Hi, I’m new to the forum and have a few symptoms that I’m worried about. My left eye lid has been twitching or spasming for a few weeks now. It doesn’t hurt but it is noticeable. I mentioned this to the gp when I saw about something else last week. He tested my reflexes in eyes, arms and legs. Since I’ve seen him I have developed a painful right arm. It feels like a scratch or burning sensation but doesn’t actually hurt to touch. On top of this I’ve had achey legs for ages as well cramping in my toes, mainly right foot. The legs and toes have been there for as far back as I can remember and I didn’t even think about these until I did what I know I shouldn’t have and googled. By far the most irritating symptom is the eye lid although the arm pain is a becoming a close second. This only started in the last day or 2. My younger half sister has had MS for close to 20 years which is why this is on my mind.
I know in my case, my mind is my worst enemy. I will now notice every little twitch, ache or pain and magnify it. I am going away on holiday at the weekend and need to stop thinking about it. The gp told me to go back if the twitching hasn’t gone in a few weeks or gets any worse. I don’t want to go back with arm pain etc as I know it makes me look paranoid and I know the stress my mind creates is probably making things worse.
I don’t really expect any answers here it is just nice to have somewhere to let off steam instead of letting the thoughts take over in my head.
Thankyou for taking the time to read this.
hello
the best thing you can do is to see your gp regularly and then try to put it all out of your mind.
it may be helpful to write down all your concerns from when they began, with approximate dates.
enjoy your weekend away, it’s important to have enjoyment.
it probably is not ms but you are quite right to want to know what is causing these symptoms.
you hit the nail on the head when you said “… letting off steam without letting the thoughts take over in your head.”
go have a good time
carole x
Thank you for replying Carole.
Since I wrote the first message the pain in the right arm only appears now and then. My eye twitches still although if I’m honest I’ve noticed it does it a lot more when I think about it. The achey legs are mainly in the evening and I just cannot get comfortable on the sofa. It may ache for a while once in bed but so far has never kept me awake so I’ve always put it down to my body telling me it’s bedtime. The toe cramps happen intermittently and are painful but soon subside. I do also fall asleep a lot on the sofa after work.
This morning I have a painful left shoulder but it’s the sort of pain normally caused by sleeping funny. If I’m honest a lot of my pains I would normally put down to getting that little bit older (48) and my body telling me I don’t really look after it that well. My job can be stressful as are parts of my life in general at the moment and we haven’t changed our mattress in years. It’s only the twitchy eye lid that cannot really be explained away with outside factors.
I know myself well enough to know I will be magnifying every little twinge but google really isn’t the right place to look for answers so I shall do my best to stay away from there. I have read through some posts and one of the best lines I’ve seen and am going to frequently tell myself is “what will be will be and nothing can change it so carry on as normal for now”.
I do have a feeling that a week away will do wonders and a lot of this will be gone when I get back. If they return when I get back I’ll know most of them are caused by my life being the way it is at the moment. It has also given me a kick up the rear to eat healthier and take the stairs rather than the elevator more.
Hello again, A quick update. I have been back to see my GP. I have had to see him about another issue entirely anyway so I mentioned that my eye is still twitching and the other is now doing the same but not anywhere near as bad… I also told him about the other symptoms that I’ve had for years without thinking anything of. He said that this isn’t how MS would normally manifest but as he is no expert on this he would email the neurologist and ask his advice on whether to investigate and if so how to go about it. I am waiting to hear what the reply was. The pain in my arm disappeared pretty quickly and I do have days where I think the twitch is disappearing too but then I have a morning where it’s twitching constantly but at least my GP is a good one. x
Hi Anonymous,
Not sure if this will help or not but over the years on and off (pre my MS diagnosis too) I have suffered with a twitching eyelid - in either eye.
I have never got to the bottom of it I just think it’s one of those things as it comes and goes (obviously doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the same for you) but interestingly enough my Mum and my late Grandad also have/did have the same problem so don’t really know what to make of it!!!
Twinkle Toes x
Thankyou for replying Twinkle Toes. I find the eyelid thing so irritating, it feels almost as if the eyelid is stuck and I need to blink to release it but you can see the eyelid twitching. I really thought it was going yesterday, I had a few twitches on getting up and then nothing. Today it has more than made up for it’s rest yesterday.
Today I also feel very headachey, like i have a migraine coming. I do suffer occasionally from migraines but Migraleve normally knock it on the head if I can catch it in time.
For someone who has a relative with MS this site has made me realise how little I know about it. They aren’t local to me so I don’t get to see them often and don’t really know the full effect. We don’t hear of any small relapses, just the few big ones which luckily haven’t been too many for the time they’ve had it.
Hi well after 10 weeks now the flicky eyelid is still there. I have days where I hardly feel it and others when it’s constant. I can now feel it just as I start to wake in the mornings even with the eye still closed. To be honest i was starting to get used to it and not overly worrying about it until this morning.
I have been awake very early this morning as my left leg has decided to join in. It didn’t matter how I laid my leg or what position I was in I still had a little twitch just above the knee. I think it gets worse as I know I have to sleep, the more I can’t sleep the more I think about it, then I get stressed and start imagining my day with having had little sleep. Now I’m up and about it’s stopped, or I can’t feel it now anyway. That’s the bit that throws me, I thought it would stay if it was nerve endings firing off wrong signals?
I have blood tests tomorrow for any deficiencies so at least I may get some answers (and sleep) soon.
Thankyou for taking the time to read my rambling posts.
hello i hope your bloods come back with a Vit B12 and Vit D3 defiencies noted. these give similar symptoms to your and it’s an easy fix of B12 jabs and D3 supplements. fingers crossed for you. carole x
I had my blood test results today. I am quite badly anaemic which is due I think to being a woman of a certain age with sporadic very heavy periods. My vitamin D was also low although he only said vitamin D, not which type and said over the counter pills will do. I am not sure if either of these will cause my twitching muscles which is about the only persistent thing I am left with now?