Hi, thought I'd relay my story of BFS.I'm 45, male and work on a large grain farm.Starting in beginning of 2010 I started experiencing cramping, mostly in my hands and forearms.Started taking calcium, multivitamins and drinking more water. No improvement. Still didn't concern me much. I also had a cold I just couldn't shake. Around the end of Sept.2010, a few weeks into harvest(working 16 hr days), I started twitching in my arms and chest. Went to family doc, who could see the fasciculations, and figured my "cold" was a sinus infection. Put on Antibiotics for a week, two days after finishing meds felt worse than ever( increased twitching, cramping, fatigue, soreness). I would also get recurring numbness in left hand pinky and ring finger. Went to Walk-in clinic, saw different doc, who, after seeing twitching, sent out a letter to get an EMG done. two weeks go by, stiill no word from EMG doc, so back to see original doc. Sinuses still plugged, still twitching. puts me back on antibiotics for two weeks which cleared up sinuses, twitching and cramping worse. Saw doc every week for five weeks: twitching and cramping; numbness in legs not getting better. Sends a letter to only neurologist in our city; get in to see him Dec. 9, 2010.(a thursday)During this time frame, I'd been researching symtoms on the internet and not liking what was coming up.Neuro does exam(10-15 min.), brings my wife and I back to his office and tells us he's concerned with MND like ALS at which point my wife nearly feel off her seat.(I had kinda prepared myself for that).Says he wants to get me in for EMG and MRI. Get in to see EMG doc the following Monday, did EMG and nerve conduction tests. Tests come back clean except for the fasciculations.EMG doc told me he is booking appointments 10 MONTHS from now(glad I didn't have to wait that long).MRI on that friday came back clean with exception of arthritis in my spine(which was told isn't uncommon for someone my age). Diagnosis by EMG doc: BFS(Whew, feeling a bit relieved now).So, for the five months that this has been going on, I twitch 24/7, most notably in my arms,chest, abdomen and back. Less so in my legs, although sometimes get feelings of something crawling under my skin in legs. I don't sleep well(at rest the twitches are wild and I think that is what wakes me up during the night). The twitching doesn't bother me as much as the cramping, fatigue, sore and aching muscles.Going to 2nd neurologist this week(neuromuscular specialist) for second EMG( I guess to see if there are any changes). Hope he can give more answers.God bless this site. It made me realize I'm not alone.Thank you.Doug
My BFS Journey: Working Farm Life
- Thread starter ZacO
- Start date
Its late for me, but I wanted to welcome you to the board. So sorry that you have had to go through so much before making your way here, but you are in good company.Just out of curiosity, may I ask what anti-biotics they had you on for you sinus infection?? Did your neuro say anything about your reflexes, or your strengths when he was doing your clinical exam??We are here if you have any questions for us, and you may want to look up some older posts from a member by the name of Traveler234 I think you may find some similarities with your story.Again, welcome, and let us know how your next visit goes with the neuro muscular specialists, although I think you will still receive reassuring information.Take careRobynn 
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)AussieSurvivor
Well-known member
Welcome the good ship BFS Doug! For that cruise that we all dont want to take, but are glad we did! Sounds like a typical BFS story, with it up and downs. But in the end..a good diagnosis! Sounds like you have come to the right place. The descriptions of the twitches at rest is classic for me as well. Especially in the calves. Is that where your mostly are, or elsewhere? The intensity,duration and location will vary, and is made worse by anxiety and/or tiredness. To manage the 'syndrome' will need some mental and physical discipline, with possibly some life style modifications (as opposed to changes). You will know what makes it worse and what makes it better ( whether that be certain foods, situations or mental/physical states). That is what I am talking about. It is all a learning exercise. I have found after 14 months, I have got used to a lot of the twitching ( not all of it!) and tend to ignore it. I do get some sensory stuff as well, but you may not . Dont try and normalize BFS. There is no normal. Expect the unexpected with BFS. You will be( are) fine , any questions you have fire away,we are all here to help and be helped- the nature of the board. I am in the agricultural sector as well (farm advisor), so good see another country bumpkin on board.cheers and stay wellRodger
Thanks fo the replies.To answer your question, Robynn, I was put on Biaxin for sinus infection(both times), and first neuro noticed weakness in my hands(trying to spread fingers apart), but nowhere else. Didn't say much about reflexes.Rodger, my twitches at rest are most prominent in my upper body(arms, hands, shoulders, chest, back) which are quite intense and frequent(not twitches per minute, but twitches per second). I can also feel them in my legs, but to a way lesser intensity.I've been using this site for a while now, and it(and everyone on it) has helped me to understand this "syndrome" a little better and put my mind at ease.Thank youDoug
Lena4evaMissy
Member
Sorry you went through that for sure!This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that gets me "back to crazy" once I've finally gotten to being (mostly) at peace. From all I've read here on this site (particularly the "Why you don't have..." posts), I can't for the life of me understand why after DougO was visibly twitching with sensory stuff (numbness/tingling/soreness) for several months with no pronounced weakness, atrophy, etc, THIS could happen to him:Neuro does exam(10-15 min.), brings my wife and I back to his office and tells us he's concerned with MND like ALS Am I wrong that DougO's symptoms/timeline, etc., makes a pretty clear case that it's NOT ALS?
SecretAgent007
Well-known member
The antibiotics and grain farm raise concerns from me, just based on my own personal experience with BFS. Antibiotics take out the probiotics that live in our digestive systems leaving room for a natural yeast known as candida to overgrow. Unknowing to most people this happens to, the digestive system has a harder time breaking down the foods we eat and this in turn causes the immune system to get confused and start to 'learn' to target these foods, particularly the harder to digest foods like grains and dairy, but anything is game. This is how food allergies and intolerances can develop in adulthood. I had this happen to me and grains/gluten and dairy were among my top offenders.Because you work with grains and your symptoms are so bad, it is a possibility that you may have this condition and you may have developed an intolerance to grains. Take all of this with a grain of salt, but it is a possibility none the less. Many people associate allergies and intollerances to just rashes or sneezing, etc, but the fact is that food sensitivities can have a strong impact on our immune systems and central nervous systems. Eating or even inhaling grains could be aggravating your system if your immune system is interpreting it as a threat.There are homeopathic doctors who specialize in food allergies/sensitivities. It might be worth your while to look into one near you. I too was once skeptical of the homeopathic side of medicine, but I've never been happier to be wrong. PM me if you have any questions, but I've gone through this condition and recovered from it. I stick around to help anyone who will listen. Take care and good luck.
BarbiePetals
Well-known member
I can't believe your doctor did that to You. That is horrible. If it makes You feel any better I have been twitching for 2 years head to toe everyday. I've seen 2 neurons had all the tests and they tell me Its benign. It took me a long time to get over the fear but I finally Did. Glad to see you around here.
Hello mateSome antibiotics can trigger long term fasciculations such as Cipro. However, if I were you, I would be tested for Lyme disease as you work in a farm and you attend harvesting. Go and get a blood work for Lyme in a reputable lab. I heard that Western Blot is more reliable than Elisa for Lyme.Best of luckCan
kschoenhaut
Well-known member
were you ever exposed to chemicals in the organophosphate family like animal dyes or herbicides. i read about some cases of people that worked with animals and got neurological problems due to chronic exposure to these dyes.