charley horse

[Bella77]

My husband is in the process of being diagnosed with ALS . He just told me today he had a charley horse in his jaw/upper neck area, but this time it went up the side of his head to the top of his head. Has anyone had this happen to them, he goes in for a emg test tomorrow. I don;t think we'll see his doctor then. They said the emg test would take 3 hours is this normal?

We're very new to this was told it could be ALS in May by his Primary, then seen a neurologist in July Dr. Newman in Henry Ford in Detroit, suppose to specialize in ALS.
Bella

 

[kmendsley]

Sorry about your husband being in the process...but he is not diagnosed yet! If it does turn out to be ALS I hope you feel welcome here to share your questions/concerns..etc.

It sounds like the 'charlie horse' may be a cramping of the muscle. Does he have other muscles that get 'charlie horses' often? This is common in a later stage as the muscles start to atrophy. To answer the other question, yes EMG's take a while. By the time you get in there and sign in, get poked and prodded, and finish with other paper work ...it can be that long. Mine pushed about 2.5 hrs.

Good luck on the EMG. Keep us posted.

 

[notme]

Hi Bella

First--a primary care physician isn't qualified to diagnose ALS. Only a neurologist can--and then only after multiple tests to rule out other much more treatable conditions. The EMG can be for many things.

The length of the EMG depends on the areas being tested. An EMG usually included a nerve study as well, which will account for some of the time he's saying it will take.

When you saw the neuro in July what did he say? What clinical things did he see that prompted him to suggest ALS? Normally, doctors will not even mention that unless other things are ruled out first.

What symptoms led him to the doctor in the first place?

We are here for support--but a little more detail will be helpful.

As far as spasms--they can happen anywhere. A cramp in the jaw can cause the entire head to hurt. Personally, in my situation, I have had severe cramps and charlie horses in my legs for nearly a year with no atrophy. And, by the way, those don't mean ALS either.

 

[Bella77]

Hello, here is my reply. In april my husband had a physical and his gp noticed twitching acrosshis chest and arms, I don't know if she seen something else. She called us in and said she wanted him to see a neuro, she suspected ALS I made a appointment at Henry Ford with Dr. Newman, we seen him July 9th. After a 1 hour visit he said he thought ALS, and wanted a emg.
The symtemshe went in with were drop foot in both feet that he'd had for over a year, he says no power from instep forward at all can't stand on tip toes has to wear Sketchers for some reason they help him with balance. His speech was bad- sounded like he was drunk- tremors arms twitch chest twitch thighs twitch, his speech has gotten real bad since we were there, and he coughs alot during the nite. The later in the day it is the worse his speech is, to the point where real hard to understand him. He ask me tonite for a card I had gotten at the ALS support meeting that says what he has and has some words on it that he can point to. I had told him he should carry it cause if the police stopped him they'd thinnk he was drunk, I said that last week and tonit he finally ask for the card.

So thats the story so far, hope he doesn't have it but want to know if he does, we're not the kind of people that is afraid know-- we want to know cause we're both control freaks and want to be prepared to deal with whatever!

Thanks for answering me and hope you can give me (us) a clue.

Bella

 

[kmendsley]

I am so sorry, it sounds pretty 'textbook' als to me, but the EMG and the Dr.'s diagnosis will give you the final clue. Prepare now like it will happen so you will be ahead of the curve...if it isn't, you can still prepare for whatever diagnosis is found later...he sounds like it is affecting him enough though that you need to start preparing for anything and everything. So sorry again...the card thing is a good idea...maybe get a couple copies...one for the car...one for the wallet...etc. so it can be accessed at all times. Keep us posted.

 

[notme]

Remember til there can be NO other answer, it doesn't have to be ALS. There are other things that can mimic ALS. If he hasn't had an EMG yet--and a lot of other things ruled out--there is your first step.

Hopefully, you can get into one of the great MDA or ALS clinics. Let us know how he fares.