Drowning in fear

[Sadface]

A whole week
Jeezeeee I can't manage a day lol
Good luck with that!!!

I'll try to do it for Atleast 24hrs

[jcmommie]

When I had this first start 5 yrs ago, I actually had it checked by an MND neuro. I was super-high anxiety then. She told me absolutely to stop looking at it in the mirror. Even to close my eyes while brushing my teeth. Only when I did that, and kept doing it, did my anxiety about my twitching tongue get better. Does it twitch now? Who knows, I don't look at it. Ever. But I swallow and speak fine. As another poster said, Function, not feeling. I've had that as a mantra for a long time.

[jcmommie]

I guess I should add to that--anxiety can impair your function. You can see my first posts as momof2 in 2009. I was convinced that I was having trouble swallowing back then. I even had a swallow study and ENT look at things. All was normal except my out of control anxiety. I eventually worked through it with a therapist and Zoloft for a time. Anxiety CAN BE that severe, that you convince yourself of things. At least that was my experience.

[Sadface]

I know, in my rational days I realise that I'm creating these symptoms by 24/7 having them on my mind.
It's the saying "you can do anything if you put your mind to it." But in my case "you can feel or see anything, if you put your mind to it."
I wobble on the days or moments I feel ok, but then a big ass thump/twitch will come along.
I try to go a whole work day without looking at my tongue but not quite mastered a whole day yet. I get a strong urge to look because I believe I feel something going on with it!

[Sadface]

And thank you, I think I need the "failing not feeling" slogan above every mirror in my house haha!

[Nytviolet]

The sore throat is because you've worn your immune system down by worrying (trust me, I've made myself physically ill through long-standing worry). Sore throats are not a MND symptom, and since the tongue it one giant muscle, I'm thinking you are just hyper aware of every movement. Not that I think you need to, but go ahead and make your neuro appt for peace of mind. We're all here to support you, and you'll get thru this. God Bless

[elliottok]

You have a very serious case of health anxiety. I hope you soon realize that you cannot change anything by worrying about it. I hope you soon realize that it is worry, not illness, that is going to kill you or ruin your life.

[Yuliasir]

Sadface,
I know very well what you feel In the acute anxiety we are living under the rule of our alarm system (amygdala) and can not think rationally. That is why we need either informational deprivation, or vacations, or other stress, more strong, to kick existing one out, or just time and patience to calm bloody ringing bell down, or medication and psychological help. Calls for rational thinking never help, no matter if we would ask you to do that or you would try to do it by yourself. Now for you there is not much chance for rational thinking, unfortunately, you are physiologically limited to constant alarm reaction due to pathway in your brain formed becasue of chronic stress and fear, which in turn feeds the fear.
so the only help is a) wait until it would naturally calm down, using, even reluctantly and without passion, any relaxation teqniques you can - breathing, meditation (very hard under hyperactive amygdala), tight daily schedule in terms of sleep, etc., distractive techniques, etc. etc. Good thing is to count from 1 to 10 evey time you want to see your tongue, and even when you allow yourself to do this, just have a look on it without any evaluation, for about a second, next time repeat all this (counting and deep breathing). This may help to break obsessive link; or b) ask for professional psychological and psychiatric help becasue acute anxiety and obsession in BFS is well known and fortunately treatable medical problem, unlike twitching itself. This very solution was helpful for me personally and for many other people.

[Sadface]

Still having voice issues.... when I talk at volume it cracks
When I go out on an evening and have voice slightly louder, I tend to then get a soar throat straight away and it cracks.
This in addition to same old other symptoms makes me panic

I've recently been experiencing bad jaw ached
I also have cuts side of lips from yawning

........?? Help

[Yuliasir]

What you describe looks like cricopharingeal spasm. it is unpleasant but benign.usually this means that your throat is hypersensitive to cold ambient air.

Do you have any nasal congestions or swelling nose mucosa? this causes frequent yawning, sore throat etc.

Cracks at the sides of mouth are usually a symptom of B vitamine deficite.

[Sadface]

I have frequent colds and running nose.
The voice issue has been going on a good few months now.

No slurring as such but I thought mnd was more not being able to talk louder etc and I worry its that.

[Sadface]

Would what you said also result in the mouth face region twitches?

[Yuliasir]

When you make a deep breath trying to speak loudly, you expose your vocal cords and farynx to the air which is colder than usually (probably due to nazal breath problems the air could not get enough path to be warmed in the nose). This spasm was happening to me very often during my vocal lessons period (because I was exposing my cords to the colder air than ususally and was breathing more intensely, and my teacher was warning me against that spasm). So it could last for months - the issue is therer is something wrong with your nasal cavity maybe.

As for fascial twitches, it is just hyperexcitated fascial nerve, and also often means B vitamine deficite (which many of us have in analyses). I suppose at least part of us must have inherited malabsorption leading to poor extraction of B vitamine from the food.

[Sadface]

I appreciate your opinions thank you.
It's tricky when I just believe every extra symptom is all interlinked and points to mnd.
Body wide twitches every day everywhere - check
tongue, nose, neck, lips face twitch- check
Yawn yawn yawn, jaw ache- check
Volume issues where voice goes- check
Intermitant swollen probe where I actually forget how to do it- check
dizziness - check
Intermitant restless legs at night- check
Tremor/fast shakes which effect leg and arm- check

Personal opinion of atrophy

Blugh! !!! Grr

[Yuliasir]

your list lacks one significant item - neurological deficite, any of them. Personal opinon of atrophy is also not uncommon here and only seldom it is confirmed by physicians, and even if so, it is not associated with MND but rather with old traumas, inculding compession.
Other symptomes are not exclusively pointing to MND.
they could be caused by various other consitions, from chronic nasal disease to malabsorption.
can not help much with the course of your mind, sorry.