Constant muscle twitching, achy jaw muscle, worried about serious neurological condition

[Bighugs88]

Hello everyone,
I have spoken to my gp and most recently out of hours gp last Thursday. I am 34 yrs old female, normal bp, normal cholesterol, bmi 19.1 (lost weight 1 stone in the past month due to ongoing health concerns, I am eating well now). Had a recent blood test on 2/7/2022 and gp on phone said blood tests are normal I have requested for a copy of my results. The following was tested: vitamin b12, ferritin, folate, electrolytes, full thyroid, full cholesterol, haemoglobin).
I am currently staying with my mum and my daughter is 5 yrs old has autism. Husband is working full time so staying with mum to keep my mind distracted and not to over worry.
Started off with:
Beginning of may 2022 started getting sharp centre chest pains and travelling over to right and left arms and lasting 4 mins this happened 4 times over weeks so went to local A&E they did quick ecgs, blood checks for inflammation viruses and troponin and chest x rays all results were clear. So I have been referred to cardiology and I did have the 24 hr ecg monitor requested by gp awaiting result most likely will contact surgery next week as it has been 3.5 weeks since 24 hr monitor . However, I started getting fluttering sensation of my heart which are palpitations and when I started googling symptoms I started panicking thinking I have a heart problem so this was occupying my mind all the time and so from there the dizziness started feeling like I am on a boat daily feeling like the ground is moving up and down under my feet, constant pressure in my head and neck stiffness. However, staying with my mum for the past 1 month the palpitations have reduced and I don't feel that dizzy any more.

In the gentlest possible way op, you sound like you have health anxiety.

I went through this several years ago when I lost my mum to cancer and the grief found a new outlet.

It was one of the most difficult times of my life and when I look back on that time now, I do so with huge compassion for my younger, post partum and grieving self.

You will get through this.

link to pth thread

@Likelookinginamirror
Thank you for your message, my PTH levels were checked twice last year the results were within the normal range (had a copy of the results).

@cestlavielife
I was taking Sertraline 2 yrs ago and last year was offered propanolol but the latter had horrendous side effects made by heart rate drop very low & felt spaced out. I will hopefully go back to the gp and ask about some sort of therapy to help with anxiety. Had anxiety majority of my life, I am 34 yrs old.
Since 2 years now it has been horrendous to the point where I been tripping and knocking into things as I am constantly overthinking/ worrying, don't feel like eating, constantly tired and nauseous. The triggers I am aware off, my 2 miscarriages, any change in employment, finances etc I am unable to cope with, rather than trying to cope I hit rock bottom with extreme fear.
Close relatives have noticed that I look very stressed out and pale. My confidence in life has taken a big setback.

@SparkleFromWithin
Thank you for your message, your kind words mean a lot. I am hoping that somehow I can have a different outlook with my negative thoughts if this is through therapy, medication or changing my daily routine, or combination of both etc. It's just so mentally draining I have become accustomed to thinking about everything so negative and I just like being on my own when I feel so upset. It shouldn't be like this.

Thanks I’m going to chase it up on Monday as GP has referred me to my gastro when this is often a secondary HPT linked to chronic kidney disease as my calcium is ok. Not sure if it can be managed through more VitD and calcium but those levels seem ok - either way I’m going to push for it to be sorted , I can barely stand long enough to make a snack this last week

NO. Sorry, just no! Look up normo-calcemic phpt.. your calcium and vitamin d levels are not a useful sign, if your pth marker is that high.

Ok, I'm going to stop, you will join a group, learn stuff, make your own decisions

BUT you supplemented prior to being tested!

That means the values of vitamins tested is skewed by supplements and tells you nothing else.

Your symptoms suggest this is pernicious anaemia (inability to absorb B12) which can be very dangerous if left untreated.
I recommend you join a good FB group (1) Pernicious Anaemia/B12 Deficiency - Support Group | Facebook and/or read Sally Patcholoks book 'Could it be B12'.

If you cannot absorb B12 from food you will only absorb 1% from supplements although it will sit as inactive B12 in your blood making you look ok.

