Welcome Newcomer - Twitches/Fascics

[Burbank]

Hello everyone,

I have been a lurker for some time and have found this site to be very comforting until a new symptom arrived. I am a 44 year old who has been experiencing intermittent twitches/facics in random parts of the body. I first reported to my GP a bothersome eyelid twitch. He referred me to a board certified neurologist who stated that I had a normal neurological exam and that this was a blepherospasm. About a month later, I returned to the neurologist with complaints of randomly occuring muscle twitches (calfs, thighs, arms and during a very stressful moment even my scalp). I additionally described a feeling like a vibration in my leg. He did another neurological exam and said that I did not have ALS or MS and that this appeared to be BFS. A month or so later (July of this year) I returned again as the symptoms were bothering me greatly and my mind had locked onto all of the terrible consequences. Again, he noted a normal neurological exam and, noting my anxiety, said "you do not have ALS and do not need an EMG, but if it will make you feel better I will do the test now." The test was completely clean.

This has been a difficult year. I buried my mother in March after 12 horrible years of cancer. Too many other stressors to mention. Major mid-life career stress.

It is now September and I have finally left my job to return to school to pursue a mid-life career change. (Life is short and I wanted to follow my passion.) The wife and I have saved and planned for this for two years and three weeks ago I took the leap. I will be unemployed and living off or our savings for a little better than a year. This is one MAJOR reason that I insisted on a major physical (clean) and the EMG (clean) before I jumped off of the deep end.

What is my latest concern? Last Saturday my tongue twitched for the first time ever. This recurred on Wednesday. I have no other new symtoms. No weakness - I am lifting weights again and my strength has been increasing accordingly. A call to my Neuro was returned by the nurse who said that I should not come in unless the tongue fasics last a week (persistently) or I experience a difficulty swallowing.

This whole bulbar/tongue thing is new to me and is freaking me out. I am considering quitting school and running back to my old job. Isn't tongue twitching a major *** symptom? If not, what else could be going on with me?

Thanks, and I am sorry for the long post.

Browndog

 

[eyennyGlimmer]

Browndog,

You have no weakness and had a clean EMG you do not have MS or ALS. Also alot of us on this forum have tongue twitches, it is a muscle just like any other muscle on are bodies, it will twitch with BFS. No worries, clean EMG and no weakness you are good to go..God Bless..Jenn

 

[ristinaL91]

Hi Browndog,

I have never experienced tongue twitches, but lots and lots of people on this site have.

After all those neuro visits I am sure that you are fine. The tongue is a muscle too and it will twitch like all the others. It sounds like your neuro is more than convinced that you are fine, he is positive.

Sounds like you have had a lot of stress and sadness in your life recently, I am sorry. Nobody is sure if stress causes this thing, but we all know that it makes it worse.

I hope that you decide to do what is right for you, and don't change your plans due to your symptoms. There will come a time when these symptoms become nothing more than an annoyance and if you gave up things that you wanted to do because of them ...you may regret it.

Please relax, I am sure that you are fine.

ristinaL91

 

[Burbank]

eyennyGlimmer / ristinaL91 -

You are indeed Saints. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. I am sitting at the keyboard right now with an annoying eyelid twitch, but somehow I just feel better than this morning. Fifty-eight people have viewed my message of fear. Two very special people took the time to reply. eyennyGlimmer and ristinaL91, you have made a difference in my life tonight. God bless you.

Thanks,

Browndog (sleeping better tonight)

 

[PaulJosephRizzo]

Browndog,

Im new to talking on the site ( first time) and been reading peoples thoughts for over a year now but im not new to the symtoms of BFS. I have had weird symptoms for over a year now and freaked out for a long time. My life was put on hold thinking I was doomed. Most people get twitches from time to time, we just get them more often. We have a hyperexcitability of the peripheral nerves. im no doctor but I do know worring about something more serious is a wast of time and energy. If you are doing your daily routine and your not getting weak and have no major symptoms like you cant get up (unless you drank too much) , you have BFS or something like it. A good neuro can pick up on more serious problems in a blink of an eye when you walk in the office. If your doctor said your ok, your ok. Tongue twitching, what a freaky thing, dont worry about it. If your arm,hand,leg,calf,and any other part of your body can twitch, why cant your tongue, its a muscle too. reading things like tongue twitching is a more serious problem is a bunch of bull. My tongue twitched so bad I thought I was saying words wrong. My neuro was awesome she said I was caught in the circle of anxiety, meaning you get a symptom( like tongue twitching and you freak out) and it makes the symptoms worse and you back in the circle, more fear, worse symptoms and so on. Just know that you have weird things happening to you and you will be ok, trust me. i have had many symptoms from this crazy syndrome but I will talk about that later If anyone wants to know. for now take a chill pill and live life your life. you will be ok ) . PJR

 

[BandersnatchF]

You've had a clean neuro exam and a clean EMG. Is it possible that you might have bulbar ALS? Yes. Is it likely? No. Your first symptoms were below your neck, and you've had a clean neuro exam and EMG there. This is not the way bulbar ALS typically presents.

Your neuro has said that you shouldn't come in unless the tongue fascics persist (and they still might be BFS if they do) or you have difficulty swallowing. The swallowing difficulty would usually be with thin liquids (not choking on food, initially), and would be pretty frequent. An occasional problem is, as I'm sure you know, normal.

FWIW, I had a severe throat spasm this evening during dinner. It was a potluck, and I had an egg roll with Chinese mustard. The heat was so severe that my throat went nuts—gagging, severe coughing, etc. As someone who's had bulbar worries in the past, I wasn't concerned in the least. It was solid food, and it's obvious what the problem was: Chinese mustard is hot. You'll be fine too.

 

[Burbank]

Thanks guys for posting.

Interestingly enough, I have had difficulty swallowing off and on for twelve to fifteen years (it can be liquids or solids) and have had three associated endoscopies (twelve years, eight years and three years ago) which have revealed a strichture (sp?) which has been mechanically releived (balloon) on one occassion. Funny how the mind works. I am not letting this symptom join the parade.

Thanks again for posting.

Browndog