Finger and palm twitching along with atrophy and weakness!

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ally

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Here i am once again after i promised my self not to come back....but i started having new symptoms in the hand tha i have atrophy and that the skin looks sunken and wrinkled...my thumb twiches uncotrollably as my little finger...only in that hand...and i started feeling that dull weakness in my thumb.like its fallin asleep.. When i move it it will start fasciculating...i cant ignore these symptoms its like its striking me saying thi is it...i really dont know what to make of it as that hand wasnt tested in the emg....im just i dont know im afraid of the future...i dont know what to do....you are the only thing i can turn to...cause every time i try to forget it something else more prominent happens!
Thanks for reading
 
Hi Ally
I understand your persistent worry and concern. You do not need to apologise. I think a lot of your concern stems from the fact that they never did your hand when performing the EMG.
Why don't you ask for your hand to be done. It's your body so insist. It's an easy way for your question to be answered and will give you some peace.

I have had 4 EMG's over the course of my diagnosis, as have many other people., so having another to help is nothing out of the ordinary .

I wish you luck.

Aly
 
Hi Ally,

I understand your worry. Is this atrophy or twitching in your thumb pad or on top of the hand and when you say your pinky are you talking about the actual finger or the outside of the palm that controls the pinky?

The reason I ask is because both are reinnervated by the ulnar nerve. If there is atrophy due to the denervation of that nerve there is an easy way to check. They do it to me at every check in bc my ulnar nerve is denervated. If there is true atrophy in your hand, you can squeeze your fingers side by side tightly even your thumb against them like you are doing a karate chop move and look at the muscle that pops up from the thumb to the index finger. There is a meaty spot there....if that is meaty there is no true atrophy.

Thought that was cool when he showed me that:) He always says still meaty still good and winks. Note though that bc people are left handed or right handed one will be more "meaty" or have a larger muscle than the other and it will be a significant difference so do not think that matters bc it doesnt. If the meats there its good. :)

I agree with Alyoop..I had 4 EMGs and I demanded that my foot be tested where it was twitching even when they told me there was no muscle in that region..I said dont care do it anyway..

Its your health take an active role..Have a good day!
 
so i went to another neurologist today who performed a clinival exam on me...I told her all my history and told me i should find my previous EMG....Just so she has references before she performs another...She told me i had hyper reflexes but that could be normal...Also she saw my hand and she said that was definetely atrophy....I tried to ask what it could be and she wouldnt say...When i insisted she asked if i ve been reading anything...I told her about ALS and she answered ''thats what i want to eliminate'''...So she suspects it too...
i dont know what to do.....I dont want to be right not this time...I want to be so wrong....The day for another EMG is far from now....i feel so helpless...I told my mum and she refuses to believe it....She is in denial...I dont know what to do...Its like someone else is livinh this and not me...im so scared i dont know what to do.....
 
Hey Ally,

I know you are scared but just remember there are tons of things that cause twitching and atrophy and even if you get a "dirty" EMG doesnt mean you have ALS. I'm a great example of that. I have all those things plus a bad EMG with denervation and chronic renervation and I still do not have ALS. I know its stressful but just take it one day at a time. Before I had my Emg with a neuromusclar specialist at a teaching hospital it helped me to make a plan on how I was going to react to whatever they would find. It was still scary it just helped me not loose life in the couple of months I had to wait.

I hope that you are seeing a neuromuscular specialist at a teaching hospital bc there are so many things it could be and you havent even started the long road of testing. Before I had an Emg I was ordered 2 mris and 2 spinal taps, 3 rounds of bloodwork, and then the EMG lastly.

How old are you?
 
I am 22!But still the second neuro doctor suspects that i might have ALS!I have done a lot of testing plus an emg of rigth hand and leg where the neurologist said i had radiculopathies...But the widespread fasciculations ,the atrophy and the fasciculations in the left hand made the other neurologist suspect of ALS. I hadnt told the other Neurologist about the fasciculations being widespread i dint think i mattered nor had i showed him my left hand...
But still how can the place where there is atrophy to fasciculate without it been ALS?Also i have face fasciculations ..The doctor said she didnt notice any tongue fasciculation then but when i told her about the strange feeling in tongue she told me when i feel them i should grab a mirror and look at my tongue to notice any movement.....
 
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Look at me..I have all those things plus tongue twitches and speech problems but I still dont have ALS. Just try to breathe. I find it hard to contemplate the douchebag that said they suspect ALS without any blood work or a spinal tap. Thats irresponsible. They should be punched in the face and if I was your family member..I prolly would lol. I'm fiesty like that. Its so much more likely to have a radiculopathy or something like CIDP at our age. What kind of goober would scare a 22 year old like that?

My ALS doctor says she sees so many people under 35 that have suspected ALS from their general neuro and she said 9 times out of 10 there is another diagnosis but agrees its crazy to tell someone that without any testing other than an EMG. There really is such a huge battery of tests to be done before someone should even hint towards ALS.

I hope you are seeing a neuromuscular specialists if not you need to bc my neuro had never of any of the diseases on my differentials except ALS. Id still consider the pimp slap! :)
 
Hey
Thank you you made me laugh...
Still i think maybe she was really worried...Because she insisted we move fast...However her words are really shoking to me...i dont know what to do wait for the emg from her or go to another neuro?where will that leave me?
Im kind of lost bcs my family doesnt believe i should see neuros at all but after today...they dont understand ...i guess this is the hardest part
Thank you all for being here....
 
Maybe your near was a bit wrong to say that! Of course they need to rule out ALS with your symptoms, but it could be heaps of things like limey says. Radiculopathies cause atrophy and can cause fasciculations. Wide spread fasciculations everywhere is probably a good thing as they are probably not diagnostic. Fasciculations in ALS are often fairly isolated initially. I get them all over and they are meaningless. Try not to worry. I had 3 years of tests including 3 MRI's as well like limey. I do not have ALS either.

It was an awful 3 years but I am improving physically now that I have relaxed an just let it go. Yes I have something progressive, yes it is not treatable, but I am no longer searching, just trying to enjoy everything. I got pushed to heaps od nears cause my husband is a neurologist. It made it no easier.

I know these are just words, I heard them from people as well. I went and saw a neuropsychologist who helped me through when I was falling apart.

Hold in there, your age is against the diagnosis!

Aly
 
I am sorry you are so worried and questioned to what is going on but try to just enjoy everyday, your family your friends. Whether you have ALS or not is not for us to say but from my own experiance I live each day enjoying the life that I have been given to me. It means more to me then ever before so just enjoy each day and don't waste it on wondering about something you have no control over anyway. I pray the Lord will calm your fears.
 
Lavender lady...thank you for your words...you sound like such a wonderfull person....All i can say is i will pray...God is the only one who can help me right now.....
Thank you for your answer
 
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