RedCandle

About two weeks ago I noticed my hands and forearms felt very heavy and weak. I could still lift weights and move them...they just felt like they weighed 50 pounds each.

Then I noticed some shakiness in my fingers. My arms felt heavier.

Frustrated I Goggled my symptoms and in just a few minutes had myself convinced that I had ALS, Parkinson's or Muscular Dystrophy. My mind flooded with panic over having a terminal illness. I started thinking about how I didn't want to die by slowly wasting away. I started to panic and then I was overcome by a wave of nausea and had to lay down on the floor until I was strong enough to stand again. A very similar "sudden" event like that has happened twice before this year....only I was feeling fine the other times.

Two days ago I was hit by major fatigue and light-headedness. Interestingly I can still work out, power walk and carry on life as usual...but I'm just SO tired and feel the need to crawl into bed...even after a pot of coffee.

This morning I started having muscle twitches all over my arms, legs and shoulders.

I'm absolutely terrified and I have a horrible general doctor who I'm not even sure will give good advice.

So far, an online search has generated "possibilities" ranging from ALS (terminal) to MS to anxiety.

I knew if any group of men and women had experience with anxiety...I could find them here.

Has anyone experienced something similar??? It is chronic..the fatigue and "heavy arms"...

gerryP

This happened 2 weeks ago and you haven't seen a Dr. yet?

(SR does not dispense medical advice.)

RedCandle

I'm not looking for medical advice....I guess I'm just wondering if its happened to anyone else.

I have terrible luck with doctors....they send me through test after test after test for everything....and always shrug their shoulders.

The wave of nausea happened on Tuesday. When it happened the other two times the doctors said they had no clue.

I was just hoping to hear some ideas...since anxiety keeps poping up on my searches...

suki44883

I don't know if it's anxiety or something else. You should see a doctor, and if you don't want to go to your regular one, there are others, or maybe something like Care Now or some other satellite medical facilities. I have been using Care Now for a few years now since my primary physician moved farther away.

I strongly suggest you see a medical professional. Google self-diagnosis is a disaster as your symptoms could be many different things. The only way to know for sure is to see a doctor.

itsanewday2011

It could be even food allergies...I went to a naturopath and am sensitive to gluten and milk. If I eat it now, my arms ache and I feel hungover.

I recommend a call to the dr.

While I am guilty of doing it all the time, googling symptoms can be bad as there are some non-reputable sites out there. You probably know, but webmd is a good source and will say "when to call a dr".

I just went to the ER for symptoms of a heart attack - it was an anxiety attack - my heart is fine.

Good luck! I am sure you are fine but best to check out.

RedCandle

Yes, absolutely, I intend to go to a doctor. Unfortunately, their offices are all shut on the weekend...so now I'm just here to think about my symptoms.

When you have symptoms that "sound like" a terminal illness...it can wreak havoc on your mind...

marie1960

Red,

Get your butt to the doctor.
Chances are it's not anything serious
but let's be safe and not sorry.

And for godsake, stay off of WEB M.D, it will just make you crazy,
a computer cannot diagnosis anything. Go to the Doctor.

CeciliaV

yes, for the love of all that is holy, avoid googling symptoms! That alone can trigger panic attacks. Try to keep calm and take stock of how you are feeling and if there is anything that you feel *before* these feelings come on...are you sleeping, what have you eaten, have you eaten enough, do you feel particularly stressed (I know we're all stressed, just if it's more so than usual), are you drinking enough water, what are your caffeine/sugar intake levels, etc.

When I'm tired and stressed, and when I just don't take good care of myself, all sorts of crazy symptoms appear. Just this morning, my left hand decided it wanted to be all twitchy when I held my arm in certain positions. I'm pretty sure it's because I'm stressed that RAH is coming back from his work trip today. In general, when funky stuff happens and I just feel plain wrong, it's usually my body yelling at me for not being nice to it and for not paying attention to the subtler signs it's been giving me...and then it decides to get all loud so it's heard! I'm learning to listen to my body more and to try to take better care of myself, but in codie fashion, I've never been so good at taking care of myself - it's easier to focus on taking care of others than to look at myself.

This may just be your stress levels manifesting themselves physically, or it could be something more. You won't know until you get professional medical advice, but in the meantime, try to take care and be kind to yourself.

Buffalo66

I know the above poster says do not google symptoms, and SR does not give med advice...
But I am rather familiar with this having suffered from panic disorder for a period of about 5 years.

