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DEAR ASK THE DOCTOR: I am a normal, healthy person who rarely visits the doctor on the account of always feeling healthy. I've been very inactive over the past 3-4 months due to unemployment. I've also been taking long car rides (4-8 hours) on certain weekends. Lastly, while I'm not a stressful person, I have been constantly fighting with dealerships and banks literally every day for the last 2-3 months in an attempt to buy a new car. I rarely talk vitamins and am not on any OTC drugs or prescriptions. (Within the last 2-3 weeks, I've started taking a few vitamin/mineral supplements...Calcium 2000mg, Lutein 20mg, Vitamin C 500mg, and Glucosamine Hydrochloride 2000mg.) 4 nights ago, I was laying in bed and 20 minutes after I fell asleep, the backs of my thighs and under my knees began to shake and pulsate to the point where I thought my spouse (who is also healthy and has no predisposition) was having a seizure. It woke me up, I checked her and she wasn't shaking...it was me. The episode lasted 10 minutes or so. It scared me. Every day since, I feel a pulsating that predominantly resides in the thighs, calves, sometimes bottom of my feet, and less frequently in my arm. It's usually not enough to see a physical movement from an outside standpoint. However, it feels like a constant, rhythmic pulse, as if blood was rushing through or a very consistent muscle spasm...in all of those areas. The problem doesn't bother me when I'm physically active, however, when I sit or lay down on something stationary, the problem returns and is amplified. I've read everything from "you have MS or Parkinson's" to "it's not anything to worry about...muscle spasms like this just happen from time to time." Should I have concern? Is this normal and does it go away? What does this indicate?
DEAR JESSE: Please check back here anytime within the next few weeks for a response from our team of doctors. |