Welcome to the Forums: Anxiety, BFS and Twitches

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CitizenyDick

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Hey everyone,I'm new here, and found these forums after my own problems started 4 months ago. What began as a panic attack at work has evolved into chronic health anxiety, and I believe BFS. This started after years of chronic anxiety and I now have my fair share of twitches and small buzzing sensations which come and go along with my anxiety. What I am looking for any advice, support or comments on is this: Since late february I have been having a mild buzzing or pinching sensation on various parts of my body when I bend my neck. The first night I noticed this was also the first night I read about L'Hermitte's sign as a symptom of M.S - big mistake to research M.S symptoms as I'm sure some of you well know. I've read a few other forum posts here and on a different anxiety forum where people have had a similar feeling, mine is localized to one spot on my body at a time, does not run down my back, and typically only happens the first time I bend my neck down but not after, if I try to trigger it over and over. I've found it will last about 2 weeks in one spot, then move somewhere else as either a light pinch or buzz.There have been days and weeks where it's gone entirely, and then come back, seemingly with heightened anxiety levels. It will most often respond to heat, i.e. if I have a hot shower it will go away for a while, and I've noticed a few times physical trauma (lifting a heavy box wrong, bending neck too far and straining neck) will make it worse, and then again heat would help after. I am trying with all my might to stop thinking about it, and to just ignore it, and not search for the feeling by bending my neck over and over again - I'm sure it's done more damage than anything. I've spoken with 3 doctors about it, 2 of which have said just to keep an eye on it, and the 3rd saying it's nothing... that it does not sound like L'Hermitte's and therefore don't worry. I also am a vegetarian and at the beginning of this had a B12 count of 230... not sure if that's low enough to have caused nerve damage. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated, this post has been a long time coming, and I am so sick of feeling like this. Thank you!
 
First, I have to say that you probably don't have MS. It's nowhere near as rare as ALS, but it is still rare.You said you're feeling particularly anxious so you should know that anxiety will simulate all the symptoms of MS. There isn't an MS symptom that anxiety can not simulate. Just about everyone with health anxiety worries about MS. Read this: If you're really worried about it, make an appointment to talk to a neurologist, tell him/her your fear and ask for an MRI. Accept whatever he/she says then. If he says no need, then accept that you're fine. If he/she prescribes the MRI, accept whatever the radiologist report says.Two last points - MS on average shortens a person's lifespan by a few years. It's not a walk in the park, but it's definitely nothing to get into a fetal position about.If you don't have MS, it's anxiety that's causing your symptoms. So work on your anxiety. If you do have MS, anxiety will make your condition worse. So work on your anxiety. Following a pattern here?
 
Thanks juliacristina, that is sound advice for sure. Either way, I do need to work on my anxiety. It's been higher than normal and I can feel my body twitching in new places, so I'm working on keeping it down as much as possible. In particular I'm trying to avoid negative thoughts about this buzzing when I bend my neck, and convince myself it's anything other than M.S. - I'm going to have to make an neuro appointment eventually, the trouble is my doctor doesn't see it as necessary right now and I'm in Canada, so I need a referral. Any other advice would be appreciated, especially anyone who has experienced any kind of strange sensation bending their neck.
 
It is a . My neuro told me that.I had that...Something wrong ... but no MS seen on MRI, neither inflammation of the spinal column. MRI may have done too late to see something. The problem happens and you'r left with residual problems.Here is the definiton
 
I had something like that once (one symptom among many) and the neuro I was seeing said that tension in the neck can cause all sort of weird sensations: headaches, loss of feeling in the fingers, loss of balance, nausea, nerve sensation in the face, neck, upper back, etc. This is due to compression of nerve receptors , etc. but I lost track of the rest of what he was saying since his only remedy was to give me meds. The weirdest symptom I had from tension in this area was this fluttering inside my ear that was like having a bug in there. What I did do was get a new pillow that gave me better support for sleeping and found ways of getting the muscles to relax in my neck. You need to stop trying to cause the symptom - how could that help you? Except maybe in that you are stretching your neck and loosening the muscles to help it to be less tense.....with that in mind maybe you need to keep doing it - I don't know - but really, as the guys have said, there is no reason to think it is anything awful.
 
He didn't say that these things were caused by bending the neck but they were from overly tense muscles IN the neck. The bending just increased the tension. The tension caused the problems. And yes, people will say whatever when they don't know the answer - it is a human thing that most of us do when we are trying to help but have no 'correct' response to offer. Although he did mention that the neck had manny receptors because it holds our head upright and has the responsibility of trying to keep it that way.
 
Hi there!I just wanted to let you know that I have had something like this, when I dropped my head forward suddenly a shock sensation would run all the way down my right leg. It was VERY uncomfortable! Of course, my response what to drop my head forward so many times per day that I gave myself a horrible stiff neck in the process. D'oh...I think it began when I started taking Lexapro (an SSRI for anxiety) and is considered a withdrawal symptom of that drug, I got it when I started taking it - which doesn't really surprise me that much. It resolved in a little while, a few weeks I think. Also - I do get compressed nerves in my back from poor posture and being overweight which cause some weird nerve sensations, right now I've got numb-ish patches on the left side of my face, my left thumb and forefinger and my left big toe. Talk about distracting!I know all of this is BFS and maybe some pinchy nerves. At worst, that's what's probably causing yours too! I am working to loose weight, consciously improve my posture and get on with just living a happy life. That's my best recommendation to you too. Just remind yourself; that you can get up and live as normal even if you feel a little weird, and that's a wonderful thing. Also the human body is an amazing machine but it's far from perfect - and stuff is going to feel a little off now and then. It's just the way of life.Best regards and good health to you,Mrswhatsit
 

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