BFS vs ALS: Symptoms?

[kingdylan]

i just want to add something in sorry for bumping on the thread... You said BFS? comes on widespread? But ALS starts in one limb and works its way around to others. My symptoms started in my left hamstring-buttox region. My hamstring however feels strong as before. It spread a little bit into other regions, and i get vibration feelings in my hands and feet sometimes. The Pins and needles i can def. relate too!! I get it all the time, ive notice to just ignore it and it goes away with a little time. I heard bfs can start in one local area, and spread as well. Lots of people told me on this site that, if theres no muscle weakness with twitching then there is no worry. Can like pain in the top of your hands be related to BFS? cause ive experienced some pain in the top of my hands as well, its like when i move my fingers i feel it in the top of my hand. But my grip is still really strong, being able to do the grib machine like 50 times and holding it together for a mintue, which hurts. And i heard with ALS, twitches just dont disapear for a while, there basically always there and visible to the eye. And they come only after the muscle really atrophied. I am sure you have heard my story already im a 22 year old male. My twitches have gone down thankgod, my left leg twitches but not nearly as much as it used too. I get the vibration feelings at the bottom of my feet, which have me a little worried. And i also have this feeling of when i move my fingers i feel it in the top of my hand and towards the left side of my hand. I also get the vibration feeling in it. I dont think its a cramp or spasms, because its like in my fingers not in my palm. And i know there is no true muscle in fingers, and the mear fact that i can still do the grib device baseball players use, show me my hands havent gotten and weaker. Scares me because i feel maybe its the beginning of me losing strenght, but i dont think real like achey pain is assoicated with ALS. I would just think that one day i wouldnt be able to lift the oj container like i did the day before, not like have this pain in the top of my hands.Thanks for all your helpfull answers, just trying to have a little piece of mind.

 

[Outlook1958]

Hey there!Well, you have mentioned at least three aspects that really rule out **S: Pain in the hands, pins and needles, and no weakness. This is very untypical for **S and is definitely enough to rule it out. And moreover, this sort of pain and pins and needles are often mentioned by people here... The symptoms you're describing really fit BFS.So, remain active, enjoy your life and to do not worry about your twitches

 

[kingdylan]

yea i hope so, yea i have pain in my hands and i get pins and needles alot, my muscles are still twitching though, is it normal to have one constant twitch in a certain area, cause it seems my left hamstring buttox still twitches more then the other twitches. Im glad im not the only one who has vibration feelings in there feet, at first i thought it was muscle twitches but its more vibration then twitch. My general aniexty and worry makes my symptoms 1000000 times worse as well, its funny when im driving on relaxing ill feel a twitch, when im running or walking or doing drills lifting and such i dont feel anything. Which makes me believe that its not to serouis. Ill just restated this question, its normal to have like one certain twitch in one area like my hamstring/buttoxx its like my home twitch while the others twitch but not as much or frequent. There hasnt been muscle weakness though or atrophy in my hamstring thats been twitching for almost a month now. So i think i am ok, someone told me if your hands hurt as well it could be back problems are a pinched nerve. Ive also being doing grib things, like the strength grip which i think could have an affect on my fingers and the top of my hands. I dunno im just speculating, trying to get my mind of something serouis. Any feedback would be greatly appreicated. Thanks a bunch guysSean

 

[Outlook1958]

Hey Sean,having your twitches concentrated on one area is quite normal. These are so called hotspots, most of us BFS-folks (including me) have them somewhere in the legs. It is howerver possible that this hotspot area switches to another body part or that the twitches in this area reduce to normal and then get more more frequent after some time. As you said, it might be a pinched nerve, but that's only speculation. I had some strange pain in my forearms a week ago, but it seems to have vanished. This even doesn't necessary have to do with BFS. The problem is that with BFS many people start noticing slight symptoms like pain, tingling, overstrainment, etc that just comes and goes and which we usually don't notice if don't listen to our body so carefully.

 

[kingdylan]

your truely a blessing haha, to say the least. You are so right, since the twitching started to happen, ive noticed so many other things, slight pain here, tingling there, vibrations in my feet and such and such. Yea right now the top of my right hand really its bothering me feels like its sore and just hurts. Im sure its nothing serouis. Thankyou for so much of your insight, it really does help me. I just stopped reading ++s forums and just came here, cause everytime i read that i tend to get worried. Yea i feel like the hotspot is located in my top of my hamstring, do your twitches vary? sometimes you really feel them, other times there very small and little.

 

[Outlook1958]

Well, my hotspot is somehow in both calves and doesn't change. Sometimes I just get less twitches overall, sometimes it gets worse... The intensity can also vary, but I think this has rather to do with the location of the twitch, i.e. which muscle or part of muscle decides to twitch. For example, I almost don't feel the twitches in my feet, but the ones around the shoulder blades are very sharp and visible. The top of the hamstring(s) is by the way a very typical place for twitches to set off.So, you actually should expect that things might chance regarding your twitches. Some areas may become worse, some may get better. Hotspots can come and go, or even remain in the same place for a very long time. Do not be worried: This is all normal for BFS, and tiny details like "how exactly did it twitch in which place" are actually irrelevant, because we all tend to have slightly different things. You will notice that many neuros will stop listening when you start explaining them all the tiny details and history about your twitching like "Well, look, I had twitches in exactly the left calf and they seemed to be more rhythmical than in the right calf and somehow the twitches in my back feel a little different, and just imagine - yesterday morning it got better, but then it got worse and I don't know why - well maybe it was the coffee, you know, but I'm not sure. And then I had these strange twitches in the fingers, and I don't know whether they've always been there since the onset. And look, once the twitches in my right leg went on so fast that it rather felt like vibrating than like twitchting, and [bla bla bla]". I think that the most interesting things to look at are wether the twitches are bodywide, wether they happen at rest or when using the muscle and wether you have other symptoms. However, your specific, details description might lead the neuro to the conclusion that you are very anxious about your symptoms.

 

[kingdylan]

yea, thankyou again, my twitches are rarely ever felt in the mourning, when i wake up. Somedays i wont feel them till later on in the day, other days i might not feel them at all if i had any. I only feel them when i am at rest, i never feel them running or walking or any movement. The minute i stop i feel vibration on my foot a little for a couple of seconds, ill feel a twitch in my calf maybe right of left. If i put heat on my hamstring or quad he tends to twitch. So anytime at rest it will twitch. Depending on how much physical activity i did that day, if it was running or jumping rope or running sprints, it tends to twitch more. Ill feel it driving home after practice, my left hamstring will twitch, sometimes just to the side of my knee it will twitch. Like you said im pretty sure its nothing serouis, but im going for a full blood test, just to make sure there is no imbalance or whatever. Im beginning to think this really is BFS, because i read that bfs occurs mostly after doing any running workout playing a sport, you will feel twitching after.

 

[Outlook1958]

See It is a good idea to have a blood test, especially a full one. Intersting indicators might be potassium, calcium and magnesium. An imbalance of these elements can cause or enhance fasciculations, but not necessarily. Do not worry if your blood test comes out OK - mine was okay too. My twitches do not seem to be related to sports, however they do not care about temperature or touching. These are the slight differencies that all BFS-folks have.Feel free to post your furhter experiences or results of your doctor visit.