Another bad "good day", I need support.

[middlenamehypochondria]

I notice when my life is going well I have horrible HA.  Today was a sunny, beautiful day.  I should be the happiest girl in the world.  I have a wonderful husband, nice home and good job.  Instead I am sick to my stomach with panic. About two months ago my finger twitched, it lasted about two seconds and then happend again once or twice over the course of a week.  Then it stopped and hasn't done it since. Well I googled twitching and came up with ALS.  I started staring at my hands for atrophy and started noticing every line and wrinkle.  I was convinced my left hand was different than my right hand.  I had one wrinkle that seemed deeper and for some reason became very nervous over this.  Well I finally let that go and when I looked at my hands I had to laugh because I couldn't believe how ridiculous I was being, they seemed fine to me.  Well a couple of nights ago I had a twitch in my palm and all of a sudden I am back panicing about ALS.  I'm a 31 year old girl and I know it is unlikely but it scares me. I don't have any weakness.  Are hands different?  Are lines/wrinkles on palms different?  Would there be weakness if I had atrophy? Scared Sick.

[miika]

"Are hands different?  Are lines/wrinkles on palms different?  Would there be weakness if I had atrophy?"

Yes, yes and yes

ALS worry sucks, been there. Twitching itself means basically nothing, and it`s common anxiety symptom. I`ve been twitching years now, all over, sometimes gone and then back. And twitching is not any sign of ALS in a future, or early stage als etc. When you have ALS, twitching is the least thing to worry about....other symptoms that severe. If you don`t have any REAL weakness, you cant have als, no matter how much you twitch 

[floridaguy65]

Hi there. I would have to say that "twitching" is a MAJOR symptom of anxiety / HA. Neck, eye, ear drum, finger, calf, palm...you name it - it CAN (and WILL) twitch if you suffer from anxiety. Anxiety twitching will not lead you into ALS...if it did I would have had ALS anytime from 1985 through the '90's, as I was a twitchin' fool during those years I suffered most from anxiety:) As you know (you said you laughed at yourself checking the size of your hands:), HA peeps are hyper-vigilant in checking those symptoms and somatizing the ones they really don't have...but then, all of a sudden they do have those symptoms:) It's good to laugh at yourself when falling into the "traps" of HA...I try to make light of it the best I can. Any positive vibes that you can send to your brain that you really know there isn't anything wrong has to help! It's a viscous little cycle, Health Anxiety...I know. Feel Well:)

[miika]

yep, what floridaguy said

saying twitching means ALS, is like saying, headache means skin cancer in your left calf. I`ve read hundreds of posts people being afraid of ALS because they are twitching, they have googled obviously (HA or not), myself being one of them. I`ve asked doctors about it, read neurologist opinions....I spend A LOT of time and effort before I was convinced I have no ALS  But seriously trust me, you dont have ALS! And like floridaguy said, MAJOR anxiety/stress symptom. 

have to add. It wont harm you at all now matter how long you twitch, It does not hurt much or anything as you know.....just very annoying.

[paul0130]

Well i can relate to your great bad day ha, ive been sat in a clinic for 3 hours, then worried about HIV, thought i was going to die, and having a brain tumor fear popup again.

Maybe one day we will all feel better? 

[SoBlessed82]

Middle~the last two days I sat back and thought about alot.  I'm so consumed with being ill that I don't enjoy my life like I should.  I'm taking baby steps and trying to stay busy and enjoy myself.  I think HA is connected to depression.  I know personally that when things are not well in other areas I tend to really obsess...Chill out