Hi Everyone,I came across this site while dealing with muscle twitches for the past year and everytime you google muscle twitches or weakness you automatically see the ALS boards. A little bit about myself: I'm 23 years old and go to school in california majoring in neuroscience (odd isnt it?). My symptoms began about a year ago almost suddenly. I had a horrible sharp shoulder/back pain prior to my twitching for about 6 months or so. All of the sudden one day I had a twitch in my leg, I'd had them before but they quickly spread like wildfire. My face, arms, legs, shoulders, hands, neck everywhere would twitch. My back pain subsided almost with this happening which I found odd. I had an EMG/NCS last december because of the pain in my back that would radiate into my right arm and hands and it came back as normal ( the twitching started a month before). A few months later I'd get very weak and stiff all over without explanation and it went away. Sidenote I had an MRI of my neck which showed my spine to curve in the opposite direction? It was no big deal to my GP.A few months later I started to have a "hotspot" of twitching on the side of my right palm between the pinky and wrist that would twitch like crazy. I extend my finger and it looks like its wasting away. In addition to all of this lovely stuff my shoulder feels dull/stiff and maybe weak making my arm feel dead and now my leg (this just started to happen about 3 weeks ago) and I keep thinking its worse but everyone tells me I'm fine. I saw a neurologist about 2 months ago and he did a physical examination and couldnt see any fasiculations when he examined me and assured me that there was no ominous disease like ALS present. However ever since then I have developed these dull/stuff/ weakness or whatever it is in my shoulder/arm and leg which makes me think otherwise. I asked him about BFS but he didn't really acknowledge it ( Mind you i go to a school with extremely good doctors). So now here I am, completely terrified and upset over my symptoms obsessing over the fact I could have ALS and it hasnt shown itself just yet. I thought I'd post here just to reach out to talk to someone else. Thanks for listening!-G
Twitching & Weakness for a Year Now
- Thread starter ucdguy9
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. He didn't completely say "no it's not" but told me it was definitely anxiety/stress related in other ways. Again, thanks!it sounds like the sharp pain in the back and shoulder triggered an acute anxiety attack about your health? then snowballed into your twitches which then of course fueled your anxiety even more. did you ever determine the cause of the sharp pain? perhaps you had a gall stone? or perhaps your studies in neuroscience are anxiety producing enough.I am not a psychologist, but have gone through years of cognitive behavioral therapy to deal with my somatoform disorder which in its acute phase can lead to catastrophising about any number of possible health problems. I have had all the neuro diseases discussed here, as well as bone cancer, lung cancer, aids, pulmonary hypertension, and on and on... I am surprised that my muscle twitching is NOT normal but in fact a diagnosable condition called BFS. so I wasn't crazy all these years and neither are you, and you have BFS and not anything else. and my right arm is twitching like a cat in a bag as I type....
I'd have to agree with that one as do the other folks in my life. The sharp pain was never determined and hasnt been back since (which was what my EMG was for). I really want to see a study on people suffering from BFS and anxiety levels ever since so little is known as to why this happens. We (I don't have a diagnosis of BFS but it sounds like it?) have different severity of symptoms and different levels of anxiety. For me, I drink alot to feel better and the next day I feel awful with trouble moving my leg, wobbly legs, twitches, stiffness, tongue twitches etc.If you dont mind me asking, which somatoform disorder is it?