Unlike most twitchers, my path to here began in reverse. I noticed my twitching AFTER I read that twitching is a symptom of ALS. This whole thing was triggered when I held the phone for about 15 minutes to my ear. When I was done, noticed tingling in last two fingers and part of palm. Though I had this a number of times before, THIS time I was compelled to google ALS to see if tingling fingers was a symptom (it's not). I noticed the three chief symptoms: muscle weakness, cramping and twitching. I didn't think much of it but was relieved I couldn't find tingling anywhere.
But I still had anxiety over tingling, even though I had every reason to believe it was ulnar entrapment syndrome. I kept thinking about ALS. Three days later while at computer doing work (I work at home), I became aware of all this twitching in both legs, upper and lower, hamstrings, quads, calves. I stopped and recalled that twitching is ALS symptom.
Thus began my journey in cyberspace, hunting down all the ALS sites, and they give vague, inadequate information. I linked the twitching to strenuous hike two days prior, maybe insufficient calcium because I ran out of tablets. But still...
I ended up on a search.medhelp and it has 1,700 pages of lists of questions from lay people, and on each page, almost half are about muscle twitching. I read page after page, doctor responses to questions, and couldn't believe other people were just as full of fear as I was. It also didn't help that some years ago, a co-worker of mine actually had ALS. He'd come to work wearing an AFO - an ankle-foot orthotic. Eventually he had to quit.
Doctor responses were reassuring, but still...once you become fixated on this, it does something to your brain, starts of process, changes the biochemistry in your brain, and now, you're stuck in this groove; you keep thinking about ALS.
I'm a bodybuilder and kept reminding myself I haven't detected any muscle weakness. But I kept conducting all these home strength tests. Repeatedly picking up a heavy box with just my finger tips. I spent 30 minutes testing the strenght of my big toes because the right one had been twitching. Spent 40 minutes comparing finger strength with a 10-pound dumbbell, picking up dumbbell with just fingers, pushing fingers against each other to see if there were imbalances.
Spent time balancing on one leg and making comparisons, balancingn on one leg and the BALL of my foot to check for toe weakness; checking for ankle weakness by running fast downhill, doing one-legged stand-ups from bench without holding onto anything, paying close attention to dorsiflextion of feet during some gym workouts, doing calv raises one leg at time, holding weight plates at gym with just my fingers, etc. What has happened to me?
I found this site and couldn't believe other people are just as obsessive. I counted twitches other day, 19 in only 15 minutes. Bilateral, symmetrical. No cramping or buzzing or pins and needles, but maybe a little perceived weakness, but the PW is when I'm pretty much inert. I exercise to reassure myself it's just in my head.
I'm at tail end of the torment now, because this site has convinced me I have a mild version of BFS. Since I've become convinced, the twitching has virtually disappeared !
Prior, I could make it almost dead-stop by moving my legs a little while at my computer. 95 percent of facsis occurred while legs were immoble at computer.
Whew! Last 8 days have been hell. I'm getting over this and am letting logic, not emotion, take over again.
However, I want to get paid for all the time I spent reading medical web sites and conducting strength tests. I can't get EMG because my individual plan insurance deductible costs far more than the test. But I kept reading that in ALS, weakness comes BEFORE the twitching. I'm pumping harder than ever at the gym. Facs common among weight lifters. The Internet breeds fear.
So, I want to get paid for all the time I spent. Here's how: I intend to write articles about BFS/ALS scare and get them published. I am a freelance writer by trade.
Looking for other twitchers who'd like to share their torment for my articles. Been published in many magazines including national. This condition needs national attention. Never heard of it till now, even though I've always considered myself very well-read and knowledgeable of medicine. Never knew such a thing existed. Plagues perhaps tens of thousands. Some keep silent about it.
Major magazine must print huge article about this, and I will author it. I need your participation.
By the way, you can almost always stop twitching, while sitting, by moving the legs about in a rhythmic matter.
I saw a post on heel pain. This is plantar fasciitis, burning pain, especially when you wake up in morning. Not ALS or BFS, but plantar fasciitis. I've had it in both feet, now recovered completely.
If intereseted in becoming part of my major magazine articles, e-mail me at:
But I still had anxiety over tingling, even though I had every reason to believe it was ulnar entrapment syndrome. I kept thinking about ALS. Three days later while at computer doing work (I work at home), I became aware of all this twitching in both legs, upper and lower, hamstrings, quads, calves. I stopped and recalled that twitching is ALS symptom.
Thus began my journey in cyberspace, hunting down all the ALS sites, and they give vague, inadequate information. I linked the twitching to strenuous hike two days prior, maybe insufficient calcium because I ran out of tablets. But still...
I ended up on a search.medhelp and it has 1,700 pages of lists of questions from lay people, and on each page, almost half are about muscle twitching. I read page after page, doctor responses to questions, and couldn't believe other people were just as full of fear as I was. It also didn't help that some years ago, a co-worker of mine actually had ALS. He'd come to work wearing an AFO - an ankle-foot orthotic. Eventually he had to quit.
Doctor responses were reassuring, but still...once you become fixated on this, it does something to your brain, starts of process, changes the biochemistry in your brain, and now, you're stuck in this groove; you keep thinking about ALS.
I'm a bodybuilder and kept reminding myself I haven't detected any muscle weakness. But I kept conducting all these home strength tests. Repeatedly picking up a heavy box with just my finger tips. I spent 30 minutes testing the strenght of my big toes because the right one had been twitching. Spent 40 minutes comparing finger strength with a 10-pound dumbbell, picking up dumbbell with just fingers, pushing fingers against each other to see if there were imbalances.
Spent time balancing on one leg and making comparisons, balancingn on one leg and the BALL of my foot to check for toe weakness; checking for ankle weakness by running fast downhill, doing one-legged stand-ups from bench without holding onto anything, paying close attention to dorsiflextion of feet during some gym workouts, doing calv raises one leg at time, holding weight plates at gym with just my fingers, etc. What has happened to me?
I found this site and couldn't believe other people are just as obsessive. I counted twitches other day, 19 in only 15 minutes. Bilateral, symmetrical. No cramping or buzzing or pins and needles, but maybe a little perceived weakness, but the PW is when I'm pretty much inert. I exercise to reassure myself it's just in my head.
I'm at tail end of the torment now, because this site has convinced me I have a mild version of BFS. Since I've become convinced, the twitching has virtually disappeared !
Prior, I could make it almost dead-stop by moving my legs a little while at my computer. 95 percent of facsis occurred while legs were immoble at computer.
Whew! Last 8 days have been hell. I'm getting over this and am letting logic, not emotion, take over again.
However, I want to get paid for all the time I spent reading medical web sites and conducting strength tests. I can't get EMG because my individual plan insurance deductible costs far more than the test. But I kept reading that in ALS, weakness comes BEFORE the twitching. I'm pumping harder than ever at the gym. Facs common among weight lifters. The Internet breeds fear.
So, I want to get paid for all the time I spent. Here's how: I intend to write articles about BFS/ALS scare and get them published. I am a freelance writer by trade.
Looking for other twitchers who'd like to share their torment for my articles. Been published in many magazines including national. This condition needs national attention. Never heard of it till now, even though I've always considered myself very well-read and knowledgeable of medicine. Never knew such a thing existed. Plagues perhaps tens of thousands. Some keep silent about it.
Major magazine must print huge article about this, and I will author it. I need your participation.
By the way, you can almost always stop twitching, while sitting, by moving the legs about in a rhythmic matter.
I saw a post on heel pain. This is plantar fasciitis, burning pain, especially when you wake up in morning. Not ALS or BFS, but plantar fasciitis. I've had it in both feet, now recovered completely.
If intereseted in becoming part of my major magazine articles, e-mail me at:
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