Multiple Health Screenings But No Answers
Since last fall my husband has had the muscles on his left forearm spasm like crazy at random times throughout the days and nights. It comes and goes for no apparent reason. Can't identify any one thing that triggers it. He also has very little strength in that hand/wrist/arm when he tries to grip or pick things up. In addition to those things, he gets piercing headaches that come on instantly and sometimes stay with him throughout the day. We have been to doctors and had blood tests, an MRI, neurological testing, all the bells and whistles. Every test has come back negative, which is good?, but we have no answers, which is frustrating. I'm not looking for medical advice, but have any of you experienced anything like this or know someone who has? Thanks!
Comments
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@naomi.kohlmeier do the blood tests show sufficient magnesia, zinc and calcium levels? Oftentimes muscle spasm can be caused by this. This was the case for myself.
Have you visited a chiropractic? Sometimes it can be a block in the upper spine or a minimal imbalance that is not picked up by MRI or CT scans.
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I have had involuntary muscle spasms in my hands. No muscles seem to work in unison and my fingers wiggle. Once this is over, after about 3-5 minutes, my hand feels exhausted, like it did a marathon. I even was referred to a top neurologist over it and he basically told me it was all in my head...I was crazy. He wanted me (and my husband) to replicate it for him, which is impossible. The truth is, he had no idea what it was.
I had searched online to no avail. Then one day, I found my answer. Others have had it, but the answer from doctors that they all got was always "we don't know".
It turns out that it is caused by a lack of a specific nutrient, similar to what Jens has discovered.
I agree with his thoughts, both nutrient & chiropractic. I would also suggest trying acupressure, over acupuncture, as that can work out real blockages (they feel like physical knots and can be considered scar tissue) and can seemingly do wonders.
I had this done for carpal tunnel. It was not a fun process. It hurt and I was bruised as this process goes deep into the muscles. It also took time...many visits, as my carpal tunnel was bad. But it worked.
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One other possibility to investigate with odd symptoms is Lyme Disease if ticks are in your area. Lyme bacteria is known to invade random muscle groups and once in, are hard to detect.
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The blood levels only showed a slight folate deficiency and that was addressed, but did not solve the problem. He also goes to the chiropractor regularly. Thanks, though.
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Hmm I've never considered either acupressure or acupuncture. I'm going to look into those. Thanks!
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That has never occurred to me at all! Definitely going to check that one out. Thanks!
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I was doing more thinking...
Have they ruled out dystonia?
I was also thinking that additives can affect the body in odd ways. Do you watch your intake of msg? It can do strange things to muscles and give headaches & migraines.
I would have a tendency to look into things that doctors are not taught (nutrients, synthetic additives, etc.) because of course, if it is outside their area of study, they won't know.
It could be one or a combination of things, of course, you will know this.
Please let us know if he finds relief and what helps.
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What about his potassium level. I know it can cause muscle spasms when it is low.
Also this could be a new or previously unseen condition and until studied in multiple patients it will be unknown to doctors (and even once it is discovered it will take over a decade for the majority to hear about it).
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First, has the neurologist ruled out clinical weakness? Because there is a difference between clinical weakness vs. perceived weakness.
Has he had an EMG/nerve conduction test done? Was it clear?
When neurologists can't find anything else, they'll often diagnose this type of twitching as "benign fasciculation syndrome" (BFS). I have it. Though, I think it is caused by a latent infection in my case. The key thing is to not worry if you have seen multiple neurologists and they have ruled out something degenerative through an MRI and EMG.
He might try GABA (the supplement, not to be confused with gabapentin, the drug). Anti-inflammatory herbs may also help.
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Here's a whole bunch of information on possible causes of BFS (twitching) - http://www.kenosiswellness.com/health-and-wellness/holistic-approaches-to-benign-fasciculation-syndrome-bfs-aka-twitching/
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Thanks! I'll definitely let you know how things procede.
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He did have those tests done. The BFS is worth looking into, though. Thanks!
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I've found magnesium helpful with muscle problems. Hope it improves soon:)
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@naomi.kohlmeier testing is a good idea, but your body tries to compensate so some deficiencies may not show up very well. Magnesium deficiency can cause the muscles to twitch as pointed out above. There is a liquid magnesium that one can rub on the area several times a day. It will take a while to rebalance the body once the proper nutrients are being supplied. Make sure all the other nutrients are given daily so the body can take what it needs without lacking something needed to processes one nutrient. Everyone needs magnesium every day so most f us would benefit from adding it to our diet regularly. One must consume it responsibly as no minerals or vitamins work in isolation.
