Suggestions/Advice please.....

[aunjypoo]

I'm still convinced I have Parkinson's. I'm needing advice/reassurance before I lose my mind..
1. Shaking hands when I hold stuff or have hands at certain positions. Left hand noticeably woese than right
2. Almost every muscle is rigid, by that I mean when I bend over my back kind if jerks, my thighs do it when I kneel down, right now my legs are doing it standing up, my ankles do it when I rotate them. My shoulders when I left my arms above my head
3. I occasionally feel unbalanced and uncoordinated.
4. My mouth feels weird and one side if my top lip kooks different than the other.
This all started within the last few weeks and I'm losing my mind.
I'm 20 years old but I've read all kinds of stories as far as people in their twenties getting it.
I'm not sure how the onset is though as far as severity of symptoms.

Any help/advice/suggestions to keep me from going to yet another doctor for yet another supposed chronic illness would be very helpful.

[gcalex]

Based on your last thread, it seems clear your MIND started to create these symptoms once your normal MRI freed you from whatever your prior fear was.  You are in a state of heightened, obsessive attention now, any of us could do that and come up with 20 things that feel off and weird.  You have an anxiety disorder.  Stop monitoring every movement, you are only going to make yourself sick.

[aunjypoo]

I went to urgent care clinic last night.. And after hearing about my unbalance, jerky muscle movement (I told him it was all over my body but he only observed the motion my ankle was making, and reassured me it was not cogwheel rigidity as seen in Parkinsons), and shaking. Th dr decided I have essential temor (my dad has it, no biggee).. Then he checked my knee reflexes and my legs shot out.. He said that could be a sign I have a magnesium deficiency.. So he ran a CBC checked my potassium, magnesium, and thyroid.. I was almost anemic, but not quite, I had low potassium (normal is 3.6-5.9 and mine was 3.4 so not super low but low nonetheless.
From what I gather Magnesium deficiency can cause muscle problems (twitching, jerking, tightness, aches, pains), as well as anxiety, insomia...

He said since I am pregnant that could be the reason I am deficient. I also was a bit dehydrated because when she went to take my blood it took fooooorever and then the needle started sucking on my vein and now I am left with an ugly painful knot.

[aunjypoo]

I also read that magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety and depression, and irritability.

[aunjypoo]

Well lovely.. I just learned that hyper reflexes are a sign of ALS.

[MOchp]

Well lovely.. I just learned that hyper reflexes are a sign of ALS.

The chances of getting ALS at normal age range is  2/100,000 ( 0.002% ). The chances of getting it under 38 are around 1:165,000,000. It is rare to begin with and then you figure in that getting under the age of 38 is extremely rare. Magnesium deficiency is a common occurence. Which one do you think you should be focusing on?

[aunjypoo]

Probably the Magnesium Deficiency, but as I am not sure that's what it is since the results are not in I can't help but worry... You can't find much on hyper reflexes other than ALS on the web.

[gcalex]

Well lovely.. I just learned that hyper reflexes are a sign of ALS.

If you Google, you are going to get scared, as night follows day.  There is not a symptom on earth that is not associated on the internet with some catastrophic disease. 

[aunjypoo]

I'm aware of that.. ANd my harmless Magnesium Deficiency search turned bad quick.
I've been doing silly things all day like walking heel to toe, jumping on one leg, balancing on one leg, hop scotching, changing directions quickly, it all seems normal, but I feel wobbly when I walk for some reason.. Or like my feet belong to someone else like they bump into eachother or feel jerky if im just moving my legs.

[gcalex]

Well you know as well as I do you need to stop the self-checking and obsessing, what good is coming of it?

[aunjypoo]

A hope for reassurance, of course. It just happens to be the opposite. Or I can convince myself, but then I won't believe it.
Yesterday after the doctor said "You do not have Parkinsons, that's silly to even think" I was the happiest I have been in so long.. I took his diagnosis of possible magnesium deficiency with normalcy. Then I started to think well if its not that then what on earth would be causing all of this if it isnt a tumor, MS, or Parkinsons.. Naturally ALS comes in to play because I told myself I WOULDN'T google it for fear of having the symptoms and it came up with a magnesium deficency website and it's become my latest obsession.. I said to myself, I would 1000000 x's rather have MS and accept it with a smile than have ALS. I guess because ALS is a death sentence primarily.

