Muscular fasciculations and fatigue

[pkt_paladin]

Hello,

I am a recently graduated college student, 23 and male, and several months ago, I developed a rather peculiar condition (at least in my opinion). Following several days with insufficient sleep while coping with school-related stress and the maintenance of an exercise routine, I found that my feet were twitching severely to the point where I was unable to sleep at night because the twitching would awaken me for hours at a time. I consulted my general physician, who said that these were fasciculations and most likely caused by fatigue, and he suggested that I refrain from doing any aerobic activity for a week to see if that helped.

A week later, I returned to the physician to report that, when I finally exercised again, the night-time fasciculations returned. He ordered a blood test and a urine analysis to detect any nutrient deficiencies or electrolyte imbalances, but found none. Following this, I stopped regularly exercising for an entire month, which was greatly helpful for these fasciculations, but did not entirely eliminate them. I have since been able to begin exercising regularly again.

When I returned to my doctor months later for a separate problem, he suggested that I consult a neurologist for these fasciculations, and thus my message here today. The fasciculations have reduced substantially in severity, yet I occasionally experience periods of intense fasciculations that usually subside. In addition, I've noticed that I've been having difficulty with fine motor movements. This symptom, like the fasciculations, comes and goes periodically and has not created a substantial impact to my daily functioning.

So my question is... what's wrong with me? I've been doing some research, and ALS and MS both coincide with my symptoms, as does the far less serious BFS. Is there any way that I can safely differentiate the two to know whether or not my life is at risk?

Thank you greatly for your time and consideration.

[Dr_prakesh]

Is there any evidence of muscle weakness?

Have you had an EMG?

You may be intersted in this discussion relating to BFS (benign fasciculation syndrome).

http://www.asktheneurologist.com/scared-its-ALS.html

all the best