Has anyone experienced internal vibrations?

Posted by redladyjoni @redladyjoni, Nov 26, 2018

I started having the only way I can explain it is internal vibrations. I've had them for 3 months now, I went to t hihe ER and they told me it was anxiety. A doctor diagnosed me at a clinic as having Lyme disease I've started a 21-day prescription of Doxycycline I'm on day 7. I went to a psychiatrist a week ago to get something because of my nerves are just over the brink. He prescribed me Gabapentin and Valium I've only been on them a few days.
Has anyone experienced these internal vibrations?I have them almost 24/7 chest neck stomach from the hips down. I have more lab tests that should be in today, but the doctor's office said that they would not call unless there was some abnormality in the lab work.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Brain & Nervous System Support Group.

@rwinney

@patheflin Hello Pat. You sure have given it your all with visiting 20-plus specialists. Two years is quite a while. I understand how frustrating it is running yourself ragged in search of answers only to find the answers are not what was hoped for, and that there is no cure. I have had internal vibrations, spasms, electrifying nerve pains and much more over the years that there is no cure for. If not for nothing, you are not alone my friend, neither are the other members who have been posting about vibrations/tremors.

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), along with other disorders and syndromes, like fibromyalgia, neuropathy, migraine, CRPS, nonepileptic spells, chronic fatigue, POTS, post-COVID, etc... are treated at Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehabilitation Center. Here is some info:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/pain-rehabilitation-center/sections/overview/ovc-20481691

This is where I finally went to get a grip and find help with managing my conditions. It really was a life saver for me. Would you ever think about going to a program like this?

Jump to this post

You bet and looked into it when I was at Mayo/Rochester. Was hoping they’d have online sessions as I’m immunocompromised and travel isn’t good for me (I returned from Rochester with a bacterial infection). If you have further suggestions, I’d like to hear about them. Thank you!!!!

REPLY
@patheflin

You bet and looked into it when I was at Mayo/Rochester. Was hoping they’d have online sessions as I’m immunocompromised and travel isn’t good for me (I returned from Rochester with a bacterial infection). If you have further suggestions, I’d like to hear about them. Thank you!!!!

Jump to this post

Hi @patheflin. Sorry to hear you are immunocompromised and can not travel. Was it this way for you before COVID?

I realize not everyone is able to attend Mayo PRC, but that does not mean the principles can't be learned and practiced to help manage chronic pain and symptoms. Here is a discussion about my experience at PRC. You may find it a helpful overview.

https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-pain-rehabilitation-program/

I would love to discuss further and offer assistance. Do mind letting me know how you are currently managing your pain? Are you physically active? Do you take pain medication? What is your daily routine?

REPLY

I also have some kind of internal vibration. I woke up one day and felt that my body is experiencing a tremor-like sensation. I was referred to an ENT and was given Betahistine after a week. After 2 weeks of this I felt weakness in my legs and arms which had gone after a week or two. I went to the doctor for EMG but nothing was found. I still have the internal tremor 24/7 and am undergoing tests. I feel the same thing as you do. When you walk do you feel like your legs are bouncing and each time you move it feels like your body is vibrating? I also feel like there's an earthquake and that the chair is moving beneath me while sitting. How are you now? Do you have any diagnosis?

REPLY

Sometimes I feel like my whole body is vibrating internally. I think it’s anxiety even though I take several medications to control it. It doesn’t freak me out though. Sometimes, it feel almost cyclic.

REPLY
@novajeff

Not being facetious at all, but what was a huge help to me, mentally, was realizing that I’m not dying from it and it isn’t taking my mobility degeneratively. Is it highly disturbing and disruptive and trying on the patience? Absolutely, but, at the end of the day it’s nothing that is genuinely nasty in most cases. Also there is hope that it will subside, lessen, or at least wax and wane (like in my case).