I would google panic attacks.
I have had anxiety take the form of what felt like an acid trip, had my whole body go numb, felt like I would pass out, like I was having a heart attack.

Please do go to an ER> They will check all the obv things, and they will tell you if it is panic.

If it happens again, do your best not to think more frightful thoughts. The adrenalin released with panic lasts for 3.5 minutes. If you can keep relatively calm during that time it will subside.

If you keep perpetuating fright, it will keep releasing hence more and more 3.5 minute long spells.

Best to err on the side of caution. See a doc, ASAP> then read up on panic attacks.

fedup3

I can't agree more with Buffalo66, it sounds very familiar with panic attacks of which I have had my share but by all means go to the ER and have it checked out.

RedCandle

Yes, the big crumbling to the ground even sounds a lot like a panic attack. Unfortunately, the last three times it happened I was feeling fine...ran right to the doctor after I came-to and he tried to convince me it was this rare adrenal tumor.

So I spent a lot of time peeing into bottles...nothing. I suppose you can't "measure" panic...

Anyway, this time I KNOW I was freaking out..and then it happened.

I'm more concerned about the heavy arms, twitching and fatigue (although, they may all be related). I had a great night sleep last night...yet was so exhausted today I had to take a nap at 4 (which never happens) and when my phone rang, it felt like coming out of surgery sleep.

Unreal. Its like I don't even know this body anymore!

If I have an attack again...I will go to the ER.
Otherwise I have to wait to find a new Dr. on Monday. I hope this does not being a "testing roulette"...

Thank you for the concern everyone. Its been comforting to hear the votes for "anxiety" and "panic attack" since that's what I think in my gut is going on...

AlreadyAlone

So while we cannot give you medical advice, I hope you hear the message to go to he doctor. Stress and anxiety have done all kinds of crazy things to me, including panic attack episodes that mimic a heart attack. the thing is, you just don't know until you've been properly diagnosed. And then other things get out of whack, like my iron kevels depleted so i coyldnt get out if bed in the morning. Decreased absorption was caused by sustained stress. Yes, there's a bit of a runaround, but try to see it as putting yourself first- a habit we all work on while we are here anyway...

HitRockBottom70

I'm glad you got it checked out and now know that it was not a heart attack, but it took medical tests to do that. This is why they suggest not to dispense medical advice on the forums.

RedCandle- I wish you the best and hope you see your doctor, and hope you go to the ER if symptoms worsen.

Helenlee

SRF is not allowed give medical advice & you have to go see a doctor ...

But yeah .. I have had the weirdest things caused by years of severe stress. Including the heaviness in the limbs, the deathly fatigue & the twitching & tingling stuff. And other stuff I would never in a million years have thought could be caused by stress. And I don't like to see doctors either.
There was a thread about stress here a few years a go I think it was - if you can find it you will be gob-smacked at some of the physical things people have experienced as the result of stress.
I'm not sure how old you are but if it's a possibility also goole menopause. That can cause some weird tingling stuff that I am just beginning to experience (oh great - a NEW set of weird symptoms!).

The other thing to note I guess is this: stress is not some thing we should go "Oh it's just caused by stress, so it's nothing. I'll keep hanging in here till I get something really serious ... like cancer. Then I'll leave." Stress kills. Lets all give ourselves a break & start taking it seriously!

RedCandle

Helenlee...thank you!

I'm 27 years old (and just had a period) so I think I can rule out menopause.

I can't get into a doctor's office until tomorrow but I called a Specialist in our family for consultation. I haven't heard back yet.

I feel better today...still tired...but the twitches are now more extreme.

I'm scared. I can't lie.

However, I'm finding comfort in hearing for you that stress can manifest itself in all sorts of ways.

Last night, a friend said, "Well, if its anxiety, they'll give you Kolonopin to help." My goodness...I do NOT want to take any drugs! that's the poison one of my alcoholics is addicted too!

So...if that is the diagnosis I get...I hope I can return here to find out some "natural" ways to deal/heal...

transformyself

If you're going to torture yourself with the internet (I do this too) I suggest you go here
Louis Hay You Can Heal Your Life 1 of 10 - YouTube
and see if this helps rewire your thoughts.

The internet can help us heal ourselves, too. Give us the guidelines to take control of our health care. I practice Informed Healthcare, which means I obtain a diagnosis, then create or agree to a plan to heal myself and my kids.

