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searching for Dx

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oromocto
My apologies for a long winded note. My husband has been dealing with "something" but both the neurologist and family GP dont know. EMG was ok, but only 2 limbs were tested. At night my husband has twitches in his arms and shoulders. He has restless leg syndrome, so I cant' really tell if his legs twitch. Everyday, he is more stiff, especially in the morning. After he gets moving though, he is better. When he stops for very long the stiffness is back. He sweats more at night, and, has more nightmares. He has a humming in his arms and legs. There has been twice now, that his arm shakes uncontrollably, but eventually stops. He is very fatigued by the end of the day. His shoulders pain him, and he has limited ROM in his arms. His arms have cogwheeling rigidity, and his arms are super sensitive to having someone bend his arm up and down. He has experienced some episodes of shortness of breath. Stated "I just cant seem to get enough air in" He is only 40. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? Any information would be helpful. thank you.
 
I guess the doctor did not find anything on clinical exam, although many of the symptoms you describe sound like UMN sx. His clean emg points away from any LMN damage. What have the doctors found on exam? Glad you found us, hope we can provide some guidance.
 
cogwheeling rigidity of arms can be a sign of Parkinsons. Maybe if you were to look for other symptoms he is experiencing that would correlate with this? I hope he gets some answers soon. good luck to you both.
 
I wouldn't think those symptoms sounded ALS related but can't offer any suggestions as to what they might be.

AL.
 
Hi all, I am a new carer for a loved one recently diagnosed with this illness. Is pseudo bulbar palsy the same as bulbar palsy and have I joined the right support group. Am going to need lots of support as we already had a heavy load before the diagnosis was made.Our dad has been having symptoms for 18 months and diagnosed 2 months ago.
Looking forward to sharing and caring with you all.Cheers, Anastasia.
 
Hi Anastasia,
I dont know if the 2 are the same or not, i am sure someone else will be able to answer this for you.
They are a very diverse group of people on this site.
If your dads condition does "fit" in to this group, then ask away as the people on here are very willing to share.

As you can see i am almost in your "back yard" (compared to most others on here)

cheers and good luck
Peter
 
Bulbar palsey and pseudo bulbar palsey differ from one another in that bulbar palsey involves lower motor neurons and pseudo does not. At least, this is my understanding. Someone spank me if I'm wrong on this...

In Bulbar Palsey, the symptoms are due to lower motor neuron lesions which means you can expect the associated muscles to atrophy.

In Psuedobulbar Palsey, the symptoms are due to upper motor neuron lesions. PLSers may develop this.
 
Exactly Zaphoon. You have it completely correct. Psdeu bulbar is UMN, and is not malignant. Progressive bulbar palsy is LMN and causes atrophy and such. Psdeu causes such things as emotional lability, clonus, jaw jerk and those symptoms.
 
Mum was diagnosed in March with the Psuedobulbar palsy - but does the LMN come into effect when the legs start going too?
 
Your mom was diagnosed with Progressive bulbar palsy, which is a lower motor neuron disease. It seems that this is a confusing explanation for so many. psdeu is upper motor neuron.. Has nothing to do with were in the body.
 
If your mother has psuedobulbar palsey and her legs begin to go, it could be one of at least two things (if we're talking MND). The first is that the upper motor neurons are causing/have been causing spasticity and cramping and as a result, the legs could feel weak and impaired.

The second thing could be that the lower motor neurons have started to suffer, causing the signals from the brain to the legs to be cut off. The muscles in the legs will weaken and atrophy making the legs useless. In this case, her diagnosis would change with the involvement of lower motor neurons to Progressive Bulbar Palsey. This is my understanding.

PZ
 
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