[Jerky_Chris]

Hi everyone-

This is my first day on this site & I hope I can get some help, advice or just plain.."support"-! I've heard so many good things about this forum & the people! But...now...before Christmas....I'm a nervous wreck!

I'm a former HS History teacher....60 yrs old. My main problem...lately, have been these strange "Pre-sleep"......body movements-
--
First of all--I DO go to Drs...(Have a neurologist I see--) And....also, I'm bit of a hypochondriac !

My "issues".....have been.....at time.."pre sleep"...(as my neuro calls them)--"Hypnic jerks"----An...leg...finger.....shoulder....trunk...jaw snapping shut.! And...sometimes...feels like "brain zaps"---! Only neuro med I'm on is Valium....(like 7.5 mg...before bedtime)

I have had 2 brain MRIs.....within last 3 yrs...both "normal"not need one---

I have had 2 sleep studies done--both normal...(no apneas)---some PLM....(Periodic Limb Movement)

I "pestered" the sleep study Dr---for another sleep study--! He says..I do not need one---but....2 weeks ago--- I sent him an e-mail---!

He did call me.....& wants me to get an EEG.....from an Epilepsy specialist! (to "rule out"...."Partial complex seizure")
I have it for this Tues AM.,.....THEN....will see the specialist afterward!

My neuro( Who specializes in .."movement disorders")-----says...I do not have epilepsy or any neuro issue--(She has tested me extensively)--& feels it is all due to stress!

Anyway---last nite....I got up at 4 AM....to go to the bathroom.....& could not get back to sleep! Then...my left shoulder started to go into a.."myoclonic".....twitch! Jerking..up...& back-and I mean HARD!-! (I've had "twitchy muscles'....since high school) I should have taken a bit more Valium...as it DOES help!

This made me more nervous! It went away...after 3 or 4 minutes! But--I still felt some muscle twitching on my left rib cage...for another 10-12 mins!
this is...."DIFFERENT"....from the..."hypnic jerks"-! (and NO....it is NOT that .."falling feeling"-)

This stuff ONLY seems to happen...when I feel..."wired"...or hyper!

Also---I noticed...when I was about to doze off....I feel .,..at times.....a "snort"....in my mouth.....like me palate..uvula or tongue is vibrating! Also....feelings some times...like a "light electric shock" going thru my body! This does NOT happen ALL the time! BUT--I know....when it MAY happen....I always feel....."Jacked up"...."wired"-!

I told my Neuro Dr--I'm worried I have some..."strange.....undiagnosed...neuro-muscular disease"--! She ASSURED me...I do not ! (NO epilepsy...or ALS.....or Parkinsons)---I have even talked w a psychiatrist! He feels it is nothing serious! (I have chronic conditions....Mitral valve prolapse....SVT....irritable bowel syndomre...Esophageal spasm.....acute verigo......that's when i take the antihistimne...."Antivert"'...that really puts me to sleep!)
I ask you dear people on the site.....for some advice!
#1) WHERE...could I post this to get the best & most replies?

#2) Does this sound familiar to any of you out there? If so--please share...& help alleviate my fears!

Thank you all so very much! I'm so lucky to have found this site! I need...all the....'advice'...'counsel'.....& just plain reassurance only others who have HAD...similar symptoms have! Sometimes....I feel the Drs....think,.....I'm a bit....."nutty"...LOL (Well..I'm a writer...& we writers are supposed to be...'quirky')

Remember---I ..ONLY get these symptoms...when..I'm feeling .."wired"--!

A few times I had to take an antihistimine (Antivert....generic "meclizine") for my ear problem...& it makes me SO.....sleepy..I zonk out--& NEVER have this problem!

Again...hoping to hear- Seriously...you can be such a help to me--ALSO---will the "epilepsy specialist"...be able to see any epilepsy on my EEG...even if I'm not having any ..."myoclonic"...movements? What will the EEG be like? Please--I need some people who have experienced these strange.."PRE-SLEEP"....symptoms--to get back--I need your support...to know..I'm not...alone! Could it really be all "stress related"....as my Drs...say? (I AM under a lot of stress!)--------------
kindest regards--Chris

[michael178]

I had the same thing, and was advised not to pay much attention to them, that they did not signify a significient underlying disease, so that's what I did and the jerks went away.

[Jerky_Chris]

Thanks SO much...Mike! That's what I've been told by more than one Dr---including TWO neurologists!

Hey...Mike...I live in Philly----am a writer....(former teacher)--& go out to Hollywood...& met a nice person from South Dakota!

NOW...me & my wife go visit regularly your great state--!

We go to.....Mitchell SD...home of the World Famous "Corn Palace"-!

We actually wanted to retire there---got a nice apt. duplex---in Mitchell---before my wife retired....loved Mitchell...in late Spring...summer & early fall..! BUT...winters are.."brutal"....with the cold!

Of course...Philadelphia is no "tropical" climate either! This weekend we just got 24 inches of snow! I'm leaving for Beverly Hills CA---next Tues....29 Dec---(Me & wife would luv to retire in Southern Cal--rents are so high)

Anyway--thanks again...for your reassuring words! Are you in Mitchell? We're visiting again...this May.....! (Staying in hotel near "Country Kitchen"...restaurant near Burr St---Get back...& take care---Merry Christmas--Chris

[Jerky_Chris]

Hi Mike again---Yep--you were right!

Had my EEG Tues (see my other post)--Everything was..."normal".-

Neorologist said just as you said..."Hypic jerks"...common...pre-slee problem-!

Thanks again for your reassurances-regards --Chris

[tinglytoes]

Originally Posted by Jerky_Chris

Hi Mike again---Yep--you were right!

Had my EEG Tues (see my other post)--Everything was..."normal".-

Neorologist said just as you said..."Hypic jerks"...common...pre-slee problem-!

Thanks again for your reassurances-regards --Chris

Hi Jerky, Merry Christmas, Your request for help was so sincere, it is clear there is much worry about your body strangeness. My gift to you this morning is to offer the option of considering going to a yoga class, or a meditation class. The autonomic nervous system can be regulated with conscious breathing and releasing the tension built up during the day. It also trains the mind to witness whatever is happening without chasing itself down a tunnel which has no answers. "no cheese down that tunnel". Doctors are good for testing and ruling things out, but not for real treatment.

Have you tried 3-6 mg of mellatonin an hour before bed? I also have a hyper nervous system and it can be hell sometimes. I try to avoid the benzodiazaphenes as too addictive. Acupuncture keeps me going. I have the deepest rest on the table with the treatment than even some full nights of sleep!

I get most hyper when I push myself into the "red" of my energy bank account. Is this a pattern for you perhaps? The energy feels real at the time but is not. It is more akin to a child who is over tired, over stimulated and missed a nap rest. When we spend that account into the "red" the trouble begins because our reserves are too low already.

If you make adjustments to your lifestyle now you can avoid trouble down the road. I certainly wished someone could have explained this to me 20 years ago, I was one of those tired kids who lived on adrenaline until symptoms of burn-out forced me to stop. Hope you can avoid going further down this path.

Personally, I would honor my health over all else and go on a vacation to somewhere with no stimulation at all for two weeks. I think this would likely be the trick to re-wire your system, re-boot yourself with fresh settings so to speak. Good luck to you, Be Happy And Best Wishes TT