LumpyLumpkinyFuzz
New member
Hi all,I'm new here, and struggling with what I think might be BFS. I do have a couple symptoms I haven't seen mentioned before in conjunction with BFS, however, so I was wondering if anyone else had experienced them.Background first, I guess. I'm 25/female. I do have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (since 17, currently untreated), and was recently diagnosed with mild OCD. I'm also hypothyroid, but that's under control. My anxiety relapsed about a year ago, but that's another story entirely. About six months ago, I started getting a weird/awkward feeling in my arm. Soon after that, my tremors increased, and my legs started twitching. I ended up at the ER, scared to death it was something serious. It was later found that I was over-medicated and had become hyperthyroid, and once that was fixed, the tremors ceased and the twitches decreased considerably, though I still have them. The problem with my arm still exists unchanged, however.I discussed it with my doctor, who checked my reflexes and strength, and has done four different blood panels since I've complained about it, and determined it was probably just stress/anxiety, and told me I should stop chickening out on taking my anti-anxiety meds. I agree on the last part, but...again, a different story (I'm med-sensitive; it's a scary prospect sometimes). He told me, if it was still bothering me at my follow-up in January, he'd send me for an EMG. About two weeks after my last appointment, I noticed a very persistent twitch in my triceps/elbow area, which felt distinctly different from the twitches I'd felt in my leg. And I freaked out and called for a referral to a neurologist, because I couldn't wait. So my appointment is this coming Monday, and I've been nothing but a mess waiting for it.But that brings me to the question. My left arm feels very strange. It does everything I ask it to, per se. It doesn't tingle, there's no pain. It just feels...almost lighter than my right arm, or detached. All the movements are softer, I can't tighten my muscles as much, I can't hold anything still, and my fist feels smaller. I can do everything with my left that I can do with my right, but it feels like I'm doing it wrong. It's so hard to explain, and I've gotten a million weird looks. But it just doesn't feel right. I don't think there's any weakness (aside from the pre-existing deficit, since it's my non-dominant hand). I work out every day and do a lot of manual labor at work, and nothing's become particularly difficult. Just...weird. Can anyone else relate, or might there be something else behind it?As far as my arm twitch goes... It's set off by anything. Occasionally it happens for no reason when I'm at rest, but normally I'll have to use my triceps muscle first. And it's something as little as moving my arm from a bent position to a straight position. If I lay with my arm still for hours, it won't twitch. But as soon as I move, it starts. And whereas my leg twitches are quick and almost feel like a popping under the skin, the arm twitch feels like pulling or squeezing, and lasts for much longer. Sometimes I can even see the twitches without feeling them, which is even scarier. And immediately before and immediately after, the whole area both above and below my elbow will tingle. On its own, this seems like BFS. But with the problem in the entire arm, I'm concerned it's something worse.I've driven everyone my life crazy with my worry. My boss thinks I'm emotionally unstable and should consider taking a leave of absence. I haven't seen my friends for more than a couple hours in a weeks. I struggle through work, then come home, cry, and sleep. I'm terrified that I'm really sick, and this is not how to be at 25. I'm in therapy, and trying not to jump to the worst case scenario, but I think the only thing that will make me happy right now is a clean EMG. My appointment Monday is just a consultation, so I'll need to wait even longer for the EMG and results... I'm hoping for a little reassurance. I know forums aren't doctors and can't diagnose me, but hearing that someone else has gone through the same thing or at least knows what I'm talking about is helpful in its own right.Sorry so long. If you read it and have any thoughts...thanks in advance.-Heather