I guess worst case scenario if I worry about it I would know if I had it fairly quickly because it seems as if peopel deteriorate pretty fast when that's the case.

[gcalex]

I would bet all I own you don't have ALS.  Nobody here who thinks or fears they have it ever has it.  If you were reading someone else's thread you would tell them the same thing.  t's just your mind thinking distorted thoughts.  I would really try to stop all the obsessive self-checking and just let your body do its thing.  Trust the medical advice and don't keep questioning it.

[aunjypoo]

Well that is certainly reassuring. I know the liklihood is very slim. And like I said I know a lot of people say just one day they have total weakness in one limb cant pick up a coffee mug or turn a key just out of the blue.
I don't think I would feel weak and tired in both legs. and have problems with both feet.
Or even so it would have been more severe than just slight weakness or something. Plus leg pain isn't associated with ALS best I have read so the fact that my legs have pain is reassuring as well.

[mollyfin]

If the doctor said you don't have to worry, you don't have to worry :)  The simplest explanation is usually the best one!  And it's easy to become deficient in anything; most people don't eat adequate diets now because so much food is available that doesn't contain anything good!

[floridaguy65]

He said since I am pregnant that could be the reason I am deficient.

Also, being pregnant has your bod ripe with all kinds of changes in your body (and brain) chemistry. Your anxious concern over your own health is, likely, dwarfed by your panicked concern over the health of your baby and your worry that you won't be around to see your child grow up. Well, you WILL be around to see your beautiful child grow up...and you'll, hopefully, get on a healing path for your anxiety issues and learn how to live in better accord with your makeup. Never resign to being dominated by anxiety....we do not have to be defined by anxiety:)

Nothing you said in your posts strike me as odd, unusual or puts you in imminent peril. I've been an anxiety peep for over 27 years now (since diagnosis) and I have been involved in quite a few forums and in-person support groups. I have even started and facilitated a support group myself many years ago. I'm no doctor (far from it:) and I'm not a trained mental health professional, but I do know anxiety and HA...if I can say so myself, humbly:) In all those years of my being 'involved' with anxiety, I have yet to see ONE person, who had physical manifestations (symtpoms) that could be ALS or Parkinsons and they TRULY believed they had something sinister going on in their bods, actually have what they feared. ZERO, ZIP, NADA. Now a couple times I have interacted with a person who had MS and they ALSO had anxiety disorder(s) / HA. But, oddly enough (not really, though:), their fears were never ever about MS. And, they, actually, faced their challenges and did what they needed to to do, with little anxiety, in order to give themselves the best chance of living well with MS.

My mom has MS - has for over 30 years. She has done better handling the angst and anguish far better than most HA peeps, who only believe they have it. But, then again, she doesn't have HA:) She still is doing pretty darn well:)

I have to run...but I will come back as I have a few more thoughts I wanna throw out there:)

What is going on in your anxiety help?

Peace and Feel Well:)

[aunjypoo]

Thank you for the reassurance.. It makes me feel better to know so many people have physical symptoms of something that never turns out to be anything other than anxiety or something small..

I was an avid runner and I've had ankle reconstruction in the past so I know what that kind of pain/oddness feels like and this just strikes me different. To feel like every muscle in my body is rigid and shaky if I extend or place resistence on it. It's new to me, and scary. Same with the shaky hands (sometimes it's only my left hand, is that normal), but I guess I better get use to that since its genetic.

My family doesnt understand how I can honestly 100% think I am dying and have something wrong with me but in my head it makes sooooo much sense and it puts strain on all of us. I'm a nervous wreck waiting for the magnesium and thyroid tests to come back.. I'm *hoping* my magnesium will be low and it will all be explained away. I know that would put me at ease, to have a logical reason for all of my symptoms.