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Thank you! I think we are so used to everything happening "instantly" that we want our health to improve instantly as well. I know I do,
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To add... frogvalley is most likely referring to magnesium oil, which I have referred to often on the forum. It is magnesium chloride salts mixed with water.
A concentrated solution is put on the skin. It takes about 3 months of daily application to bring the body into balance, then it can be done two to three times per week as maintenance.
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Are the muscle spasms related to Parkinson’s Disease? Not sure on the headaches.
Although, I just watched a LighteningthePath serie and it may be related to toxins in the body. Toxins sticks to proteins in your tissue. A new molecule called Neoepitope; antibodies destroy the tissue the molecule is attached to. It was just recently discovered several years ago.
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@naomi.kohlmeier when i got back from Peru i had a weird muscle cramps and head aches so i talk to homegrown herbalist doc jones and he suggested his nutritive blend and some magnesium citrate pills that seemed to cure it now every once in a great while they come back but i just start that regiment again.
also if you can get some one to do tuning forks or someone who does herbal muscle testing those might have some help
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Where does one find magnesium chloride salts and is it only for the area affected or should one put it on more profusely?
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Where is the Lightening the Path series? Is in online?
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I'll look into that as well. Thanks!
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@naomi.kohlmeier We bought ours online and later in a health food store. Online was less expensive in our case.
We bought Ancient Minerals brand, as seen below. I think we bought ours at Well.ca. I see that the importer has a website too. I know that quite a few places carry it in Canada. I doubt that it would be difficult to find it in the US.
Keep in mind that our dollar is quite low now compared to yours. It might be worthwhile buying it from up here...although you need to keep in mind that the salts are heavy and that might change shipping costs.
Going by their guidelines uses the salts up very quickly. I will give you a link to the thread where I describe a more efficient way to use it.
After doing foot soaks for a month (when we relax in the evening, with some tea), we are going to go back to using the more saturated solution. Our salts are disappearing faster than they need to! I am thinking that I am already seeing results, but we have a couple months to go yet to get our levels all the way back up.
The magnesium will travel throughout the body and contribute to healing what needs to be healed. My suggestion is just rubbing it into the feet. There is no need to put it directly on the sore area.
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@naomi.kohlmeier The only magnesium supplement I can take is a liquid form. The one I take is from Trace Minerals. There are other liquid magnesiums, but I haven't tried them. I can't do any of the other magnesium pills no matter what is in them as they all give me the runs.
I also make magnesium oil (truly easy to make) with the Ancient Minerals that @LaurieLovesLearning uses. It might sting like going into the ocean water does, but I am not bothered by it.
As with many other diseases, the root cause of Parkinsons is not known. There is one theory about it (like so many other things) being connected to gut bacteria which I am leaning towards. I also lean towards eating the right things now so that you will never know what you didn't get.
Magnesium may help, but stress is usually the root cause. It's like going into a snowstorm with a coat on, but as soon as you take off the coat, you're going to get cold again unless you change your environment and eventually the coat won't be enough because your feet will be wet too.
The Mag Phos cell salt as well as the homeopathic remedy Mag Phos are great for acute muscle problems. Sometimes the body forgets how to use an element so those two types help it remember and do so quickly. It doesn't mean you shouldn't take magnesium supplements, it just helps your body use them better.
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@LaurieLovesLearning @SuperC @frogvalley thank you so much for the information! Wow! So much to learn! I appreciate everyone's helpfulness.
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Update:
Still no answers. The spasms come and go as do the intense cramping in the right leg. However, some of the strength in his hand has returned and the headaches are much less frequent. Blessings to be sure.
If we come across something that helps, I'll let you know, in the meantime, I am grateful for all your replies and suggestions.
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@naomi.kohlmeier Have you considered seeing a homeopath? They are often very good at correcting issues that the medical community can find no answers to. I checked with my program and there are 17 remedies listed for spasms in the forearm so it would take an interview with a homeopath to determine which of those remedies might be effective.
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No, we haven't. Thank you for the information. Is there a directory of homeopaths that I could find one in my state?
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The North American Society of Homeopaths. There is a drop down menu to choose your state or province.
The National Centre for Homeopaths. Their "Find a Homeopath" tool isn't working right now due to a website update but here is the link.
This site has numerous resources and directories.
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There are none in my state and the closest one is at least 6 hours away. I'll see what I can find out.
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