# Nerve/ muscle twitching



## Ronny

I am a male in his 30's with Graves disease. I had a total thyroidectomy 7 days ago which apparently was quite complicated ( very vascular). 1 parathyroid gland was reimplanted and all others were preserved.

I started showing signs of hypocalcemia within 24 hours in the hospital such as numbness and tingling around the tips of the fingers. My calcium level was 1.9 and my surgeon also stated that I also had hungry bones syndrome. Calcium had been robbed from my bones from being hyperthyroid for a year before surgery.

I was told the twitching, numbness, skin crawling feeling, and muscle spasms would go away after calcium injestion brought my levels to the normal but it hasn,t. Dooctors haven,t really looked at that as they were prioritizing on my calcium.

It's day 7 in the hospital, and my calcium and other hormone levels are within normal range for last 2 days. But I have constant nerve twitching all over my body, with some larger muscle spasms, At night I have sleep dyspnea, and I feel like something else might be going on. Will ask doctor tomorrow but was curious about others experiences before talking to them.

Any similar experiences? 
Could the twitching just take a long time to go away?
Anyone else had transient hypoparathyroid and hungry bones that took some time to resolve?


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## nodakmom

Welcome, and sorry your having a hard time. I don't know if there is a delay in recovery for that, but definately mention it to see what the dr. says. Let us know what you find out!


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## Andros

Ronny said:


> I am a male in his 30's with Graves disease. I had a total thyroidectomy 7 days ago which apparently was quite complicated ( very vascular). 1 parathyroid gland was reimplanted and all others were preserved.
> 
> I started showing signs of hypocalcemia within 24 hours in the hospital such as numbness and tingling around the tips of the fingers. My calcium level was 1.9 and my surgeon also stated that I also had hungry bones syndrome. Calcium had been robbed from my bones from being hyperthyroid for a year before surgery.
> 
> I was told the twitching, numbness, skin crawling feeling, and muscle spasms would go away after calcium injestion brought my levels to the normal but it hasn,t. Dooctors haven,t really looked at that as they were prioritizing on my calcium.
> 
> It's day 7 in the hospital, and my calcium and other hormone levels are within normal range for last 2 days. But I have constant nerve twitching all over my body, with some larger muscle spasms, At night I have sleep dyspnea, and I feel like something else might be going on. Will ask doctor tomorrow but was curious about others experiences before talking to them.
> 
> Any similar experiences?
> Could the twitching just take a long time to go away?
> Anyone else had transient hypoparathyroid and hungry bones that took some time to resolve?


Gosh; I am so sorry. You have been through it for sure!!

It may be wise to consider electrolyte depletion (calcium is only one of many electrolytes); they should run a panel for you on that. And also consider low ferritin.

Ferritin http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm
(should be 50 to 100; the closer to 100, the better)

Glad they transplanted the parathyroid. A lot of people don't know that this can be done.

You must be very anxious to go home and I hope you do soon! Did the pathology on your thyroid come back okay?


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## I DClaire

Ronny said:


> I am a male in his 30's with Graves disease. I had a total thyroidectomy 7 days ago which apparently was quite complicated ( very vascular). 1 parathyroid gland was reimplanted and all others were preserved.
> 
> I started showing signs of hypocalcemia within 24 hours in the hospital such as numbness and tingling around the tips of the fingers. My calcium level was 1.9 and my surgeon also stated that I also had hungry bones syndrome. Calcium had been robbed from my bones from being hyperthyroid for a year before surgery.
> 
> I was told the twitching, numbness, skin crawling feeling, and muscle spasms would go away after calcium injestion brought my levels to the normal but it hasn,t. Dooctors haven,t really looked at that as they were prioritizing on my calcium.
> 
> It's day 7 in the hospital, and my calcium and other hormone levels are within normal range for last 2 days. But I have constant nerve twitching all over my body, with some larger muscle spasms, At night I have sleep dyspnea, and I feel like something else might be going on. Will ask doctor tomorrow but was curious about others experiences before talking to them.
> 
> Any similar experiences?
> Could the twitching just take a long time to go away?
> Anyone else had transient hypoparathyroid and hungry bones that took some time to resolve?