The insomnia is tough because you know it’s going to get worse when you lay down and your brain slows, so you don’t want to do it... that’s when it rears up, just as you enter sleep. Still, even though I am where I am mentally now, I don’t sleep until I’m basically going to keel over. Combination of my gabapentin and knowing that, at rest the vibrations amplify. It’s also counter productive since there is a solid informal link between adequate rest and lessening vibrations and fasciculations.

Just as a quick recap for those who don’t know or remember my prior posts, I’ve just passed the 1 year mark of a monthlong mystery illness that walloped me, followed by severe internal vibrations including vocal cords, neck, throat, head and chest in addition to the more common leg and arm areas. Had every test under the sun and all were fine, which led to two independent neuro provided BFS / CBFS diagnoses.

One year ago I was bed ridden, crying non stop, scared out of my mind, 2-3 doctors per week, and felt like I was dying of something. Even when I tried to get around my legs would cramp and shake and give out. My nights were a hell of vibrating and waking up screaming with my voice fluttering from the vocal cords fasciculating. My thighs would wake up my wife from vibrating. I tried to walk outside and would collapse from the thigh and leg pain.

Now, my legs buzz often, most of the time one muscle somewhere is going nuts (my left foot arch is bumping and popping as I type this), but my mind and body have improved enough that I got to the point where I’d walk 7 miles golfing 2-3 times a week all fall, and now I’ve been skiing 3 times this winter.

Hang in there. Follow up with your medical team and get any testing they suggest, which will likely put your mind more at ease and/or help you if something simple can be done like a vitamin or hormonal correction.

Jump to this post

You sound like a totally different person now. I'm so excited to hear that you have improved dramatically since the beginning of this journey. I have googled BFS/CBFS and cannot find your reference. Do you mind sharing what diagnoses this is?

REPLY
@honey0425

You sound like a totally different person now. I'm so excited to hear that you have improved dramatically since the beginning of this journey. I have googled BFS/CBFS and cannot find your reference. Do you mind sharing what diagnoses this is?

Jump to this post

Thank you. I am almost a new (my old self) person again, especially mentally.

Acronym is Cramping Benign Fasciculation Syndrome. Some docs or Dx use the cramping and some leave it off. My muscles don’t cramp on their own, but since the calves can fire so much for so long, I can easily instantly cramp them if I flex them by forcing my foot to point down hard.

REPLY
@honey0425

You sound like a totally different person now. I'm so excited to hear that you have improved dramatically since the beginning of this journey. I have googled BFS/CBFS and cannot find your reference. Do you mind sharing what diagnoses this is?

Jump to this post

Welcome @honey0425, @novajeff shared his BFS diagnosis earlier in this discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/231012/. There is another discussion that you also might be interested in:

-- Benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/benign-muscular-fasciculation/

Have you been diagnosed with BFS? Do you mind sharing what you were searching for when you found Connect?

REPLY
@crankyunicorn68

Pain everywhere, swelling, numbness & tingling mostly in my legs and feet, extreme fatigue, vision and speech issues, trouble walking and balance is off, constipation and urgency to urinate to the point that I sometimes have accidents. I can't think straight most of the time, trying to type this is difficult. We have a Mayo Clinic here in Wisconsin, it's about three hours north from where I am in Janesville, WI. I have to change my HMO come October in order to see a specialist there.

Jump to this post

I know this is a very old thread but I was just wondering how things are now? My internal tremors started a year ago but for the last two weeks every muscle is on fire. All my tests come back normal. The pain is killing me. Getting a referral to Mayo now.

REPLY
@johnbishop

Welcome @honey0425, @novajeff shared his BFS diagnosis earlier in this discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/231012/. There is another discussion that you also might be interested in:

-- Benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/benign-muscular-fasciculation/

Have you been diagnosed with BFS? Do you mind sharing what you were searching for when you found Connect?

Jump to this post

Hello John, and thank you for welcoming me to the group!

