Benign Fasciculation Syndrome and TMS

Tension, anxiety, stress. We all have those TMS symptoms at times. Keep reminding yourself that This too shall pass,
and The best is yet to come.

 

Amen Walt!

 

Wow I could relate to all of you. MS started it for me about seven yrs ago I was convinced, every now and then and now again I swear I have it. I swear my legs arent working or are weak and jello like, yet I can run three miles. I am scared to death of MS and now Parkinsons. It evolves, its these strange terrifying vague symptoms.
I have began googling weak legs and the storm has begun. Also now I feel nerve pain in my glutes and down my legs, It goes from pain to a weak feeling. MRI was clean so stressful!!! Wish you guys all the best

 

Shalya: DO NOT GOOGLE.........I can tell you with 100% certainty you are not going to get the answer to your problems, and, in fact, will prob think you have more stuff wrong after googling. Tonight I was talking and my voice just went out when I tried to raise it. It was right back after I took a breath but it scared the heck out of me. I will absolutely not google though, I know it's counterproductive to do so.

 

Thank you once again Walt for being a solid voice of reason. I can't speak for everybody but your words are doing some of us a lot of good.

 

Oh I know Google is my downfall once I do it, ots over. I search weak legs and I have MS, Pakinson, and anything else. Doesnt help my mother in fact has MS. It is always my underlying fear. years ago I drove two hours to my nuero telling him I had ms cause my foot was numb and my legs were burning, these symptoms lasted months.

 

How's everyone doing now? I'm a year into the twitching, myoclonic jerks, hot/cold spots, internal vibration, involuntary swallowing. etc. I'm not near as anxious and haven't been in some time but I've been thinking about looking into possible causes besides TMS/anxiety. Any thoughts?

 

i'm 14 months in....still abt half as worried as I was when this all started, esp when I get a twitch in a place i haven't had it before. Between the twitching and the hand pain i can't get a worry-free day in. I have some other symptoms as well but I'm not concerned abt them at all. I am NOT looking for anything else at this point. My GP shrugs his shoulders and thinks it's anxiety, I am trying to go with that even though my brain is pulling me all over the place. Strange thing this past weekend, we got over 2 feet of snow and saturday am i was shoveling while it was still going on. Ended up my hands hurt a lot or the rest of the day. Sunday I shoveled abt the same amount but had very little pain, now today for some reason they are hurting again. Working on deep breathing and vagus nerve stimulation.

 

I first have to say thank you all for your posts, they have helped me a lot over these past few months. Like I'm sure many of you, I tend to suffer from anxiety, more specifically health anxiety, that can be pretty damn hard to shake when you have such strange symptoms. Beginning of September, I decided to look into why my arm was slightly achy sometimes. Of course, my impulsive got the best of me and I decided to look it up online. BAD idea. My mind came to the conclusion of the big dreaded 3, including PD and MS. I felt physically fine until I noticed one quick twitch in my finger, then BOOM! Spasms all over the body, tingles, the vibrations feelings, random aches, dizziness, etc. Getting in touch with my GP and getting on Celexa definitely helped with the anxiety and I realized that after a while, I was telling friends I wasn't noticing the symptoms much anymore! Then randomly the arm started tingling, and I ran to the ER in a panic. After multiple blood tests, everything came back perfect, but since I used the word "fasciculations" with the doctors, they grew more curious. Strength, reflex, and balance tests were done and I passed with flying colors, thank goodness. Not that I felt week, but I get massive anxiety at the doctors so you just never know. They decided to order an MRI, partially for my peace of mind, but also because I used the words "fasciculations." After an extremely stressful week, the MRI came back perfectly clean, minus some sinus mucous, I can handle that. What I did learn through my doctor though, is that a lot of these "twitches" we are referring to are more muscle spasms than "true" fasciculations, which you will rarely ever feel or even see. My nervous system just seems to be in an extremely hyperactive mode and I'm learning that it is going to take time to calm it back down. I do have a question though, what exactly is TMS and how does it relate to BFS?

 

i'm no expert in TMS but the premise is simple: your body is letting you know via physical symptoms that you have repressed feelings that need to be dealt with. Pain is often one of the symptoms but it can manifest as pretty much anything. If you haven't read "The Great Pain Deception" then you should pick up a copy.

 

I have bfs i twitch and shake all the time, its common with bfs. I had an emg and everything. MRI of brain and spine. (im 25). What helped me not fear this symptom is looking at the bfs site and reading people explain that it is usually from anxiety/hyper excitability and they all live regular lives. Some of them talk about remission. I know that support groups for other things are not recommended here but this is the only one that has helped me because the people agree its anxiety/hyper caused. Most of the time I dont even notice the twitches and I laugh at them when I do. I notice I twitch more when I am stressed. Also when I am laying down. But I twitch every day, non stop...EVERYWHERE. I tend to wake up panicking sometimes for who knows why and I will notice I am very twitchy and my body will ache. But for real, I literally twitch everywhere, from head to toe, and even in very private places, and I can induce my twitches. Don't google because it says that the bad diseases are from inducing twitches. It just means the nerves are hyperexcited. I wasn't sure at first if BFS was harmless or if it was going to progress but I'm now convinced it is harmless.

