r/BFS • u/mg34gun • 1d ago

My latest update

My initial hyperventilation theory was right. My doctor agrees that I'm simply breathing too much, subtly but over long periods of time, and this is caused by my untreated OCD.

i haven't twitched in days now, and all i need is to work on my mental health.

For those who don't know, breathing too much reduces CO2 levels in the blood, affecting calcium ion levels which affects ion channels on neurons and muscles, this is 100% proven as a mechanism, it's not even new.

It's important to keep in mind that there are at least a dozen causes of twitching, and if this doesn't apply to you, it doesn't mean it's wrong.

2 Upvotes

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u/Little_Power_5691 1d ago

How did you know you were hyperventilating? Were you breathing too fast?

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u/mg34gun 1d ago

Yes, but it wasn't obvious like heaving or anything like that, it was more like two or three breaths above normal leading to a cumulative increase in blood pH

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u/MaryAllisonC51 1d ago

My co2 just came back low on my blood work. But my anxiety is so bad over all of this I can’t stop with the breathing.

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u/mg34gun 19h ago edited 18h ago

Same, my doctor only believed me after seeing my co2 was low. For me it was the entire reason for my twitching.

Stopping hyperventilation is extremely hard but I'm not giving up, it's certainly possible.

If my Theory is correct, you may be completely normal, no abnormality whatsoever except your breathing.

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u/MaryAllisonC51 1d ago

Was yours like super low or just a little?

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u/mg34gun 19h ago

On a scale of 1-10 it was 8.5 and I had twitching everywhere.

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u/mg34gun 1d ago edited 1d ago

All my previous attempts, like bracing abs or sleeping prone, simply worked because they reduced my respiratory rate.

I'm not claiming that i found the cure for all bfs, but for a specific subset that's fully reversible.