I have been a twitcher for about 8 years, and have been though the usual cycle of unexplained symptoms, suspecting ALS, denial and depression, before finally accepting that while the fasciculations are occasionally annoying, there's nothing seriously wrong.
But there is one symptom that has me stumped, and that is one of profound muscle weakness after putting only a moderate amount of strain on the affected muscles.
For example, I was recently using a chain saw to chop down a few small branches in my yard. I had to grip pretty tightly and pushed quite hard against the wood to get through it. After about 10-15 minutes I stopped, and found that the little finger of my right hand had lost all strength. I could not even push my finger in my ear or resist the slightest effort to push it, and even had difficulty touching the end of my nose accurately. There was no resistance left at all. It remained that way for an hour or so before slowly regaining its normal strength.
This has been going on ever since I started twitching, in my fingers and ankles (cannot walk on my heels when it happens), and at first it was the one symptom that really had me freaked out, but since I know I don't have ALS and the problem hasn't really gotten any worse as far as I can tell, it's now just another of those things I have learned to live with.
I am in my 40s, reasonably active, playing volleyball and golf a few times a week and, if anything, I am fitter now than I was when all this started. But I never got a satisfactory answer from the neurologists about this symptom (though I never showed them the weakness happening) and while I'm not concerned about anything life or lifestyle threatening, I would like to know what the heck it is.
So, has anyone had the same problem, or does anyone know what it could be?
Thanks
Mike