 

I wonder if I will ever get to the point where I have no worries about my twitching being something sinister......worrying is worse than the symptoms themselves.

 

What helps me is knowing that I practically dove into this state I'm in on my own. I've always been anxious but deciding to look into a simple twitch was enough to send my nervous system into "HOLY S***" mode and it took me some time to realize that it's going to take time to calm down. Always remember, NEVER search things online. I wake up in a panic some times and then notice a twitch or tight muscle, other days I feel fine and don't notice it. I'm not weak although some times it sure seems that way. I'll go and test my strength and then make myself tired, then wonder why I'm tired. It's a stupid cycle but my nervous system is on overload. None of these "symptoms" happened to me before my scare except the muscle spasms or twitches and I've always had those. This site is great help, but I'd suggest not trying to spend too much time on it. After a while, you've read everything you can and you're just reminding yourself of what you feel over and over again. Look for reassurance that you're perfectly fine, then stop looking. As they say, curiosity killed the cat. I certainly felt that way.

 

The fear and worry personality trait is such a major TMS trait. I find being on this site helpful for me to maintain my awareness of how I can drive myself crazy with fear and worry. I have to be constantly vigilant in managing my thoughts.

 

Just wondering how everyone is doing with their bfs/tms symptoms? Has meditation helped to calm down your nervous system and the symptoms? I am 3 years into these TMS related condition and have done my bit of yoga and meditation but still haven't fully broken the fear/worry cycle although I know that it is TMS. Especially the painful muscle cramps are at times very annoying and distracting.
Wish you all the best on your journey to recovery

 

Words have great power. How we phrase things, how we express our intentions, this all carries the potential to heal or stagnate or harm. When someone tells me to relax, my body will tense against it in response. When someone asks me to 'soften' .... that evokes a gentle warmth. What some do not realize is that muscles do not stretch. Muscles contract and muscles release. Fascia stretches, but not muscle. That is what is occurring during a muscle spasm or 'lock down' (as I call it). And nerves can be whimpering distantly, or screaming in agony .... this is a reflection of those dark places within us. Everything we have experienced, and how we've responded to it ... these experiences are mirrored within the marrow of our being. In my hands, there are times when my nerves abruptly and completely fail to activate, causing me to drop what I am holding.

That latter experience came with additional clutter. A several months ago, I became concerned about a 'rash' on my lower palm. Red, abraded, with tiny dots. After watching it for about a month or so, I decided to seek medical attention. It did not hurt, but it was getting worse. The medical office set out an appointment for over a month out. Which was a blessing. One evening, as I was grating my cheese (for popcorn), I felt a little sting. Looking at my hand, I noticed the position. It is a sturdy, triangular grater, and I was holding it directly over the spice edge, where it is sharp and pokey. I could not feel it, but it was abrading my skin and causing tiny blood flecks. Because I had shifted my grip, another part of my hand felt the sting.

My inattentiveness was causing my very real injury. The numbness is almost constant, and travels in my arm with tingles, but I have (mostly) ceased to worry about it. So much so, I just forgot about it.

Attentiveness is vital. While being aware that so many of our symptoms are emotional, it is important to work with them and not cause actual damage to ourselves.

I do not think in terms of 'breaking' the fear/worry/anxiety. I think in terms of easing, softening, soothing those emotions. Nurturing rather than dominating. Loving rather than oppressing.

It is so much easier to be kind to others, and so much more challenging to be kind to ourselves.

You ARE worthy, and you ARE strong, and you ARE exquisitely lovable.

Love ~ Compassion ~ Kindness
<3

 

I'm abt the same...have done some meditation but have not kept on it on a regular basis which I really need to do. I'm 21 months into these symptoms so my major worries are for the most part gone, although I do still have concerns intermittently.

 

Hello All I,m new here. My story starts like so many of yours. My first symptom started in my right leg above the knee, from there the twitches moved all over. About a month after that I was diagnost with Sleep Apnea my GP said the twitches were due to lack of oxygen to my muscles. He said after two weeks the twitches would go away. He was wrong. I have had other symptoms as well night jerks, shaking, tremors etc. I've had the symptoms for about four months now. My symptoms have lighted up a bit and I've finally been able to sleep most nights now.

But everyday is a struggle. I get depressed thinking its going to get worse or that I'm going to die.This site has helped me tremendously! Thank you all for your stories.

 

Welcome to the Forum! Hang in there. You are on the right path. Keep us posted on how you're doing, and feel free to ask questions at any time. We are all here to support one another.

 

Do the twitches slow down and completely stop or just become less noticeable? I have good days and bad. The twitches are less noticeable now but still present. I have been taking vitamins B12, Magnesium, and D3. Are these a waste of time?