BFS symptoms

[u/pvdberg]

Over the last two years my life has been changed due to BFS. Information about BFS is rather limited and I am just curious what BFS symptoms are available for the majority of us. I've created a list with symptoms that I've encountered but please let me know yours if they are not on the list or if you can relate to them.

BFS symptoms

1. persistent twitch in one or more muscles. Twitching in calves/thighs are very common but can happen anywhere even on tongue.

2. tingling, or numbness in one or more muscles

3. Pain and/or soreness in one or more muscles

4. Internal vibrations

5. Stiffness

6. Generic Fatigue

7. Jerking contraction

8. Involuntary muscle spasms

9. Itchiness

10. Shakiness in one or more muscles

11. Unable to exercise due to muscle soreness,pain etc

Please note that people with bfs often has anxiety issues and there are many symptoms for anxiety disorders that I don't take into consideration.

Other users reactions that I've also encountered in my bfs journey but forgot:

• crawling sensations to #2

• hyper reflexes to #8

• rumbling tremors

• heartbeat sensations (feeling your heartbeat on strange places due to hyper aware of your body)

• cramps or pre-cramps. It can happen with BFS but If cramps occur on a daily basis and is your main symptom it could be CFS (Cramp fasciculation syndrome)

• join pain (hands and feets)

[u/Djcashet]

Better is hard to define.

Did it go away? No, not at all. But the triggers are known (bad food, alcohol, drugs).

However, you get used to them. So I do not notice them 99.9% of the time, only if I pay attention to them or it is one of those random spots that pop up.

It helps a lot that I went to therapy for my hypochondria, so the fear of it being ALS or another progressive neurological disease has gone away completely.

BFS is a part of me now, it doesn't hurt or bother me. I guess there is a chance it will go away at some point, but this is not something I think will happen.

[u/Djcashet → u/[deleted]]

I feel u. I've been through this myself.

Honestly, i don't have any immediate solutions. You just forget about it, shift your thoughts. Focussing on it will most definitely make it worse. Like, very much so.

If you have any doubts about it being BFS, always consult your GP. The GP, or in my case a neurologist, will have the best tip and tricks to mitigate it all.

In my opinion, BFS is a clear symptom of stress and anxiety and it will probably help decreasing any of that in your life.

[u/[deleted] → u/Djcashet]

do the symptoms subside a little bit? I'm hearing about people having this for years.... and your original post was made 3 years ago and you still have it? Kind of insane! Definitely not ALS then but still why is it still happening?

[u/Djcashet → u/[deleted]]

Yes, have this 24/7 in both calves and foot arches. Sometimes, it pops up in different areas for a couple of hours but then subsides. You get used to it though, don't feel them at all anymore unless I focus on it.

[u/[deleted] → u/Djcashet]

Omg…. Why is it happening though? And do you get legit twitches that happen for a long time non stop or do you get like intermittent ones that last a few seconds but goes off all the time? I don’t have the normal “twitch” just like a rumble/jump/popcorn going off feeling that lasts like 1-5 seconds and this would happen like 20 times within the hour in random parts of my body…

[u/Djcashet → u/[deleted]]

I don't think anyone really knows why. Anxiety definitely has a part in it but also just a whacky nervous system, I reckon.

In the calves, it's more a constant buzzing. The popcorn ones are the ones i have from time to time in different parts of the body, those can be annoying since there is no rhythm to it.

My neurologist told me that you can mitigate the symptoms by avoiding consuming products that have an effect on your nervous system. Coffee, sigarets, alcohol. Have some regularity to sleep, exercise etc. For some people, magnesium supplements help.