Symptoms After Shingles

[muppetdog]

Did any of you have your symptoms develop after you had the shingles? I had the shingles before all this started at age 33. Shortly after is when the twitching started and then later over the last 3 years other symptoms have developed. I have recently been diagnosed with Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN) via skin biopsy (Epidermal Nerve Fiber Density, ENFD testing) and am now in the process of testing for the cause.

Please let me know if you developed symptoms or know anyone who developed symptoms after the shingles.

Thanks in advance.

MD

[Cobber]

I had influenza followed by shingles in January 2013.......then one week later the twitching kicked off. I often wonder if BFS somehow started because my body just got run down from those viruses.......not only did I get influenza and shingles but I was sleeping poorly due to work and raising a young family.......plus I was squeezing in workouts when I should have been resting.

What threw a spanner in the works for me was the twitching settled into my left calf and foot which brought attention to the fact that my left toes won't raise off the ground (weakness) and my left calf was significantly thinner than my right. This resulted in neuro/doc visits followed by EMG/MRI and a diagnosis of spinal stenosis which has caused gradual decline in muscle bulk over the years in my left calf plus weakened my left toes (they don't raise off the ground but I can push them down OK).

i think what has happened in my case is a gradual decline over years (10+) in muscle bulk in my left leg due to the spinal stenosis (not uncommon, I never twitched back then though and the decline in muscle was so gradual it was not really noticed) and then unfortunately BFS started in my damaged nerves in Jan 2013 (which is when I had influenza + shingles and then the twitching started).

For the record I have twitched 24/7 for 17 months. All day everyday in my left calf....... never stops. I get them randomly in the right leg, arms, stomach and back but never for more than a day and usually only for a few hrs. I'm still working out with the same strength as normal though


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[muppetdog]

Cobber,

Thanks for the post. Did the doctors say they can do anything for you stenosis?

It is interesting to hear about your case. How old where you when you got shingles? I was 33 when it happened and was told that was quite young to get it. I guess it doesn't matter if your immune system is low enough for the virus to reemerge.

MD

[udflfbajb]

I developed BFS symptoms while recovering from a mononucleosis infection, age 32. I have/had a whole battery of neurological symptoms (like so many others here). I've been evaluated by neurologists whose opinion and expertise I trust. They completely agreed with me that I am experiencing an autoimmune reaction to the infection. Call it neuromyotonia, call it peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, call it BFS. It's all the same as far as I am concerned. I've had this for about 20 months now. But you know what, it doesn't really bother me anymore. It doesn't stop me from doing anything (with some minor exceptions, since some activities cause my calves to cramp up), and most importantly, I'm in no pain. 98% of my issues with these symptoms were worrying about it. When I stopped worrying, I stopped caring so much about it. Although the symptoms are the same.

[muppetdog]

Interesting. I wonder how many more are out there that developed symptoms after viral infections.