Exploring Causes of BFS

[microwaveco]

First, hello to everyone on this board. I'm a first time poster but all of you hear helped me get through my fears a few months back. I'll share my experience that is just like most of yours some other time. In trying to deal with my BFS, I think about what might cause it.

Did any of you loose weight before your BFS started? What about starting or stopping a workout program?

I lost 45 lbs by eating only 1400 calories and excersizing for 2 hours a day. I kept this up for about a year or two and then went back to normal. After about a year, I had my first twitches. I often wonder if something about this caused my BFS. Was it going from lots of ecersize to no excersize? Was it not eating enough and going down to 4% body fat? Was it all of the massive amounts of aspertame (sweetner) that I got from the diet cokes and tea?

Let me know what you think,
Michael

 

[garymills]

i would guess that it could be a combination of everything you mentioned leading to a magnesium or some other type of deficiency. Have you tried supplements such as mag? Could be worth a shot.

Take care,

Gary

 

[Selena647]

I had just lot 20 lbs and had started a walking routine when all my twitching started back in April. Whether it's related or not, I'm not sure.

Of course now, I've gained all that weight back and haven't excersized in months! I've got to get "back on the wagon" with my diet and exercise. It can't hurt, right? My symptoms have not dissapeared without excersize so I might as well twitch and get in shape ! )

Barb

 

[furballfury]

I had recently lost a lot of weight, and then stopped exercising for a while. A week before my symptoms started up, I did a lot of heavy liftng and exercise, slept very little and drank a lot of diet coke and iced tea with Sweet and Low (a lot). It could be any/all - who knows.

JG

 

[gemsManage]

I had just come off of three weeks of Atkins (couldn't take it-made me feel sick) and during that time I was using tons of Splenda. Have we found another common thread?

Bree

 

[Sn0wK1ng]

The first time I had the twitching I had just stopped exercising everything seemed to calm down then I started again and they came back I often wondered if there was a connection now I don't do it any more I had cramping and leg pain this time so I couln't exercise any more I also just found out that I have a herniated disc in my lumbar and cervical spine I don't know if that is the cause or not I doubt I ever will find out as you all know we drive ourselves nuts trying to figure this all out. I was so glad to find this site it has helped me a lot.

 

[Sn0wK1ng]

Sorry for answering twice but I forgot to answer the question about artificial sweetner I never use it I always figured it was bad for you.

 

[alyLeoNCali]

Michael:

The possible causes you mentioned don't apply in my case. I hadn't lost weight, changed my fitness routine (except to add a yoga class), or used any artificual sweeteners or protein drinks.

There's more than one way to skin a cat...or make him twitch.

--alyLeoNCali

 

[AveryzAveriezA]

After not having exercised regularly for 8 years or so, I decided to "get back in shape." I did not ease back into the exercise routine at all. Instead I worked out multiple times per week, many times for 2 hours per day of muscle/fitness type classes at my club. I was drinking carbonated beverages sweetened with Splenda and presto the twitching started about 3 months into this routine.

I had a clean emg at the UCSF ALS center and the doctor said she thought my BFS was the result of the exercise routine. She discounted the possibility of the nutrasweet or splenda connection although she did not rule it out. She gets BFS too and hers is exaserbated by exercise.

Ava

 

[usysparawl]

Mine started after four months on the Atkins Diet and a 35-40 pound loss. I also have joint popping that started then as well, so maybe I did develop a deficiency. I am no longer on the diet (I'm pregnant and have gained 10 pounds back), but still pop and twitch. I do not use artificial sweetners and I walk for exercise.

Peg

 

[stevenpaulo]

Hi Ish.

If I've managed to put a smile on your face even for a short while then I'm pleased, it helps us through the day. Its all to easy to let this thing get you down.

Take care Steve.

 

[RyersonS]

Very interesting...my twitching started weeks after I stopped running when I hurt my knee. Prior to my injury I was running long distances 5 days a week.

About a month and a half ago, I started exercising (mainly to prove to myself that I did not have ALS). To my delight I was as strong as ever, but after 3x of going to the gym, my twitches got worse, so I stopped exercising.