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Muscle spasms/twitches
I seem to be prone to developing an ongoing twitch in a particular muscle that sometimes lasts hours, sometimes days, sometimes weeks. It most often strikes in one of my eyelids – a little while ago, I sneezed really hard, and my eyelid wouldn't stop twitching for a month. I was ready to staple it in place!!! Grrr.
Sometimes I can tie it to a specific thing I did, like the sneeze, or a particular workout that really tired me out, and sometimes even orgasm can trigger some twitching for a while (this, I figure, is normal). But other times the twitches seem to crop up out of nowhere, and once they start, there's nothing I can do to make them stop, they just have to fade out in their own time — and drive me crazy in the meantime!
Right now I have an ongoing twitch in my left hand in the valley between my thumb and index finger – this is Day 3 of that particular twitch. Sometimes it will just spasm once, and sometimes it goes crazy, like someone is pushing a button rapidly in succession to make it spasm. And just this morning, I started getting another twitch on the inside of my left knee.
Whenever I've looked this up online, the best answer I can find is that this indicates a possible potassium deficiency. I just thought I'd put it out here because there are some really smart folks in this community who might be able to shed some additional light on this.
Thanks!
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11 Replies
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It could be due to inflammation in your body or it could be a neurological issue. Low potassium will cause cramps but nothing for several days. This is a case of where I would seriously talk to a doctor.
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I've had eyelid twitching before, but never for so long. Usually only lasted for like an hour or so, and it seems to be connected to being either fatigued or anxious.
Anything that lasts for a month or more is worth seeing a doctor about.
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Bahhhhh I hate going to the doctor. I wonder if the Little Clinic at Kroger could handle something like this or if I have to try to get in with my normal doc. I've only been seeing her for a few months and I'm not sure how happy I am with her, she moves through appointments so fast I feel I barely have her attention, and seems quick to prescribe a drug rather than talk about options or explain what's going on.
I grew up in a family where we pretty much only went to the doctor when something was seriously wrong – bleeding, vomiting, high fevers, that kind of thing – so I have a habitual resistance to running to the doc for every little thing, or for things like this that are annoying but don't actually interfere with my daily life.
I've never noticed a connection between my eyelid twitches and fatigue or anxiety, but that would seem to make sense – I'll pay attention to potential triggers next time I get that particular twitch.
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And what if it is neurological? A faster, quicker diagnosis is much better than regret down the road. I am sorry, there are too many people I know in the pole world who have brushed off signs and then found out they were something serious.
And no, the little clinic at Kroger is set up for flu and strep and colds and others common illnesses that people get so that they free up emergency rooms and doctors offices.
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I will also say that if it was something that came and went I would not be pushing you in this direction. For you to say that it is lasting for days/weeks is not normal.
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Agreed. If you were concerned enough to ask for health advice, and then you get an answer to go see a doctor about it because it could be a sign of something serious… just go. If you hate your doctor, get a different one. Persistent muscle twitches could be a sign of a serious neurological condition. Or it could just be a quirk. But you probably shouldn't make that decision yourself.
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Ugh. I will make an appointment I guess. At least I'm pretty sure it's not pole-related – I've experienced twitches like this for years and years, to varying degrees. I couldn't really tell you if it's actually gotten worse, or if I just started paying attention to it in the last year or so.
The eyelid twitch following the monster sneeze was the ONLY time it's ever lasted that long, I can say that. Normally they're gone within a week or so.
I do wonder. I have hypothyroidism, have had it since I was born. Every year at my checkup, my endocrinologist asks if I've had tremors and has me hold out my hands to see if they're shaking. I've always said No to the tremors because in my mind, tremors means your hands are shaking kind of constantly, almost like shivering/trembling or like what the elderly experience. What I have feels more like a pulsing twitch, and it's not constant — I could sit here for a minute and not feel a twitch, but in five or ten minutes I probably will feel several. But now I wonder if this applies to her asking me about tremors. Of course, my bloodwork is really what determines my treatment for the thyroid thing, and according to that my current dosage is fine.
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Do you like your endo? Maybe go see him/her instead?
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I love my endo but she's in a different city. Last year I moved from Dayton to Cincinnati and while I found a new PCP, I was willing to make the hourlong drive once a year to see my endo rather than find a new one.
I had a bad experience with my last endo, he turned out to be a quack who overprescribed me. I felt *Great* on the high dosage and was at the lowest weight of my adult life. Then one day his office just closed and he was gone. For a while I had my PCP manage my thyroid but he kept screwing with my dosage (like, a different dose every 3-6 months up to the point of taking one pill X days a week, the other Y days a week…) so finally I asked him to refer me to a specialist. When I mentioned my last endo's name to her, she got this look on her face and sorta said yeah, he was known for over prescribing, and she explained to me how she couldn't just put me back on the same dose he'd given me, even if I felt great, because it's potentially FATAL. Well hot damn, thanks Dr. Quack!
Anyway, my new endo is great and helped get me leveled out to a regular dose that doesn't change with every damn blood test, so yeah, after finally getting that sorted out I didn't want to up and switch docs if she was still within driving distance, especially since I usually only see her once a year. But my new PCP is much closer to home and work.
My new PCP isn't horrible or anything, I don't hate her, I just have mixed feelings. I've only seen her 3 times – once for my new patient orientation, once for a normal physical (that was back in January and the only thing they found was a bladder infection and a Vitamin D deficiency) and once for a pelvic exam, which she…seemed to struggle with, I think next year I may go to an actual OB/GYN instead. For the physical and the pelvic exam appt's, I felt really rushed, like she was just trying to get me in and out as fast as possible. When she did my skin check during the physical, she totally missed my thighs, and I happen to have a large mole on my left thigh that most doctors pay some attention to (I've had it since I was a kid and it's never changed, but I still expected it to come up during a skin check). And then BAM she was out the door and I'm like… that's it??
I'm only 25, I don't have much experience shopping around for doctors and I don't know what's "normal" behavior that I'd experience at any PCP office, and what's worthy of "wow, I should find a different doc." This one came recommended to me by a coworker. My "Ugh" reaction is less about not wanting to see her, and more about the hassle of taking time out of my workday for an appointment. I am a notorious hassle-avoider.
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http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/topdoctors/
Finding a doc sucks, however if you feel that you are not getting the attention that you should be getting then I do not blame you. I have had this happen to me with dermatologists on two separate occasions. It seemed like they just wanted to get on to the next patient so they could collect more money.
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Ugh. I can't wait to be a real doctor. :/
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