Twitching Jaw Muscle Worries

[garymills]

Another scary one...my masseter muscle/jaw has been twiching for over a month now...it is worse after eating, then will subside a little...but, it is pretty constant now...it feels weak or strange...no pain, like tmj...just that twinge...i kept feeling a twinge in my face, then when i was doing my makeup....there it was...a new scary twitch...of course this scares me because of the things you hear of bulbar onset...i do get little bits of food caught in my throat, but i can get them down...don't notice anything with the tongue, except for teethmarks...any thoughts? the doctor did a clinical exam two weeks ago, looked at my tongue and did a reflex thing on my chin...I still feel like that was too early and it has gotten progressively worse.... I really am terrified...my next neuro exam is in March...hard to hold on to then....thanks in advance...I'm driving my husband nuts...he doesn't want me going to the docs, as it is soooo expensive here in LA....no one takes insurance anymore.

 

[holisticdriver]

rhonda,

I have to say that what your describing sounds like severe anxiety to me. The reason I say that is because i experienced the same thing. I was convinced i had bulbar onset because of a twitch in my jaw. I was having trouble swallowing, but could always get food down and I was driving my wife crazy. The funny thing is, it got better once I stopped obsessing about it! I was even losing my voice and getting hoarse because i kept clearing my throat (that sparked alot more anxiety). I understand your anxiety, but you have to believe what the drs. say. I still have a hard time believing there isn't something really wrong with me, I just finally got past the point of panic. Please try to relax, maybe meditate, and make sure you get plenty of sleep, it will really help your state of mind.

Good luck to you, and know that you're not the first person to experience this garbage, must of all of us have been there.

Take care,
Gary

 

[AllSithknight]

thank you gary...so much...i am trying to calm down...seeing a therapist...just don't want to do antipressants....please stay in touch...love your words...rhonda

 

[garymills]

Hi Rhonda...trust me I know exactly what you are going through...it will pass...what you are experiencing is something called globus hystericus which is a symptom of Anxiety. Ive had it 1 or 2 times and both times its lasted 2-3 weeks...usually until I calm down. It often feels like you are being choked, your throat feels tight and you feel like you cant swallow properely.....yet when you do swallow you can swallow fine. The bits of food getting stuck in your throat are just normal to everybody...the thing is with you is that you notice them more. The other problem with this is that you get so paranoid about the whole thing you are constantly checking your swallowing capacity and as a result your jaw & throat can start to get tired which you then confuse as another ALS symptom, making everything 10 times worse.

With early bulbar onset it would be a case of you actually choking on your food and struggling to get it down or cough it back up...also your speech would start to slur.

 

[MyUsrName94]

you guys are awesome...thanks for your response...i guess the jaw/masseter twitch freaks me a little....but i know i am self focused on my every little move....do you guys suggest antidepressants? my brother... we are wired alike...thinks that will solve my problems, and move my mind away from my body...i just don't want to be numb to life, but i want to have a better quality of life...i live in fear...horrible place to be...anyway, i appreciate your suggestions and replies...thanks so much...rhonda