twitching

[ironictruth]

As I get sicker with pain/nausea, and what I can only describe is the feeling that some mild toxins are invading my brain, I have now developed an internal twitching in my upper abdominal area. It has been twitching on and off since last night. It feels like the middle, possibly slightly to my left. 

For you moms, it is akin to the early fetal movements, only way higher up. 

I have had three bowel movements in 3 hours already today. Normal, but with undigested food and the third one was very very light in color. I have no gallbladder. TMI, sorry. 

I have done nothing to my stomach muscle and take magnesium daily.

I had a MRI of the common bile and pancreatic ducts recently with nothing eventful.  

The only thing I had was duodenitis late August and the pain is much worse now then when I was scoped. 

Plugging away on more tests. Thankful for my GI who is willing to run them. 

Anyone? Abdominal twitching? How about the feeling like it is traveling to your brain? 

 

[GFinDC]

Hi Ironic,

I had gut twitching or spasms for 6 weeks or so after going gluten-free.  But that was below the belly button area.  So it sounds like your twitching is higher up.  Maybe in the esophagus area?  You could be suffering from acid reflux perhaps?

Here is a link with a drawing of the GI system.  Maybe it will help you identify the hurty spot?

Open Original Shared Link

If "it" travels to my brain I am sure it won't like the scenery there.  Pretty boring stuff.

[poslla27]

7 hours ago, ironictruth said:

As I get sicker with pain/nausea, and what I can only describe is the feeling that some mild toxins are invading my brain, I have now developed an internal twitching in my upper abdominal area. It has been twitching on and off since last night. It feels like the middle, possibly slightly to my left. 

Anyone? Abdominal twitching? How about the feeling like it is traveling to your brain? 

 

I have not been diagnosed with celiac. I was diagnosed 12 years ago with fms, but have only now been seen by a rheumy. Among many other symptoms that started 2 years ago, my stomach will shake/tremor mildly. More while I'm sleeping. Once in a while, the outer stomach muscle will go through period where they contract, not painful but uncomfortable.

My brain will sometimes feel like it's shutting down, but not feel like it's twitching.

I sure would like to know what causes both.

 

[Dee1234]

I also haven't been diagnosed with celiac however...a few years ago i had AWFUL stomach problems all of a sudden. My GI dr did not perform any antibody tests. He said nothing was wrong.

 

Mind you...I'm going to get gross. I had bloody stools, pain, twitching (as you described) and nausea/ vomiting for over a year. 

 

Last April i started getting other symptoms. I had visions problems in my left eye, migraines that were the worst I've ever had, swelling in hands and feet, i lost motor function sporadically on my left side. (ie going to pickup a coffe cup and dropping it...)trouble thinking clearly (like when you're on a LOT of cold medicine)  and trouble walking.

So now my "wonderful" dr tells me there's nothing wrong. I just have a headache. That migraine lasted THREE MONTHS. As in EVERYDAY three months straight. He told me evrything else is unrelated. In august i mafe a fb post to see if anyone else ever had this happen

 My friend who is celiac has "gluten ataxia" if you google it the symptoms are spot on and only get worse over time. I immediately stopped every gluten product. 

It was like flipping a switch. Within the day my headache was gone. The other symptoms took a few months but they are all gone now too.

 

I only had an issue once since august where my bf accidently made dinner. Balsamic vinegar had "maltodextrin" but made from wheat. I didn't know it. Sick for a week. 

 

I guess that tested the theory, right? 

So yeah. The twitching goes away. But you need to have ZERO gluten. Certified. Like less than 3 parts per million or whatever the smallest amount is. 

 

You need to read every ingredient because even one crumb might make you sick.

 

 

Sorry this is so long. I hope you feel better and good luck! 

[ironictruth]

4 hours ago, Dee1234 said:

I also haven't been diagnosed with celiac however...a few years ago i had AWFUL stomach problems all of a sudden. My GI dr did not perform any antibody tests. He said nothing was wrong.

 

Mind you...I'm going to get gross. I had bloody stools, pain, twitching (as you described) and nausea/ vomiting for over a year. 

 

Last April i started getting other symptoms. I had visions problems in my left eye, migraines that were the worst I've ever had, swelling in hands and feet, i lost motor function sporadically on my left side. (ie going to pickup a coffe cup and dropping it...)trouble thinking clearly (like when you're on a LOT of cold medicine)  and trouble walking.

So now my "wonderful" dr tells me there's nothing wrong. I just have a headache. That migraine lasted THREE MONTHS. As in EVERYDAY three months straight. He told me evrything else is unrelated. In august i mafe a fb post to see if anyone else ever had this happen

 My friend who is celiac has "gluten ataxia" if you google it the symptoms are spot on and only get worse over time. I immediately stopped every gluten product. 

