Eye twitch!

[WoahGreenGiant]

Hi everyone! I have an annoying eye twitch at the moment that's been freaking me out a bit. It's been there on and off since Sunday. It's only in the top lid of my right eye and happens every few minutes or so and then it'll stop for a longer period and start again.

I'm a bit of a worrier anyway and I'm convincing myself it's an MS symptom (my mum was diagnosed with MS a few years ago and I've been anxious about the family link ever since, although I don't know what her symptoms were).

Can anyone talk me down? Is it likely to be dehydration/stress? I'm symptom-spotting and worrying myself! By chance I have an optician's appointment tomorrow so hopefully they'll spot any possible eye problems. If anyone can advise me, I'd be super grateful.

[dudsville]

The only way you can be sure is tp go to your gp, but I will say I get these frequently when I'm stressed, over worked or bir sleeping enough!

[shumway]

Have you been looking at screens a lot? Phone or computer screen. I get this and some eye spray from Boots helped.

[SallyWD]

I suffer terrible health anxiety but have had eye twitching all my life. One of the few symptoms I've never worried about!

[PaquitaVariation]

I get this frequently, it’s down to tiredness and stress. It goes away as quickly as it arrives. Incredibly annoying though.

[9Greenbottles]

A twitching eye is my signal that I'm stressed - even when it's not apparent why. Go and see the doctor to put your mind at rest.

[WoahGreenGiant]

Thank you, everyone! That's reassuring. I've had eye twitches before, especially when I'm tired, they've just not lasted this long before.

I think I'll keep an eye on it and call the GP if it's still there next week. In the past year I've made appointments because of constipation (I thought I had bowel cancer...) and because I couldn't find the strings of my coil (I thought my body had absorbed it and it might have perforated my womb...) I'm probably marked on their system as a fruitloop or there's an alarm that goes off when I call or something I don't want to waste their time but if it carries on, I'll give them a ring. I'm very good at getting an idea into my head and then 'seeing'/experiencing other symptoms... it's probably just anxiety-related.

Thank you, everyone

[Mumof3teens]

I have just had an eye twitch for 9 months. It twitched every day the whole time. Only stopped when I started going to the gym, which in turn meant I slept longer. Try for less stress and more sleep would be my advice.
PS - I didn’t go to the Drs (although DS1 and DDiL1 are both Drs and weren’t concerned) but had an eye test at the opticians, which was fine.
Good luck!

[ForeverBaffled]

I had an eye twitch earlier this year that lasted about 4 weeks! Definitely due to stress/sleep deprivation. I don’t think it’s an established MS symptom - try not to worry.

[WoahGreenGiant]

Thank you, everyone. I woke up in the night with pins and needles in my limbs and I feel a bit tingly in one hand now, and my feet, although I think that's how I've been sitting.

I feel a bit sick and tearful at the thought of having a condition. I've booked a doctor's appointment but the earliest they can do is next Thursday. The optician's is today so I'll see what they say, I've heard that early signs of MS are often picked up at optician's appointments.

Thanks everyone

[Mumma1984]

@WoahGreenGiant had you already been worrying about that? Anxiety can cause those symptoms - eye twitch isn't an MS thing, generally eye related MS stuff is optic neuritis which is painful and you either can get blurred or lost vision, also MS stuff I've been told by a GP doesn't come and go day to day - for example your left side goes numb for weeks then subsides. I have huge MS anxiety too so if that's how you feeling I hugely sympathize x

[Mumma1984]

@WoahGreenGiant you actually sound very similar to me, I've done the breast cancer / bowel cancer rounds as well as continuous ms worry due to a relative having it!

[Mumma1984]

Ps sorry- I keep thinking of something else I forgot to say ha if your opticians offer an OCT scan say yes - it's eye hospital quality equipment and they can spot things like glaucoma and stuff 4 years in advance !

