Venting My Psychological Struggles

[GingerCat12]

Hi Everyone, I'm posting this as a way to vent and get things off my chest. It's been a really tough last 2 months for me. Psychologically speaking, the anxiety and depression have gotten the better part of me and i am struggling to dig myself out of this rut. I've been having this progressive feeling of weakness and stiff muscles for about 7 years now. I also have body wide twitches and very strong fasciculations when I squat or flex some other muscles. Most recently i noticed this "rachety" feeling when lifting my arms and a similar occurence when doing sit ups, where my entire body will shake like crazy. Being like that for 7 years and not be able to get my mind off of it really sucks, it's draining. I know that anxiety makes everything worse and that's why i decided to try some meds to help this time around. I have my neuro appointment coming up in a few weeks, i'm pretty sure i will pass all the standard strength tests and so on... Does anyone else here have symptoms that are more than just twitching but have been told this is BFS? Any reassuring stories would help Best of luck to everyone and I will keep you posted on how things evolve. My most immediate focus is to get my mood back on track so i can enjoy life and reduce my stress levels. It's been tough!Cheers, Matt

 

[TheZ]

Hi MattSorry to hear that you are suffering at the moment. I've had all types of symptoms pins and needles in arms,legs,calfs and feet, body wide strong twitches that were very evident on EMG examination and occasional cramping issues also in calfs and feet. Stress and anxiety play a major role in this annoying syndrome and I'm sure with medication you'll soon be back on track. Kind regardsAndrew

 

[EmmyCee]

Yes, I am a "ratcheter" and I do believe that BFS is the cause. To elaborate, when I do a certain exercise in which I extend my forearm, it will literally ratchet, as in make small minuscule movements. Same goes for when I squat a certain way. My legs also shake when I am just sitting down, but I sort of lean over and bend my knee in a certain way. The entire leg will shake if I stay that way for too long. I have brought this up before to my neuros, who have told me that everyone to a certain extent has shaky muscles, but for some reason BFSers tend to have exaggerated contractions, likely due to our enhanced anxiety and fight or flight (think of when someone is so angry or excited they shake. We have this all the time). If it makes you feel better, I have had this for years and its all still good. I know that you KNOW deep down inside that you're fine. You have been here before. I hope you can get past this unhealthy cycle of anxiety/negative thoughts/analyzing your body. Best of luck at your neuro appointment, I know it will be fine.