Just look at her symptoms!
That would make any normal person anxious fgs!

In fact, if anyone thinks that anxiety is not a totally legitimate response to the symptoms stated by the OP then I strongly suggest a MH assessment!

I just need to make sure that my gastro and kidney doctor are working together to get things sorted properly , I’ve had such a struggle to get my kidney function stabilised and often what a gastro would recommend would counter renal advice etc. I am so grateful GP decided to add bariatric checks to my six monthly blood panels or I’d still be sat here thinking this was just my new normal - I also had a small stroke in 2020 so it’s been easy to dismiss the memory etc as down to that. Thank you so much - I will push to get a scan to see if there are any tumours , my neck is often sore !

@YNK May I just ask; if I take b12 supplements and my active b12 on a medichecks test was also really good, that's all good isn't it? I did stop for a couple of weeks prior to test. Both b12 and active were upper ranges. As were folate, ferritin and vit d.

Internal tremors and twitching muscles have been low oestrogen for me. Hrt is helping many symptoms that I thought were b12.

I can get heart flutters with low thyroid levels sometimes, but also stress and low vit d. Also got worse in peri menopause too.

@YNK I have looked at her symptoms and while I'm not a medical professional, they seem extremely similar to what I experienced when I had severe health anxiety. Muscle twitching, palpitations, chest pain, sudden numbness on one side of my face, tingling limbs.

I also had horrendous insomnia, at night I would feel like my entire body was crawling and prickling. It was truly awful. I was also offered propanalol and I must say they did help very short term because I was having massive panic attacks every time I stepped out of the house and having a propanalol 20 minutes before helped stop that.

Op, I can relate to the clumsiness and dropping things as well. I actually dropped my poor newborn baby once (she's absolutely fine, 5 years old and a complete delight 💕😊)

I wonder if it could be long covid? I had awful palpitations, internal tremors, trouble walking and with coordination. I’m much better one year on and have discharged myself from the long covid clinic.

Sorry to leap frog on this thread but I'm finding it very interesting.

I damaged my leg two months ago in a fall. Lately I've been having shooting pains in it, pins and needles and tenderness. It keeps me awake at night and I feel so panicky and stressed.

It's interesting that people suggest symptoms like this can be health anxiety. I am definitely a hypochondriac and I really hope that what I'm feeling is "all in my head".

Can health anxiety really produce such physical symptoms? Even if there's nothing there?

@garlictwist oh absolutely. Read my previous posts

Op did you ever go for that mri? a lot of your symptoms are similar to what I had experienced for years. I would have random episodes of muscle spasms, neck and skull pain and twitches with speach issues. I was diagnosed with health anxiety and put on antidepressants but the symptoms remained.

I randomly had a severe migraine one day and lost consciousness and after some more blood tests and an mri, I was finally diagnosed with Transverse myelitis.

I was gaslight for years by the nhs and was treated like a hypochondriac, it was awful. I convinced myself I had mnd or ms and no one would listen or take me seriously.

I still have random attacks but they are managed now and I no longer have to fight to be taken seriously. The relief from being diagnosed is unreal!

@AWainInAManger
Hi, hope you are doing well?
You have been through a lot and I have read threads were many people with similar symptoms where told it's general or health anxiety, so even to get referred by gp for tests/consultant is a mission itself. My symptoms did ease off over time I felt better from Nov 2022. In my case I had various alarming symptoms ranging from daily vomiting, weight loss, muscle twitching, visible tremors in arms and back were indeed related to very severe anxiety attacks which were most likely caused by my 2 consective miscarriages I had in 2022. Me and husband are trying for baby number 2, we have a 6yrs old daughter and would love to have another baby. I wasn't referred for the MRI scan. The only extensive tests I had done where on my heart and the ECG does show ectopic beats which I can feel daily but my heart itself in terms of strucutre is normal and I have an EF of 60% which is also normal. So gp has said all the various symptoms I was experiencing was anxiety related.
Wishing you well and thank you for your message x

No, all tests for B12are skewed by supplements for over 4mwhileeffectively you remain untreated