[WoahGreenGiant]

@Mumma1984 thank you for posting about your experience, that's really helpful. It's definitely been on my mind since we found out about DM's diagnosis. I'm hopeful that it's anxiety messing with me. It's amazing (in a weird way) what our bodies do to us when we're stressed, isn't it? I studied abroad for a while and when I first got there, my periods stopped completely, I went and had a full MOT by a German doctor, felt like Melman the giraffe from Madagascar

I think I could eat more healthily - I'm a vegetarian, almost vegan, so I'm probably missing out on some iron and B12 which won't be helping. Going to start taking my vitamin supplements again. Thank you

[Mumma1984]

B12 and Vit D can show those kinds of muscle etc symptoms - def up those - Vit D is a factor in things like cancer and MS. Would it maybe be helpful to find out what your mums intial symptoms were? I've been told usually it's fairly drastic the first 'episode' like the eye stuff etc it might make u feel better ... although if you haven't done so already DO NOT GOOGLE - I really screwed up there - I know too much then my brain can cause things and I worry constantly. I've had a MRI about 6 years ago and I still worry. Also keep in mind MS effects 1/600 people ... you have good odds. Health Anxiety is horrible. X

[WoahGreenGiant]

Thanks, Mumma. I've had a little look at my eyes this morning and the area underneath when you pull down your lower lid is quite pale - maybe slightly anaemic?

I'm not sure how to go about asking what my mum's first symptoms were without panicking her. If it's a more dramatic first episode then hopefully that rules me out. I just feel generally run down and then have had these worrying side effects.

Things have been a bit busy around here recently - I'm teaching p/t and doing an MA and worrying about jobs, mortgages, houses etc, so stress wouldn't be surprising, although I can't say I've felt stressed as such.

I hope you're OK, health anxiety is really horrible, as you say.

[Mumma1984]

Stress and anxiety can hit you anytime hun and the physical effects - hopefully your doc can reassure u x

[WoahGreenGiant]

Just back from the optician's and had the OCT scan as well - apparently this is going to become part of regular eye check-ups soon, which is exciting

Everything came back clear and I asked the optician specifically about MS and the twitch. He said he'd diagnosed one of his best friends with MS from an eye scan so he knows what to look out for but everything looked healthy and happy with mine

Thanks all for listening to my panicking. Sorry

[Mumma1984]

Yay! That's so good :) I'm glad it's helped you - that's exactly what I did and he said no reason to be worried where my eyes are concerned - I think anxiety physical symptoms are evil! Most likely the twitch was eye strain, tiredness, stress, caffeine or good old anxiety! Magnesium I've heard can also help possibly :)

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

I get this often - I think it’s being tired, run down, and stressed. It is v annoying but like you, my optician said it’s nothing to worry about when I asked at my six month lens check. She said her little girl calls it “eye hiccups” when she (optician, not child) gets it! Glad you got some reassurance, OP.

[Cardy24]

My eye twitches stopped after I started taking magnesium tablets.

[kitk]

I get this when stressed/ tired!

[woogal]

I get this when I'm tired and stressed.

[WoahGreenGiant]

Thanks for your advice, everyone. The eye twitch seems to have resolved itself which I'm glad about.

I do now have numbness in my right arm, though, which is worrying me. I still have movement and sensation but it feels heavier than my left arm and the numbness is also in my shoulder. It's been there on and off this week and is worse when I'm typing (I only type with my right hand ). It came on badly yesterday when I put on my heavy rucksack getting off the train and hasn't gone away since then. Last night in bed it felt like I was going numb all over but this morning it's just back to my right arm. I've been up and about and my balance feels fine.

Could this be a physical or psychosomatic thing? I already have a GP appointment for next Thursday which is the earliest they could fit me in. Any advice would be gratefully received!

[MLMsuperfan]

I world say numbness is the kind of symptom that your brain can helpfully give you if you let it. Kind of like dry mouth or itchy scalp.

[Caramel78]

You could have a trapped nerve somewhere. I get things like twitching muscles, tingling in legs. numb toe etc and I’ve had every type of blood test and scan you can think of (including brain MRI). Everything normal except a bit aneamic. I have really bad anxiety so the GP thinks this is also causing physical symptoms