Hi everyone,As many of you know, I have been dealing with BFS for almost 2 years (20 months). Today, after showering I felt like my right hand/arm was acting really funny. I have had a feeling of perceived weakness in this hand all day. Finally when I sat down and tested out my fingers, I noticed that my right ring finger can only move up a minimal amount and feels very weak when all the other fingers are down, whereas my left ring finger is much stronger and can be lifted with all the other fingers down, about a centimeter more. Same with my middle finger, the one on my left hand is significantly stronger.What the heck is going on? I thought I had conquered my fear of &LS, but now it's back. I don't want to go to a neuro with this and am hoping this strange weakness is only temporary.I don't twitch much in my arms and hands, but much more on my legs and calves, and obviously widespread.Any words of advice would be really appreciated.Mitra
Living with BFS: Weakness in Right Hand
- Thread starter Gloria123
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JohnnyRocket
Well-known member
Mitra-Keep a couple things in mind about your situation:1. Straight from the mouths of experts we know that actual victims of ALS don't experience FEELINGS of weakness as you describe. We also know that your feelings of weakness are common among people like us. Do the math, and......its not ALS.2. Also, remember everything youve read and know about BFS and ALS. Widespread twitching for 2 years and then sudden weakness in a finger??? ALS is simply incapable of acting in such a way. It's a disease, not a miracle worker. P.S.- I just checked both my ringer fingers and my left one can be lifted higher than the right. Should I be worried?
BlueWolf92
Well-known member
I can lift my fingers up easier and higher on my left hand as well. Ring finger is significantly different. Mitra, after 15 months I still have my moments when I think "what if". Maybe that is typical of many of us. I so admire folks like Johnny who are 100% past all the second guessing. My goal is to get there as well. To reach that goal I do my best to wake up each day and tell myself that this day will not be one that I let any fear of "that" come in.
christinasgirl123
Well-known member
That is crazy. I just did it too and I can lift my left one higher than the right. Which is odd because I am right handed and probably should have more strength in my right hand's fingers. Well I am pretty sure I am totally fine and that there are irregularities like that all over the body, and I am convinced you are totally fine too. BTW in ALS, there's no one-finger weakness except maybe thumb, and for sure not two finger weakness in that combination you just mentioned.
Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your responses. I actually had to take half a xanax last night I was so worried, and then my hand started working a little better. Although my right hand is stiff and more difficult to use again this morning 
I think it was xanax working as a muscle relaxant that helped me, so maybe there is an issue with muscle tightness or tiredness.It's so sad that I can relapse so quickly. I have gotten used to my twitches and am no longer really worried about them (except when I have a week where my tongue twitches a lot, then I start thinking bad things). But, to actually see weakness in my hand really freaked me out. And, to be honest, my health anxiety is almost out of hand. Not only with this, but with every other little thing that appears to be "wrong" with my body.You guys are all the sound of reason and I respect your opinions so much. I'm so glad that I still have this excellent forum to go to when my mind loses it once in a while.
I think it was xanax working as a muscle relaxant that helped me, so maybe there is an issue with muscle tightness or tiredness.It's so sad that I can relapse so quickly. I have gotten used to my twitches and am no longer really worried about them (except when I have a week where my tongue twitches a lot, then I start thinking bad things). But, to actually see weakness in my hand really freaked me out. And, to be honest, my health anxiety is almost out of hand. Not only with this, but with every other little thing that appears to be "wrong" with my body.You guys are all the sound of reason and I respect your opinions so much. I'm so glad that I still have this excellent forum to go to when my mind loses it once in a while.christinasgirl123
Well-known member
Mitra, does your handeventually fels like "crampy" and clawing when you feel this "hand weirdness". Like a strange weak feeling when trying to stretch out your fingers ?If so, this is a very common complaint in chronic hyperventilation. So just in case you fingers start to wiggle and tremor , this can also be part of it. This is very often accompanied or preceeded for me by hand pain like in my thumb padding and along the hand edge. Well, you can read a lot about hand weirdness in ma 126 sx post, my hands were just FREAKY.
christinasgirl123
Well-known member
Eww I know that swollen feeling, have been complaining about that a lot. Chronic hyperventilation is actually a very common but mostly unknown trigger for twitches, spasms, crampyness and muscle fatigue and pain, so I think working on your breathing is worth y try because it is definately not dangerous and f it does not help with your BFS, at least you get a few minutes of relaxation a day which anyone needs .
TickTockTaz
Member
I totally associate with this. I have a feeling of perceived weakness in my left hand that gets worse. Although when I test the fingers seem to be almost as strong as the fingers of the right hand, the index finger and thumb feel weak and they are even in pain when I make moves...