I have not been diagnosed with BFS, or anything else for that matter. Like so many others, my doctors are baffled when I initiate a conversation about my situation. A few years ago, I began having what I always refer to as an internal vibration. It starts at about my neck level, and runs down the center of my torso, stopping at about the end of my tailbone area. I visualize it being in the center of my spinal column. I did suffer a lower back sprain in the late 1970's, and throughout the years, have basically maintained the same level of damage, excepting age related deterioration. In 2013, I began seeing a pain management doctor, who did series of lumbar injections, 2 per year, for a few years. They were helpful for my back pain. This was prior to the onset of the internal vibration. I just automatically assumed the vibration was somehow related to the spine issues. I am a self avowed detail maniac, and have a high level of self awareness regarding my body. I also watch for patterns and document timelines. So when I talk to doctors about it, I share specific and detailed information about what I experience. Usually, they stare at me with an eyes wide open look and puzzled expression. I've had 3 neurologists, an internal medicine doctor and an osteopathic doctor tell me they've never had a patient present with an internal vibration, nor have they ever heard of it. I always share with them that should they decide to google it, they will find hundreds of forums with thousands of people discussing very similar symptoms to mine.

Here are the specifics of my issue: It is NOT tremors. It is NOT twitching. It IS vibration, like you would expect if you were lying on a bed that has a massage feature that is turned to low. It is NOT constant. It is ALWAYS engaged when I wake up each and every morning. I sleep in zero gravity, and primarily stay on my back for 7 - 8 1/2 hours, unless my back is out of whack, at which time I may lower my bed and sleep on one of my sides. I have severe sleep apnea and sleep with a CPAP device. I generally do not have trouble sleeping; only on occasion will the vibration be strong enough to wake me up. As I begin my daily routine, the vibration usually is not noticeable. There are times, specifically when I'm stressed or when I drink too much caffeine, that it revs up significantly, and literally feels and sounds like a small motor running inside my body. Occasionally, it is so strong that I become nauseated and can even feel my body becoming anxious, with weakness and tension. I practice deep breathing faithfully, and do muscle relaxation exercises as needed.

The only 3 factors that I can determine are consistent are: the vibration is always present when I awaken; is strongest when I drink too much caffeine and when I am unusually stressed.

I have had nerve tests, and multiple MRIs, from my brain to my tailbone. Nothing stands out that can explain the vibration. Only every once in a blue moon do I become concerned that it is something dangerous. Practically speaking, if it were, I think I would have died by now.

The possible links that I've discussed with my doctors are: during one of my lumbar injections, while under sedation, my doctor called out my name and told me I was going to have to be still. After reading something related to misses during lumbar injections, I've wondered if there is any connection to a possible miss during that injection. In late 2018, I suffered a sudden onset hearing loss, as in overnight, I went from perfect hearing, to a moderate loss in one ear and mild in the other. I now wear hearing aids in both ears. My ENT was concerned that I may have Meniere's Disease. I have 3 of the 4 symptoms...sudden onset hearing loss, tinnitus and "full" or "plugged" feeling in only one ear. The only symptom I have not experienced is vertigo. There is no test to confirm Meniere's, so they have to eliminate other diseases that may involve same or similar symptoms. All tests have good results. Because I do not have the dreaded vertigo, my doctor has suggested we do the "wait and see". Lastly, I have read comments on other forums, regarding pinched nerves in the neck. I have had minor neck issues, so I wonder.

I will conclude with something my sister told me just last night. She has a friend who has something she describes as similar to what I describe. Someone has suggested to her that it may be related to being in close proximity to a 4G or 5G cell tower. I personally have read about people who have high levels of sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. I don't have a specific reason to suspect this is related to my internal vibration, but I also have no reason to believe it is not.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my experience with this issue.

REPLY
@honey0425

Hello John, and thank you for welcoming me to the group!