It was like flipping a switch. Within the day my headache was gone. The other symptoms took a few months but they are all gone now too.

 

I only had an issue once since august where my bf accidently made dinner. Balsamic vinegar had "maltodextrin" but made from wheat. I didn't know it. Sick for a week. 

 

I guess that tested the theory, right? 

So yeah. The twitching goes away. But you need to have ZERO gluten. Certified. Like less than 3 parts per million or whatever the smallest amount is. 

 

You need to read every ingredient because even one crumb might make you sick.

 

 

Sorry this is so long. I hope you feel better and good luck! 

 it's funny that you mention Balsamic vinegar. Right before I ended up in the hospital at the end of August I had a bunch of D.  I was so messed up one night after cooking dinner I couldn't function for almost 3 weeks.  I had all sorts of weird s*** happen then. I racked my brain about what I could have eaten  at the time I had cooked at my boyfriend's house and his house was not gluten free but I was pretty careful. Then I realized I had used a balsamic vinegar that I do believe originated from Italy. And I hopped online and I guess thaT they often contain gluten. 

 I am sorry but I just laughed when I read What you wrote, "my boyfriend accidentally made dinner".  

 I used to get migraine headaches when I was about eight years (1980's) old. They just started coming back in July.

[RMJ]

I went to a registered dietician who specializes in Celiac.  She was concerned about the balsamic vinegar I was using and suggested a different brand, Napa Valley Naturals.

[ironictruth]

37 minutes ago, RMJ said:

I went to a registered dietician who specializes in Celiac.  She was concerned about the balsamic vinegar I was using and suggested a different brand, Napa Valley Naturals.

I will order online!

[kareng]

2 hours ago, ironictruth said:

I will order online!

 

2 hours ago, RMJ said:

I went to a registered dietician who specializes in Celiac.  She was concerned about the balsamic vinegar I was using and suggested a different brand, Napa Valley Naturals.

Why?  Balsamic is made from grapes!  

[Dee1234]

10 minutes ago, kareng said:

 

Why?  Balsamic is made from grapes!  

And Turkey is made from turkey, and icecream from ice and cream.....

 

Tete shouldn't be any wheat products I any of those. So of COURSE companies add wheat fillers to make stuff creamy consistency or more gelatinous. Unfortunately,  people that have severe reactions get the short end of the stick and get awful reactions. 

 

 

Tanks balsamic vinegar!   Also....i just make my iwn...well.  Everything from scratch. Including salad dressing. 

 

 

[Dee1234]

Haha. I'm not even gonna edit that! You guys know what i meant! ?

[kareng]

23 minutes ago, Dee1234 said:

And Turkey is made from turkey, and icecream from ice and cream.....

 

Tete shouldn't be any wheat products I any of those. So of COURSE companies add wheat fillers to make stuff creamy consistency or more gelatinous. Unfortunately,  people that have severe reactions get the short end of the stick and get awful reactions. 

 

 

Tanks balsamic vinegar!   Also....i just make my iwn...well.  Everything from scratch. Including salad dressing. 

 

 

I have never seen a balsamic vinegar with gluten added to make it " creamy".  Vinegar isn't creamy!   And part of what you typed I don't understand...  but I think suggesting that companies add wheat to vinegar to make it thicker is odd.  Nobody expects, or wants, thick vinegar.  Read ingredients if you are worried.  

 

[Dee1234]

4 minutes ago, kareng said:

I have never seen a balsamic vinegar with gluten added to make it " creamy".  Vinegar isn't creamy!   And part of what you typed I don't understand...  but I think suggesting that companies add wheat to vinegar to make it thicker is odd.  Nobody expects, or wants, thick vinegar.  Read ingredients if you are worried.  

 

Sorry..I'm on my phone and the typing is sub par. 

 

I meant companies add wheat to lots of things. The balsamic depends on the brand. My bf got it from his mom's house and it had an ingredient that could be made from wheat....so I'm assuming that's what happened to me. 

 

I meant in general companies add it to stuff like icecream to make stuff creamy. 

 

 

Sorry for the confusion. 

[kareng]

10 minutes ago, Dee1234 said:

Sorry..I'm on my phone and the typing is sub par. 

 

I meant companies add wheat to lots of things. The balsamic depends on the brand. My bf got it from his mom's house and it had an ingredient that could be made from wheat....so I'm assuming that's what happened to me. 

 

I meant in general companies add it to stuff like icecream to make stuff creamy. 

 

 

Sorry for the confusion. 

And if they add wheat, it will be on the ingredients - in the US and some other countries.

[ironictruth]

19 hours ago, Dee1234 said:

I read it was the caramel color in vinegar that was suspect. But only if imported. 

[knitty kitty]

Ironictruth, you said you take magnesium every day and that your last bm was pale.  Magnesium is a laxative.  It will make your poop pale.  Try not taking the magnesium for a few days.  The fluttering in the upper left abdominal area sounds like your upper colon is spasming from all the work it's having to do since the glutening and ensuing diarrhea.  