I start counseling next Tuesday and I am hoping it is what I need, I don't want to take medication ( I am pregnant for one, but I just HATE not being in control of my body). In dental school it took almost 3 times as much nitrous to get me loopy as it did the other people because my body uncounsiously fought it because I have to be in control of everything all the time.  I also had a very bad experience with SSRI's.

Its a pretty dreadful feeling because I can't imagine being like this every day for the rest of my life, I just don't know what it will take to get me back to my normal happy carefree self. My mother said as long as she can rememeber even when I was little I was always scared I had lukuemia or something else terrible but I managed to keep it in check back then somehow.

[gcalex]

Magnesium levels are notoriously difficult to measure in a meaningful way.  Even if your blood level is normal you might be low, at least according to many alternative medicine practitioners who favor other forms of testing such as Exatest.  Others say just to load magnesium to the point of bowel tolerance.

[aunjypoo]

Lab came back.. Magnesium is fine but I'm taking supplements anyways because I don't eat enough as it is... My Thyroid is low he said.. He siad 3.4 is considered the beginning of being high and mine was 3.76.. So not very much, but it still means I have an underactive thyroid. He says my shakiness and weakness could be attributed to that, but my step mother seems to think that that slim of a difference would make any noticeable difference on my body..

[gcalex]

What was being measured, TSH?  T3?

[aunjypoo]

He measured my TSH

[gcalex]

According to some online patient groups and advocates, and the alternative medicine community, TSH is not very meaningful.  If you really want to know about thyroid look at stopthethyroidmadness or tiredthyroid websites.  I studied this extensively at one point and many people say you need to measure FREE T3 and FREE T4 to really understand how your thyroid is working; that TSH really just tells you about your pituitary.  I don't have time at the moment to explain it all but those are both very good websites. 

[aunjypoo]

Really? Well, I am going to my regular doctor in a couple weeks for a prenatal appointment and I will have him check it.

I do, however, have a question..
If I place my arms in front of me and grab the finger of one hand and put force and try to pull it to the other side my arms begin to shake/quiver. Also when I rotate my ankle or bend over I get the same shaking.. and occasionly when I stand up my thighs will begin to quiver..
Is this muscle spasticity? Or is it something I shouldn't be concerned about

[sixpack]

first stop self-checking    and stop worrying over minor stuff.


my daughter has spasticity.  and NO what you are describing is NOT that.

what you are describing is an anxious body and add that all the fun and weird things that can happen in a pg body.

[floridaguy65]

Or is it something I shouldn't be concerned about

This:)

But, I know it's not that simple when we are struggling. You're pregnant....accept that your bod and mind are coping with this, as well. You are under good medical care, too, as you are pregnant. There is nothing else medical that needs to be done - period, end of story. Follow the directions of your Doc and then try to work on calming yourself down. Instead of trying various 'self-tests' (such as the one you mentioned above) try to embrace some relaxation techniques. Google, "Relaxation techniques while pregnant" or "Breathing exercises for anxiety" or "ways to relax ones mind" etc. Of course, we cannot expect miracles and an instant vanishing of anxiety, but this type stuff is FAR better than looking up info on ALS, for sure. You do not have ALS - period, end of story there, too:) Congratulation...this is a good thing. No matter how your anxious mind drives you, and hounds you, this cannot ever 'give' you ALS, either. No roads for you lead to ALS. Focus on attaining a calmer mind, focus on doing what you need to do for your child, focus on anything except sitting in front of the computer looking for 'reasons' why you could possibly have ALS. Your own well-being is greatly in your own hands (and typing fingers, too:) and in your habits and actions. You CAN help yourself feel just a bit better - I'm sure:)

Peace and Feel Well:)

[aunjypoo]

I forgot to mention that my left leg hurts a lot. Never my right and it looks like my right ankle goes down farther or that maybe my right leg is longer a little bit. Also when I curl my toes on my left foot I get a bad cramp in the sole but never my right.

Significant, or no?