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Post viral syndrome peripheral nerve hyperexcitability
Hi everyone,
I’m a 36-year-old navigating recovery from what’s been described as post-viral small fiber involvement and motor nerve hyperexcitability.
How It Began:
It started after a viral illness in August 2024, during a time when my whole family had upper respiratory symptoms.
I developed fever, diffuse headache, and left-sided temple pain, which later localized and became persistent.
By January 2025, I began to experience:
Burning sensations
Pins and needles
Odd wet or sunburn-like skin feelings
Muscle fasciculations (twitches) across my body
Migratory muscle pain and intermittent joint discomfort
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Workup So Far:
MRI of brain and cervical spine: Normal
Autoimmune workup: Negative
Skin biopsy: Normal epidermal nerve fiber density
Nerve conduction studies & EMG (lower extremities): Normal
CBC, CMP, CRP, ESR, CK, aldolase, B12: All normal
No evidence of large fiber neuropathy or motor neuron disease
No clinical weakness or atrophy
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Current Working Diagnosis:
Post-viral small fiber sensitization
Motor nerve hyperexcitability (likely benign fasciculation syndrome or similar)
Significant health anxiety, especially due to my medical background and profession
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What’s Helping Me:
Gabapentin (600 mg at night)
Supplements:
Magnesium glycinate
CoQ10
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)
Omega-3
Curcumin
B-complex
Vitamin D3 + K2
Ashwagandha, glycine, apigenin (for calming and sleep)
Exercise: Strength remains intact and working out reinforces my confidence
Mind-body tools:
Headspace and Curable app
Weekly visits with a psychologist
Gratitude journaling
Somatic calming techniques (breathing, grounding, mantra work)
New mantra I use daily:
> “One in a million. I am strong. This will pass.”
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Biggest Lessons:
Even with scary symptoms like widespread twitching or burning, the body can be in a state of hyperawareness, not disease.
I’ve learned the importance of regulating fear and stress to support nervous system healing.
Benign doesn’t mean painless—but it does mean hopeful.
Working with a neurologist, psychologist, and staying grounded in scientific reasoning has helped me reclaim my peace.
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Happy to connect with anyone navigating something similar. You're not alone—and your body is capable of calming, rewiring, and healing.
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I also have increasing swelling edema around my ankles behind my ankles in front of my ankles and all on my shit for no real reason, but I have had burning and redness and tingling for a long time only getting worse spread to my other foot. No doctor can give me the answer for my edema except to say I I don’t move enough, but I move as much as I can and I still walk relatively a lot so I’m wondering if anyone has something like that as well. The swelling that causes a lot of discomfort
@SusanEllen66
Hi Susan I feel like what I am expericing does have some overlap with FND. Thank you for the suggestion.
Hello @dlydailyhope
I just stumbled over your post from April last year.
I have been struggling with neuropathy for years. Influenza last January caused major increase of symptoms.
I have tested blood for Epstein Barr, result showed extreme high antibodies over 700 which suggests I have recurring viral reactivation.
Any ideas how to prevent viruses from reactivating and keeping them dormant, as you have suggested?
Any input/experience appreciated 🙂
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1 ReactionThank you for posting this. I have a lot of the same symptoms with similar tests and thrown under the fibromyalgia group. All the best.
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2 ReactionsHi Josh, thanks for sharing this, I have very similar widespread symptoms with a lot of itching. Even supplements seem to make me a bit worse at times, I am scared of trying anything. Of all those supplements, could you tell me which had the biggest effect if possible?
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1 Reaction@tammicecile87
Hello, itching or twitching? I really havnt found much to really help. They come and go as they please. Some times consistent in single area for days then they go away from that spot and come back 2 weeks later. Some people feel like magnesium help. For me no luck to be honest. And hard to stay out all of them which has helped the most. I started them essentially all at once and have not weaned off yet
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1 Reaction@josh701 it’s itching and skin sensitivity… I really do need to try magnesium I think. It’s one non pharma thing to try at least. People say glycinate or threonate
@bluepins3 wow so you’re also fibro but with nerve pain? It’s so random isn’t it… has anything helped you? Would love to keep in touch x
Josh, I suffered a similar reaction, but mine was tied to the vaccine.
I had petechaie, then bell's palsy, then what I believe was neuritis with whole body twitching, movements and a feeling of wading thru calf high water when I walked. The neuritis like symptoms have lingered for years, but steadily dimished.
I went to Vanderbilt, had all the tests but was unable to take many of the drugs which you are using.
My neurologist started me on SPM from Metagenics, a supplement that adds to our natural body SPM which it makes from omega 3. I was eating a lot of fish and from the tests had a high level of omega 3 in my body, but when the body is in stress or just aging it has trouble making SPM which seemed to be my case, or I just needed higher level of SPM than my body was making.
SPM is what the body makes to resolve inflammation.
It has taken years to basically resolve, and the symptoms can still flare in minor ways after viral exposure, to especially Covid , but life is much better.
My neurologist says he tells his patients, who have had similar problems, about me so they know that the symptoms can improve.
I did/do use aspirin for my condition also. Indeed, that was one of the clues that this was a problem with inflammation because aspirin and diclofenac helped me, whereas many other drugs did not.
I share hoping that if not appropriate for you that someone else might be helped.
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1 Reaction@josh701 thanks for sharing the above. Sounds like something very similar to myself.
Have had probably benign fassiculations since last October. Negative on all the MRI EMG and other tests. Bloods all normal with no deficiency in any mineral or anything of concern. I have been supplementing similar to you but have had to cut back the exercise significantly due to flaring up post workout. Makes me think it’s definitely something from an inflammatory perspective post viral possibly have had some flus over the past year but nothing significant possibly was something viral that set it off. Frequently get burning sensation in my feet and legs mainly and fasciculations within the legs. Thanks for sharing good to hear other people managing this journey as well