Vickie
New member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2012
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- MD
- City
- Baltimore
Hello,
I am a 32 y/o woman, and I run marathons recreationally. I started noticing some very occasional trouble getting my left leg to work right during runs in 11-12/2011. It was what I would decribe as extremely mild. It only happened several miles into a run and was really just a feeling that my left leg wasn't acting quite right or like I was having to try way to hard to move it. In the beginning, this feeling was very short lived, and I was able to continue running. Usually by the end of a run, I would have gotten passed this feeling. I started noticing occasional clonus in that leg when seated if my foot was in a certain position. Otherwise, things were good and I was increasing my mileage. I ran 8 miles on 12/10, 16 miles on 12/11 definitely with that feeling occasionally, and did not run for 3 days thereafter because I felt as if I had come down with a mild viral syndrome. When I tried to run again, I had marked difficulty with the need to stop after 2 miles and marked shaking of the left leg even in a standing position when my heel was lifted off the ground. I have not been able to run more than 2 miles without stopping since. It feels like my left leg becomes clumsy/hard to control/stiff. This resolves quickly with brief walking but continues to recur more rapidly if I continue to run. I have seen 2 neurologists. I have sustained clonus at the left ankle, a few beats on the right, diffuse hyperreflexia which I want to say I have always had, and a Hoffman reflex in my upper extremities bilaterally. I have a clean MRI of the brain and spine as well as a normal looking NCS/EMG. I started having random muscle twitching in 01/2012 that seems to have worsened recently and has been in many places but a lot in my left foot over the past 4 days. I should also say I had a lot of trouble swallowing solid foods in 09-10/2011 but this seemed to improve on nexium twice daily and was attributed to gerd. I am wondering is there a chance that I have motor neuron disease and it is just too early to tell. For instance, maybe right now I have only upper motor neuron issues that can be seen. One of the neurologists I saw said it could be PLS but he reffered me to the second one who actually specializes in neuroimmunology/myelitis I think with the thought that the "viral syndrome" could have been associated with a myelitis. The myelitis doctor did not think I had a myelitis. My impression is that they don't know what to make of me. They want to observe me over time.
Thank you for reading this and thanks so much for any information/advice
I am a 32 y/o woman, and I run marathons recreationally. I started noticing some very occasional trouble getting my left leg to work right during runs in 11-12/2011. It was what I would decribe as extremely mild. It only happened several miles into a run and was really just a feeling that my left leg wasn't acting quite right or like I was having to try way to hard to move it. In the beginning, this feeling was very short lived, and I was able to continue running. Usually by the end of a run, I would have gotten passed this feeling. I started noticing occasional clonus in that leg when seated if my foot was in a certain position. Otherwise, things were good and I was increasing my mileage. I ran 8 miles on 12/10, 16 miles on 12/11 definitely with that feeling occasionally, and did not run for 3 days thereafter because I felt as if I had come down with a mild viral syndrome. When I tried to run again, I had marked difficulty with the need to stop after 2 miles and marked shaking of the left leg even in a standing position when my heel was lifted off the ground. I have not been able to run more than 2 miles without stopping since. It feels like my left leg becomes clumsy/hard to control/stiff. This resolves quickly with brief walking but continues to recur more rapidly if I continue to run. I have seen 2 neurologists. I have sustained clonus at the left ankle, a few beats on the right, diffuse hyperreflexia which I want to say I have always had, and a Hoffman reflex in my upper extremities bilaterally. I have a clean MRI of the brain and spine as well as a normal looking NCS/EMG. I started having random muscle twitching in 01/2012 that seems to have worsened recently and has been in many places but a lot in my left foot over the past 4 days. I should also say I had a lot of trouble swallowing solid foods in 09-10/2011 but this seemed to improve on nexium twice daily and was attributed to gerd. I am wondering is there a chance that I have motor neuron disease and it is just too early to tell. For instance, maybe right now I have only upper motor neuron issues that can be seen. One of the neurologists I saw said it could be PLS but he reffered me to the second one who actually specializes in neuroimmunology/myelitis I think with the thought that the "viral syndrome" could have been associated with a myelitis. The myelitis doctor did not think I had a myelitis. My impression is that they don't know what to make of me. They want to observe me over time.
Thank you for reading this and thanks so much for any information/advice