I have not been diagnosed with BFS, or anything else for that matter. Like so many others, my doctors are baffled when I initiate a conversation about my situation. A few years ago, I began having what I always refer to as an internal vibration. It starts at about my neck level, and runs down the center of my torso, stopping at about the end of my tailbone area. I visualize it being in the center of my spinal column. I did suffer a lower back sprain in the late 1970's, and throughout the years, have basically maintained the same level of damage, excepting age related deterioration. In 2013, I began seeing a pain management doctor, who did series of lumbar injections, 2 per year, for a few years. They were helpful for my back pain. This was prior to the onset of the internal vibration. I just automatically assumed the vibration was somehow related to the spine issues. I am a self avowed detail maniac, and have a high level of self awareness regarding my body. I also watch for patterns and document timelines. So when I talk to doctors about it, I share specific and detailed information about what I experience. Usually, they stare at me with an eyes wide open look and puzzled expression. I've had 3 neurologists, an internal medicine doctor and an osteopathic doctor tell me they've never had a patient present with an internal vibration, nor have they ever heard of it. I always share with them that should they decide to google it, they will find hundreds of forums with thousands of people discussing very similar symptoms to mine.

Here are the specifics of my issue: It is NOT tremors. It is NOT twitching. It IS vibration, like you would expect if you were lying on a bed that has a massage feature that is turned to low. It is NOT constant. It is ALWAYS engaged when I wake up each and every morning. I sleep in zero gravity, and primarily stay on my back for 7 - 8 1/2 hours, unless my back is out of whack, at which time I may lower my bed and sleep on one of my sides. I have severe sleep apnea and sleep with a CPAP device. I generally do not have trouble sleeping; only on occasion will the vibration be strong enough to wake me up. As I begin my daily routine, the vibration usually is not noticeable. There are times, specifically when I'm stressed or when I drink too much caffeine, that it revs up significantly, and literally feels and sounds like a small motor running inside my body. Occasionally, it is so strong that I become nauseated and can even feel my body becoming anxious, with weakness and tension. I practice deep breathing faithfully, and do muscle relaxation exercises as needed.

The only 3 factors that I can determine are consistent are: the vibration is always present when I awaken; is strongest when I drink too much caffeine and when I am unusually stressed.

I have had nerve tests, and multiple MRIs, from my brain to my tailbone. Nothing stands out that can explain the vibration. Only every once in a blue moon do I become concerned that it is something dangerous. Practically speaking, if it were, I think I would have died by now.

The possible links that I've discussed with my doctors are: during one of my lumbar injections, while under sedation, my doctor called out my name and told me I was going to have to be still. After reading something related to misses during lumbar injections, I've wondered if there is any connection to a possible miss during that injection. In late 2018, I suffered a sudden onset hearing loss, as in overnight, I went from perfect hearing, to a moderate loss in one ear and mild in the other. I now wear hearing aids in both ears. My ENT was concerned that I may have Meniere's Disease. I have 3 of the 4 symptoms...sudden onset hearing loss, tinnitus and "full" or "plugged" feeling in only one ear. The only symptom I have not experienced is vertigo. There is no test to confirm Meniere's, so they have to eliminate other diseases that may involve same or similar symptoms. All tests have good results. Because I do not have the dreaded vertigo, my doctor has suggested we do the "wait and see". Lastly, I have read comments on other forums, regarding pinched nerves in the neck. I have had minor neck issues, so I wonder.

I will conclude with something my sister told me just last night. She has a friend who has something she describes as similar to what I describe. Someone has suggested to her that it may be related to being in close proximity to a 4G or 5G cell tower. I personally have read about people who have high levels of sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. I don't have a specific reason to suspect this is related to my internal vibration, but I also have no reason to believe it is not.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my experience with this issue.

Jump to this post

@honey0425, Thank you for sharing more details. Since you mentioned at one time you thought it might be spine related after an injury and some thoughts you had following what the doctor said while doing a lumbar injection, I thought about another discussion started by @jenniferhunter that may be helpful -- Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Have you heard of Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR)?

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.