For me, the doctor provides a diagnosis and I determine whether or not to enter into a treatment program with them. It's my choice. I have an advantage, as I'm familiar with traditional medicines so I usually pull from traditional healing methods once that diagnosis is in place, have been doing this for 30 years.

You already know how you feel about the pharma drugs they're going to offer you, it's helpful to have more traditional treatments at the ready once you get a diagnosis.

Also, just FYI, the reason folks keep reiterating that we cannot give medical advice is because it's federally mandated that no one but "doctors," can diagnose or prescribe, which is utter BS and was pushed through the legislature to maintain a monopoly on the health care industry

The feds and the mainstream health care industry not only offer us only poisoned, highly addictive medicines, but they carry incredibly dangerous side effects and most of the time only treat symptoms. I find Western medicine helpful for emergency situations, to urgently get symptoms down, but once that's under control you have to go after the root of the problem and no MD has ever been able to do that for me.

You can go to an "alternative," practitioner too and can message me if you want, I may be able to help you find someone reliable in your area.

As you probably know, WOMEN are the traditional healers in every society, but at the turn of 1800's the AMA worked to close down all homeopathic schools and discredit plant medicine and homeopathic because it interfered with their business plans.

I know this because I discovered this actual documents after spending a great deal of time in the medical library at one of the top Ivy League schools in the Midwest. I was utterly shocked to read the actual communications between AMA members, detailing how the homeopathic and herbal schools were cutting into their slice of the pie, and how to shut them down by calling them quacks. What assholes.

I was working for the development department of the medical school, and while researching something else, I found documents from the AMA that described this in detail. It's infuriating and has nothing to do with actual healing or medicine.

You know yourself. you know your body. You are full of ancient wisdom and can make all the decisions you need to heal yourself, even if that decision is to follow the advice of a Western Medicine doctor. My advice, however, is to not be blindly led somewhere--just open your eyes and seen the whole path.

By the way, I live with PTSD, and it totally sucks. Understanding, identifying and minimizing anxiety is really hard for me. I use both pharma drugs, exercise and prayer.

hugs to you
Transform

NYCDoglvr

If you have to go somewhere else to find a good doctor, I strongly urge you to do it. One can go crazy checking symptoms online.

RedCandle

A little update...

Met with a doctor.
Thank GOD I am NOT terminally ill with ALS or Parkinson's or any of the other diseases I was "sure" of...based on the twitching, fatigue and extreme muscle weakness....

No...its official...I have a hearty mix of chronic stress/anxiety/depression that is now manifesting in my physical body.

The good news is...after a TWO HOUR talk with the doctor about everything that has built up over the past few years...I awoke the next morning to find my hands were no longer heavy and the twitching was GONE. I guess just starting to talk to someone....began some of the healing.

Of course, if I don't learn how to manage my stress and anxiety...it will come back. So my first therapy appointment is next week...

I post this because I hope if anyone else out there is dealing with the trauma of alcoholism and/or codependency...I can only tell you that my story is a warning to what happens if you just keep charging along using the "band aid" approach. Uncontrollable twitching is a start...without care...the doctor said it could affect my heart or other organs.

I'm thrilled that I'm not genetically ill...but there's also a great deal of shame in knowing that *I* did this to myself. MY thoughts/feelings/emotions have become so unmanageable that I have made myself physically ill.

The mind...is a scary thing.

It would be easy to just tell me to "stop doing that"...but clearly, I don't have the necessary tools in my toolbox to turn off my obsessive thinking. Hopefully, I'll get that by partnering up with my future "rent a friend" (therapist).

I do not want a life of passing out on the floor, twitching muscles and "dead" arms...and I know that no one else does either...take care of yourself! (now)

Don't be a silly woman like me!

FireSprite

It is amazing what stress can do to the human body!!!

I'm glad you are feeling better & starting therapy soon. Good luck!

Tuffgirl

Don't have shame - its just you telling you in a very LOUD and CLEAR way that your life has become unmanageable. So now you are listening, and are aware that these physical symptoms are a direct result of the acute stress you have been living with for a long time, and you will inevitably begin to change your life to reduce that stress. There's nothing shameful in taking responsibility for yourself! I'd say that's awesome and you should feel good today for stepping up to this responsibility.

Glad its something fixable and not fatal. Take good care!
~T