of those. At this point, he had ruled out both of these and hadn't even looked at my emg results. I finally repeated myself "Hey I had an EMG two days ago...does it look normal to you?" He then picked it up, looked at it and shrugged "yeah it was normal" and threw the paper onto the desk. My point is he absolutely paid no attention to the EMG. I don't think he would've even done one had I not got one thru my GP. It played absolutely no role in his exam and diagnosis. If you've been cleared by your doc based on a clinical exam, the emg will not do anything other than provide cumulative, unnecessary support for that conclusion that you don't have anything bad.
 
I had my EMG ordered by my GP also. It came out normal but I still insisted on seeing a neuro. Turned out the neuro who did my EMG was the neuro who I was referred too. The EMG is not bad at all. I had no problems handling it. The thing is the clinical exam is really the most important thing. Neurolgists can tell alot by these so if you have had a normal clinical you are pretty much in the clear for the bad stuff.
 
We all know how you feel. My anxiety was off the charts initially. For what it's worth, your situation sounds exactly like a lot like others on the board. There are some great people on here who will make this MUCH easier to cope with. Listen to High Priority...she helped me a ton. My advice (in addition to RELAX...YOU ARE MOST LIKELY DEALING WITH BFS) would be to do some homework on your neuro before you see one. Some other things that have helped me are:1. Exercise (even though it may cause the twitching to increase somewhat, it is very reassuring to me to know I can lift weights, walk, and gain strength and muscle mass).2. Stay busy...when my twitching started, I would literally find something to do 24/7...I avoided sittting down like the plague because my calves went nuts when I relaxed. I bet yours do too. Keeping busy also keeps your mind occupied.3. Try to train your mind to avoid going down the negative roads. It really can be as simple as saying "I'm not going there".
 
Hi Tom,I workout regularly and have serious cramping as well as muscle twitching, mostly in my calves. In fact my main concern aside from the twitching was the stiffness and cramping I experienced in the beginning. I twitched for about a month and woke up one morning with serious stiff legs, like I did squats and ran a marathon the night before, but I didn't do anything. However, my EMG showed no signs of ALS or any neuro disease, and my blood work all came back fine. Needless to say, my cramping has gone down significantly since then.A few things to consider - 1. I took a few weeks off from training. It's possible I was over training, and it's also possible that the twitching caused extra stress on the muscles, resulting in cramping. I feel much better now starting back at the gym. Maybe you just need some rest?2. Stress and anxiety might have been the cause for some of my stiffness/cramping. I had many sleepless nights while I worried about ALS, tossing and turning countless times. Perhaps the anxiety in my sleep caused some of the stiff muscles? In fact I started getting stiff in my shoulders, back, neck, etc - all possible from stress.3. Maybe my perception of the stiffness and cramps was off. The mind can do some crazy things to a person. I felt weakness as well, tremors, body buzzing while I slept (I'm still not sure why that happens - BFS?) vision problems, etc. All of these symptoms are reduced now, leading me to believe they were mostly in my head. 4. Potassium - if you're an athlete with BFS, consider looking into potassium. You need 4 grams a day, which is roughly 8 bananas. It's very difficult to get enough potassium in your diet, and the supplements only come in 99ml tablets. In essence, you'd have to eat 47 pills a day! I wouldn't worry so much about the pills, but definitely try and down 4 or 5 bananas a day, and see if that helps. There's so many people around who have muscle cramps and stiffness. Some of this could be your bodies inability to assimilate potassium efficiently. I started downing bananas left and right - and although I'm not sure it cured me, I did it at a time when I started feeling less cramping and stiffness. Maybe it helped, and it could help you too. Hang in there. Once you get some piece of mind, I think you'll feel much better.
 
If your calves are your main twitching area and especially after vigorous exercise such that if you did not have the calf twitching you would not even be on this board or worried, then you might find the comment by my neuro interesting. He said a lot of people who work out really hard get writhing in their calves. He was talking about a normal phenomenon not a disorder symptom. I get the writhing too but I got it without exercise and I have twitches pretty extensively lots of other places so this info did not reassure me that much but it may help others. It did help me understand why the calves may be a little worse than other spots since even in the normal people it can be a problem. They must just be extra sensitive to this kind of stuff.Krackersones
 

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