As for the vinegar conundrum, try this site:  Open Original Shared Link

I hope this helps us all.

[ironictruth]

1 minute ago, knitty kitty said:

Ironictruth, you said you take magnesium every day and that your last bm was pale.  Magnesium is a laxative.  It will make your poop pale.  Try not taking the magnesium for a few days.  The fluttering in the upper left abdominal area sounds like your upper colon is spasming from all the work it's having to do since the glutening and ensuing diarrhea.  

As for the vinegar conundrum, try this site:  Open Original Shared Link

I hope this helps us all.

Thank you. A recent scan showed...ahem...TMI, an intestine full of bowel. Oddly, had made 3 trips to the bathroom that day so no clue why I was still full. ??? Sigh. 

[knitty kitty]

Ironictruth,  Just like you have numbness in fingers and toes, your intestines have possibly got that numbness, too. So your intestinal muscles aren't scootching the digesting food along your digestive track.  The intestines call for more fluid to help move things along, but with numb muscles which don't scootch the food down the line... things get clogged up...   at least that's how my doctor explained it to me in my case.  

[ironictruth]

2 hours ago, knitty kitty said:

Ironictruth,  Just like you have numbness in fingers and toes, your intestines have possibly got that numbness, too. So your intestinal muscles aren't scootching the digesting food along your digestive track.  The intestines call for more fluid to help move things along, but with numb muscles which don't scootch the food down the line... things get clogged up...   at least that's how my doctor explained it to me in my case.  

Huh. That might explain my constant thirst too. I recently started to leave water next to the bed too. Maybe my body's way of asking for more assistance. 

[GFinDC]

Might be diverticulitis.

[ironictruth]

Would they have seen that on a scope?

[knitty kitty]

I agree, it could be diverticulitis, an inflammation of the descending colon. Little pockets form that trap food and become inflamed.  It is seen on scopes when done from the bottom up (colonoscopy).  

Dehydration is possible with diverticulitis.  Constant thirst is one sign of diabetes.  Too high (or too low) blood sugar can make one's brain feel very strange and tingly.  If the intestines aren't absorbing nutrients properly, one can experience low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and have that strange brain tingling.

You should discuss these things with your doctor!

[ironictruth]

Thanks. They did do a colonoscopy and found nothing. A 3 hour sugar test was ok but there was one mildly low number. 

[knitty kitty]

There are fairly cheap glucometers (blood sugar testing devices) that you could purchase over the counter.  You could test your blood sugar level during those times you feel weird.  Blood sugar levels can change quickly.  I can test fine while I'm sitting, but as soon as I get up and start moving, it can drop.  

Since you had a scope and nothing was found, don't worry about diverticulitis.  It would have shown up like a flashing neon light.  Try sleeping propped up on pillows, so you're still at an angle.  Going from a sitting position to a flat on your back position might be overwhelming your fluid filled intestines right now.  Gravity helps digestion.

I know how frustrating all this must be to you, but keep searching for answers.  You're your own best advocate.  Keep a journal of symptoms and things you've tried and things that help. 

One last thought is to take niacin.  Or a good B complex vitamin.  The B vitamins are water soluble. You lose them quickly with diarrhea and malabsorption.  I had diarrhea so bad and so long that I developed pellagra, a niacin deficiency.  The four D's of pellagra are diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death.  Pellagra is overlooked by physicians today.  I had a rash around my neck and on my forearms and had very bad diarrhea.  I developed dementia, mine was so bad.  It felt like my brain was on a dimmer switch that was being turned down. I couldn't do math, or knit(!!!) or do routine things without a LOT of focusing. It was like Hulk-sized gluten ataxia.  Once I started on Niacin supplements, I improved greatly.  

Remember to discuss with your doctor.

[GFinDC]

On 11/26/2016 at 8:17 PM, RMJ said:

I went to a registered dietician who specializes in Celiac.  She was concerned about the balsamic vinegar I was using and suggested a different brand, Napa Valley Naturals.

I don't use any balsamic vinegar.  True balsamic is aged in wooden barrels.  And I don't trust that the makers have always used fresh new barrels that weren't used for something else in the past.  They like to have a lot of flavor components in the vinegar after all.  So, I personally don't trust any balsamic vinegar that is true, barrel aged vinegar.  I can live just fine without it myself.  YMMV.  I do use rice wine vinegars sometimes though.

[knitty kitty]

There are Sulfites in vinegar.  Some are naturally occurring and sometimes extra Sulfites are added and must be listed on the label if over ten ppm.  

Sulfites make mast cells release their histamine.  Histamine is what causes allergic reactions such as rashes and runny noses and sinus problems, etc.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link