Facial faciculations

[Malori]

Hi, I was diagnosed in January, with limb onset. I’ve lost total use of my left arm and hand. I can walk a little, but my legs are very heavy and my feet drag so I often use a wheelchair. For the last two or three months, or more, I’ve had slight fasciculations in my left cheek where I smile, and one or two in the left side of my lips.. I’m wondering if this is the onset of bulbar symptoms.

 

[KimT]

I don't think there is an answer to that, but I'll tell you my experience.

My tongue twitches off and on. It started over three years ago. Sometimes it lasts several days. I can still eat. My twitches are 24/7 in my legs and have been for a long time. When I'm tired or eat chocolate, I twitch in other places. When I'm stressed, I twitch in other places.

Before ALS, I never had a twitch and I was athletic.

 

[Malori]

Thank you Kim. Yes, my whole body has twitches constantly. Like little people inside of me flipping rubber bands. Often they are visible. Can be mild or as strong as a huge fast flex of a muscle. The face, though, is new, mild, and not constant.

 

[yogi123]

Hi Malori,

I too can only relate my experiences. I started to get rare - now and again - facial twitches about two years after right limb onset and my tongue also started twitching slightly. The chin twitches were just one or two at a time and on my right hand side chin just below my lips. I would say they happened no more than once a month. The year before this (one year after limb onset) I had two experiences in two months of very mild slurring of a few words.

These days my body is 3 years since limb onset, two years since the 2 slurring incidents and a year since intermittent chin twitching. I have mild bulbar symptoms. I eat whatever I want and also moving food around my mouth near my lips takes slightly more effort. I am talking with mild tone and intonation changes - people understand me.

I don´t know if the occasional chin twitches meant anything at all. My chin hardly ever twitches now.

 

[Malori]

Thank you!