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Is anxiety causing my ALS/MND symptoms? Please help!

Posted , 7 users are following.

niknakx
niknakx

Hi everyone. I noticed about a month ago that my right arm felt a little tired and heavy when I was driving. I left it for a few days but it didn't get any better. I looked up the symptoms on Google like an idiot and BAM it comes up with MND/ALS. So I begin to freak out like nothing I have ever known before. I literally picture my slow horrible death in my head. I become hyper aware of every little thing happening with my arm constantly checking to see any changes in strength and size.

I go to the doctor and they check my arms for strength and can't seem to find anything wrong, then tell me to come back in a few weeks if it is still bothering me.

In the meantime I go and see a chiropractor once a week for four weeks to work on my arm, he can't seem to fix anything and is at a loss for what is happening to my arm and tells me I need to see a neurologist.

Twitches then begin to appear localised in my right arm which completely pushes me over the edge. I lose my appetite and stop eating, I have trouble sleeping, I can't stop vomiting and I lose a stone in weight in a few weeks.

I go back to the doctors about my arm and she hints that it might be stress and anxiety related. I tell her that I am worried about MND/ALS and she tells me that it would be highly highly unlikely given that I'm 23, but to do a blood test to see if anything is off. In the meantime she puts me on citalopram 10mg to try and help my anxiety.

The blood tests come back clean and I return to the original doctor I saw. He performs another neuro exam on me and says everything checks out fine but he refers me to a neurologist to see if they have any idea. I have an appointment with the neurologist next Saturday which right now feels like an eternity away.

As of right now the fatigue in my arm has been getting worse, it gets tired doing basic things and seems to be weaker than my left arm, it certainly feels heavier. The twitches in my arm have been going crazy jumping around from my bicep to my tricep to my wrist to my elbow to my hand some of them very violently. I've noticed some twitching in other parts of my body but nowhere near as bad as the ones in my right arm. I notice it mostly when I am lying in bed trying to relax and it feels almost like my arm is constantly vibrating and twitching.

I suppose what I want to know is, is it possible to have weakness and twitching focused on one limb with anxiety? It doesn't help that I have not been getting lots of sleep maybe 4-5 hours a night max, I haven't been eating much and I am constantly terrified of having this desease.

I fee like I'm going crazy and my family keep reckoning it's all linked back to my anxiety but I am just so terrified it's making my life hell. Any help would be greatly appreciate because I am in a very very bad place right now.

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • samantha54632
    samantha54632 niknakx

    Posted

    You sound just like me!

    Twitching is my main problem. I get fixated and watch and wait for it happening. It's the most frustrating thing ever to have happened to me and I have been the same for four years at the point now I'm medicating for ocd and anxiety.

    As for weakness every now and then o develop a perceived weakness mostly my right leg. Neuro exam found nothing wrong but for the duration of that fixation that's where the twitches mostly are adhering to als mnd symptoms.

    Then before you know it it's moved onto somewhere else.

    I had clean bloods a minor neuro exam from gp and they are not concerned. With mnd and als weakness is likely to be profound after a few weeks. I am in agreement that anxiety is the root of the twitching obsession with als mnd purely become I googled weakness and twitching or I would have known anything different.

    I'm a 26 year old female. The internet makes me hyper aware of normal

    Body sensations and I become fixated of these believing that I'm dying. I can be sting get a twitch and that's me panic sick can't eat. It's awful but I'm sure if I did have mnd or als I would be profoundly disabled. Even with that rational I'm still obsessed and panic.

    Perceived weakness is a symptom of anxiety so is twitching localised or not.

    Not going to say don't worry because that would be a stupid thing to say I know how real the fear is. But you are not alone ?? Xxx

    • niknakx
      niknakx samantha54632

      Posted

      Thank you for your help I really appreciate it. It's always nice to know someone else who is going through the same thing. It's the weakness that freaks me out more it seems to just be getting worse and my arm feels heavy and tired when I use it. The twitching is also a nightmare, it twitches more after I have just used the muscle, I climbed a tree earlier (random I know) and the muscle on the back of my arm started twitching like crazy. I don't know how much is in my head and what's not anymore it's such a pain.

  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 niknakx

    Posted

    There are no current tests to see an anxiety disorder. There is no cure yet nor a full understanding of it and the part involved. Many many of the fierce symptoms coincide with various auto immune disease. Maybe one day the anxiety disorder will become one in that category but for now it was placed in mental illness. It did not originate in that category by the way. 

    Nomyou dont have ALS forget about that. It sounds absurd if you really knew what ALS was or is, very absurd but rather then explain just rule that out. All drs do are some standard tests and heart stuff to dismiss you are in any danger. Yiu can red flas a person woth an anxiety disorder from a mile away by the way. Very obvious. And the person is usually very irrational and has some off the wall self diagnosis that they think makes sense but arent in any realm of reality,

    you have health anxiety and an anxiety disorder.the currect treatments are with a therapist, behavioral therapist or your gp. Thats all that exists at this time.

    look in your messages i will send you something to help you and guide further. 

    • niknakx
      niknakx lisalisa67

      Posted

      Thank you very much for your advice. I really hope it's just my health anxiety making it like this. I've been super worried the last few days because my right arm seems to be getting weaker and the twitches seem really focused on that arm. Is it possible that it can really be in my head? It seems to real for that to be the case. The muscle really twitches after I have just used it. I climbed a tree earlier and the muscle on the back of my right arm started twitching like crazy.

    • peter44672
      peter44672 lisalisa67

      Posted

      Hi have just seen this post and I have been suffering the same thing but in my legs and arms could you email me some information over thanks 
  • Taminator
    Taminator niknakx

    Posted

    I have the exact same thing happening.  How is your arm now?
  • kimberly93434
    kimberly93434 niknakx

    Posted

    You may gave a pinched nerve in that area. My mom had als and I was a caregiver so unfortunately, I am very familiar with the disease and your symptoms don’t sound like als. 
    • jade69698
      jade69698 kimberly93434

      Posted

      Kimberly,

      Ive been so anxious and crying. My legs have felt weak however ive been bed ridden for the past week. I went to go workout and i usually can do 3 sets and i could only do 1 and a half. Im panicking constantly and im so worried i have als. Im 19 so it would be very rare and i had a mri in my brain 6 months ago and nothing showed. These symptoms happened all of a sudden and my legs feel like jello. Im literally having panic attacks bc of this. Please help

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