Sometimes I Feel Like a Dissected Frog

     Among the manifestations of ALS that I am currently dealing with, perhaps the most irritating is the phenomenon known as fasciculation.  Fasciculations are muscle twitches caused by brief spontaneous contraction of a few muscle fibers (groups of muscle fibers are called fasciculi).  Sometimes fasciculations can be seen as flickering movement under the skin, sometimes they can make a whole limb jump, sometimes they are just felt as a little zinger.
     They are among the telltale symptoms of ALS.
     This doesn't mean, though, that all fasciculations are caused by ALS. "Benign fasciculations," unrelated to any disease, can occur in anyone.  These often show up due to stress, when a muscle is overworked, or because of potassium deficiency.
     In ALS-ers, they happen just because.  They happen any time.  For some, they happen almost all the time.  And they feel downright weird.
      When they first started ( and for me fasciculations did not begin for several month after my first symptoms of hand weakness), I thought I was getting a little electric shock from something.  Static electricity in the blanket? In my robe? From the dog's nose? Then they became more frequent, localized in three or four spots on my arm. And then they spread, so that now I am feeling them in both arms, my back and my legs, occasionally my face.
      My problem with fasciculations is when they occur -- or at least when I notice them.  They make their presence most known when I am relaxed, when I am reading or watching TV or engaged in quiet conversation -- when, in other words, my other symptoms are least obtrusive; when, for at least a few minutes, I can almost forget I have ALS.
     That's when the fasciculations kick in with a vengeance, when I twitch like a Biology 101 frog zapped with electrodes.  They remind me: yes, the disease is still here. They depress me: they take away the escape I hope to find in peaceful moments.  They don't hurt, they don't interfere with whatever I am doing.  They are just there.
      Every day. 
    

Involuntary contractions and twitchings of groups of muscle fibers. Groups of muscle fibers are called fasciculi. The contractions are relatively coarse rather than fine and are often visible. Some causes of fasciculations includes cervical spondylosis, multiple sclerosis, poliomyelitis fatigue and dehydration. Read more at http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/fasciculations/intro.htm?ktrack=kcplink

Involuntary contractions and twitchings of groups of muscle fibers. Groups of muscle fibers are called fasciculi. The contractions are relatively coarse rather than fine and are often visible. Some causes of fasciculations includes cervical spondylosis, multiple sclerosis, poliomyelitis fatigue and dehydration. Read more at http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/fasciculations/intro.htm?ktrack=kcplink