I was hyperthyroid (or biochemically euthroid) for 2 1/2 years before having surgery six weeks ago. I can't say that I've experienced chronic nerve twitching all over my body but I have had quite notable problems with the muscles in my upper arms and the calves of both legs. At one point, for at least 10-12 months, my arm muscles not only were so weak I could barely do things like fix my hair but they ached. When I asked the doctor about my calf muscles hurting so badly she suggested I get some compression stocking (thinking circulation was the problem) but trying to wear them was all but unbearable.

I had also gotten to where I could not be still and even more troubling I was having frightening problems with balance. Our bathroom scales are digital - maybe 1" flat; I could not stand still long enough to weigh myself no matter how hard I tried. I'd try to gently brace myself by holding onto the door facing.

I've been fighting calcium problems since my surgery and I truly believe my muscle problems are improving. My calves are not bothering me at all, I feel dramatically less shaky and my arm muscles are definitely better. For months I could not reach back to hook/unhook my bra at all - now I can do it easily.

A doctor I used to see (before she retired) once told me that I knew my own body well. I sometimes think the only salvation thyroid patients may have going for them is they know their bodies well - they're in tune to what others might consider minor changes BUT when you put them all together definite medical pictures emerge.

I don't know if an experience I had with one eye twitching was related to thyroid or not but I really thought that would drive me over the edge for MONTHS. Not days or weeks but months. It, too, has stopped.

Good luck. My parathyroids were damaged in surgery and I was hospitalized for 4 days getting IV calcium and Tums and having blood tests around the clock. I believe I was having hypocalcemia symptoms BEFORE surgery but I don't think I ever had a renal panel pre-surgery.


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## Ronny

To continue the story.... I had a great talk with my surgeon after writing my previous thread. She said I was stable for calcium, magnesium, PTH, and a number of other tests done through bloodwork, and that nothing in her teams expertise could explain my incessant twitching and panic/anxiety attacks. She suggested that something she couldn't explain was happening in my brain, through anxiety over the surgery, catastrophizing my symptoms from not getting enough information in the hospital, and the trauma to my endocrine system of having a major surgery. She organized talking to a psychiatrist which I was happy to do.

I have NEVER felt that out of control anxiety, and deal with life endangering stress at work very often. I was afraid to go lay down in the hospital bed, because I felt that no matter how relaxed I thought I was, that overwhelming sense of dread, nausea, twitching and anxiety would come back to haunt me. I talked with someone that day which helped me understand the physical ailments the brain can cause, and that it can happen for short periods of time after major surgery. I have also read peoples experiences with anxiety after this particular surgery (total thyroidectomy) as well as being associated with Graves disease. i am at home now after 9 days in the hospital and am working on calming my thoughts down, but am still having the odd panic attack.

Any similar experiences?


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## SnoodMama

Well, I've had depression and anxiety before following traumatic events. Not sure this is what you had/have so I'll just babble anyway, if it inst apropos just ignore. I was fine for a week or two after the traumatic event, but then the anxiety and panic hit and it was just awful. Your situation was different where it seemed to hit immediately after the surgery, which makes me wonder if your situation was more related to the immediate physiological changes due to hormones and such. My symptoms came on 2 weeks after the incident and I wished I could escape my own nervous system for a while, but that isn't possible. I would wake up at like 5 am in a completely scared and agitated state (like with a sense of impending doom), but the symptoms would gradually get better and I'd feel best in the evening. Have they prescribed you any medicine for anxiety? I find that I got a lot of help from (now don't freak out at this long list of medications... you can just ignore this advice).... Effexor, Buspar and Klonopin. That combined with lots and lots of gentle exercise (walking) and reducing stress helped bring me back to normal within about 6 months.

I know this situation isn't at all similar to yours, and I think your situation was more likely due to a temporary perturbation of your hormonal and electrolyte balance. I'm so sorry about the panic attack feelings. Are you still having difficulty sleeping? Maybe the stress of the surgery really shook you more than you expected. I don't know. I'm just rambling. Comiserating. It is a terrible, terrible feeling to have that "impending sense of doom". At least your doctor seemed to be pretty understanding of the psychological effects the surgery can have. And given that they were tweaking those glands I'm sure it must happen a lot.

Do you have any idea what your thyroid hormone levels are?


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