posted
Has anyone experienced this? The last couple nights, just as I'm drifting off to sleep my head jerks, or my whole arm, leg, or shoulder jerks. It then wakes me up. This happened four times in a row (falling asleep, sudden jerk, wake up...) last night and the previous night.
Apart from sharp muscle pains, my main symptom has been muscle twitching and cramps. Recently they're happening pretty much 24/7. I'm even having them while those jerks happen. But these twitches involve small strands of a muscle, often many strands twitching on their own pattern at the same time. However, the 'jerks' I describe above involve a whole limb or my head/neck. My fear is that this indicates that my condition suspected to be Lyme (and showing strong antibiotic responses, albeit they keep coming back) is progressing from the peripheral up toward the central nervous system. I fear that the progression would be: twitches -> limb jerks -> seizures.
Such full-limb jerks amount to a motion disorder. But I've not read about this as a symptom of Lyme. Is this a known Lyme symptom? Over my life, years before my suspected Lyme, I had a few isolated cases where I was drifting off to sleep and was dreaming that I was moving in some way and then suddenly my body moved that way, waking me up. But this now seems different, and it keeps happening, like four time in a row two nights in a row. And given the concurence of muscle twitching, the jerks seem to be connected to the twitching disorder.
Posts: 12 | From Maryland, USA | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
God, my head just jerked to the side while I was reading my post. Posts: 12 | From Maryland, USA | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
dmc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5102
posted
hello, it's called myoclonis... my left leg recoils at times. I've use herbal restless leg remedy w/ quinine. Also suggest you make sure to get enough magnesium.
If nothing alleviates it, may have to get a muscle relaxer.
You'll hear about alot of people having this if you use the search feature on this site. It's above in the line of "my profile, directory, etc."
Posts: 2675 | From ct, usa | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Myoclonic jerking is one of my main problems. It happens to me mainly when I am awake. No neurologist can figure it out yet.
Sometimes muscle jerking can get worse with fatigue and dehydration. Try the magnesium. I find it works.
Posts: 331 | From virginia | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Hey what...
Who's on first?
Nevermind... you're probably to young to remember that old routine anyhow.
Yes.. as the others here have made clear in their responses..
We do have a lot of jerks on Lymenet.
ho ho ho... tee hee hee ... ho ho ho
HEY... THEY said it.. not ME!
In children they often misdiagnose things like this as "growing pains".. even if it causes no pain.. just jerky motions... or in adults sometimes they call it "restless legs".. which in MY opinion is about a useless way to "do medicine". Come ON ducks! GEEZE!
But then.. someone actually developed a medicine for it.. so I guess that qualifies it to be another NEW DISEASE! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
I wouldn't worry about it progressing.... in the way you explained above. Frankly my dear..
I've never seen that happen before.. so do ease your mind.
Lyme likes to mess with you.. and cause you problems.. then about the time YOU'VE HAD IT and CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE..
It kinda quits .. and then... appears as other things.
If magnesium doesn't help.. or especially if it makes it worse... I use coral calcium which seems to help a good bit.
I would also consider Babesiosis COULD be causing this symptom. Maybe not.. but I wouldn't rule it out.
Hope that helps... and do know you've come to the right place. We obviously have quite a few jerks here.
posted
Thanks for all the informative feedback! After 14 days on doxy, things have only gotten worse. Now, in addition to the severe twitching and jerks, there's a bright red circular rash appearing on my right ankle.
Is there a test for Babesiosis? I hope you're right Tincup about there not being a progression from these neuros to seizures! I keep projecting to catastrophe, which may be the opposite of how one should approach this.
It's just that since starting the doxy, things are dowing down hill fast! Saw Docs last week and will again this week, and have a nerve-conduction study scheduled for next week. Today I'm doing a 24-hour urine collection to rule out heavy metal poisoning. Two Lyme tests were negative, but all the symptoms say I've got seronegative Lyme, which is why I've been given antibiotics. I had a red-ringed bug bite many months ago, and spend around 300 hrs per year in the woods.
I found one study that said Herxs lasted 2 days on average. Has anyone heard of a 14-day Herx?
Posts: 12 | From Maryland, USA | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
I developed motor tics from Lyme. My LLMD said it was myoclonus, but the neurologist I saw said my movements fit a motor tic disorder.
He said Lyme can cause motor tics. He is not an LLMD, but is very "lyme friendly." He did some research between visits and discovered there are documented cases of motor tics caused from Lyme. He also found that specific symptom sometimes disappears without treatment (not saying Lyme will go away, but that this symptom can disappear).
He tested me for seizures, and I don't have any. My muscle twitching is pretty uncommon, so I don't think the two are related in my case. I've had the motor tics on and off for almost three years now.
For me, the motor tics come and go. They are worse when I'm stressed and when I herx.
I've had herxes last months. If the abx is killing bacteria, you can continue to herx.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
My bet is you don't have a LLMD?
1. Herxes don't normally last 2 days when you are dealing with a heavy load of spirochtal organisms. I'll bet I can name the abstract that info came from that said 2 days. And often when we refer to a "herx" here.. it actually is more of a heavy die-off reaction... or an overload of garbage (dead organisms and toxic reaction to such) in your body that takes a while to clear out.
2. You are getting worse on doxy. If it isn't a medicine allergy.. my guess is you are having that die-off reaction... and the meds are hitting their target. Good news technically.. but it feels so bad.
3. Unless you've been re-exposed.. the red circular rash is most likely appearing because of the doxy kicking the spirochetes. Many of us have the rash appear when treating and "herxing"... sometimes very large ones.
4. The "herx" can last as long as the die-off exceeds the ability of your body to clear it out. Think of your body as a kitchen sink. Let's say you fill it with water.. which is like the overload of die-off garbage.
Once the sink is full.. if you keep dumping more and more dirty garbage water in there.. it will overflow and you'll have a BIG mess. Same with your body. If the garbage stuff doesn't clear out before more die-off occurs.. then your body will feel the effects of the big mess.
Some folks need to take a break from the antibiotics.. to allow time to clear the garbage. But ONLY do that with your doctors approval.
5. You said.. "I hope you're right Tincup.."
Must be no one told you this.. but I am always right.
just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
If I dont take magnesium and Citrical calcium I feel ten times worse than I do Now. I have a very similiar problem to yours, see my thread, and good luck with yours. More common than we wish I guess!!!
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic