Twitching & BFS Concerns

[ryankurnik]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and just started noticing twitching regularly in my body the last two months. A friend of mine was diagnosed with ALS a couple of years ago and it's been on my mind since. I have no noticible weakness but I twitch a lot during the day in various places mainly in my eyebrows but thumb leg shoulder twitches are not uncommon. but the symptoms I have fit better with BFS then any of the other diseases I've read about.

As I've read a lot I certainly fit the anxiety profile I've seen described being assicaited with BFS. I apprecaite this forum being here because it has relieved a lot of my anxiety but I am going to see my doc tomorrow to get some face to face time.

My question is isn't it the truth that the diseases like ALS, MS, PD that when weakness and other deteriorating sysmtoms start it does not get better? In other words it is not a come and go thing?

Thanks Rich.

 

[ytewestGo99]

You are correct. Weakness would be progressive without any periods of stability or improvement ...

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Here's a quote from a top Neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic:

"In general, weakness progresses steadily with no periods of improvement or stability ..."

"Unless there is EMG evidence, fasciculations are not diagnostic for any disease that we know the etiology of. Benign fasciculations occur without EMG changes or muscle weakness. They go away on their own (most of the time) and do not increase your chances of coming down with ALS."

Since muscle is not dying in benign fasciculations, they tend to be spread out and in a variety of muscle groups... "The literature indicates that benign fasciculations are usually more spread between muscle groups and can worsen with anxiety and fatigue." They can reoccur in the same muscle groups and also be variable."
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Also, twitching in several places as you describe is not how ALS presents itself. In ALS, weakness comes first in one area of the body, foot or hand, that area becomes very weak due to a loss of the nerve supply, and THAT is what causes the twitching; but twitching in and of itself, means nothing. It has to be associated with weakness and atrophy as well as a lot of clinical signs/symptoms a failed physical exam, increased reflexes, a bad EMG, so on and so on, before a doctor would even consider thinking about ALS. Also, some people have had bad EMG's and increased reflexes (many on this forum) but absolutely do not have ALS or anything else for that matter. Just plain old BFS which can cause hyperexcitability of reflexes, or they have local nerve damage from focal injuries that show up on an EMG, etc.

Your situation seems to fit the BFS profile very well. Welcome to the BFS club. It waxes and wanes and can be a real pain both emotionally and literally but it's Benign ...

Glad you can go see you doc to get some reassurance but you sound like a BFS'er to me

Take Care,

Troy