Questions and symptoms, or is that Symptoms and questions?

[jellis86]

First I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone on this forum who take time out to answer concerns about symptoms.
I have posted a few times on here but feel that a little backstory is due.
About two+ years ago I had this strange feeling that I had forgotten how to swallow food and drink. I actually had to concentrate, prepare my tongue and palete, to work in unison so I could finish the swallow. On rare occasions food would get near the back of my throat, and since I wasn't prepared swallow, it would stick there. I would gag it back to the front of my mouth, rechew a bit, and then complete the swallow function. Now as you all know, getting food stuck in the throat leads to panic and that can lead to more choking...or at least thinking you might choke. Seems the more I would think about it, the harder it was to complete a swallow. Anxiety...
About 10 months ago I noticed a slight slur or lisp when I talk. I also started to bite my cheek on the left side and also left side of my tongue while sleeping. I waited until late January of this year before talking to my Dr. He referred me to ENT who told me that my tongue was a little thick and my vocal cords looked a little irritated. So I left and didn't go back to my Dr until late May....I went back because other people started asking me if I had been drinking, or if I maybe had a stroke because I was lisping and taking a long time to talk.. My Dr told me that all he could think of was Bells Palsy...he felt that was possible because when he had me put my teeth together and smile the left side of my face only slightly rises in a grin, whereas the right side is fine. But he also said if it was, it was the slowest progression of it he had ever heard of.... He ordered blood tests for Lyme, A head MRI for tumors, ultra sound of blood flow, etc. All negative.
So he referred me to neuro who ordered a plethora of additional blood tests for MG and other things that might be causing my speech issues, along with a swallow test...again all negative. He also did some in house strength tests which he said everything seemed ok.
I went back to ENT who gave me a neck CT because he thought he saw a growth on the lower part of my tongue on the head MRI. Results were negative...
About a month and a half ago my tongue was growing even more weak...I could not move it to the inside of my right cheek, but fine on the inside of my left cheek. So my neuro ordered an EMG...which is scheduled for next friday.
Let me throw a caveat in here...I have severe stomach acid problems and take to prescription Previcid morning and afternoon. I read a medical paper about reflux and it's relations to swallowing/voice symptoms so on a whim I started taking 1 Tagamet at bedtime to help control acid while I slept. Low and behold, within a week my tongue was able to move inside my right cheek again, not as good as left cheek but 100% more than it was....coincidence or not...and it still does move fairly free.
Now another caveat...one that my wife has said all along she feels is the cause of my speech issues.
In Dec of 2011, yes the same month I noticed speech issues, I had a major dental procedure on the upper left side of my mouth....2 molars drilled out and filled. In Jan I had a cap placed on a lower right side tooth in back. All of my Dr.s say that it's highly unlikely that dental work could have caused all these symptoms.
Last week I had to see the dentist for an irritaion on my lower back teeth...seemed a filling was floating and so he novacained me up and fixed the filling. Now here is the weirdest thing yet...for the next 2 days after this procedure, my speech returned to an almost pre issue state. Not 100% but better by at least 75%. Within 3 days however it was getting worse again....still not as bad as it was, maybe 25-50% better than pre-dental procedure.
Anyway...sorry for the book, but has anyone else ever had any issues like this before? I don't mean swallowing or speech, but I mean have things get better and then worse again? What about stomach acid issues or dental procedures causing problems with speech or tongue movements?
I know that once the tongue EMG is performed next friday I'll know more...but even that won't explain the sudden improvemnts I have seen in the past couple of weeks. Even though I am receding again it is still better than before.
Ideas?...tell me to shut-up...get lost....or both!
Thank for reading and prayers to everyone!

 

[Alyoop]

It's highly unlikely that people gp here have had similar issues, with regards to dental issues etc. it's all very intriguing! Sounds like your dentist needs to do a bit of journal searching on your behalf. The dental link sounds pretty convincing. Al's would not get better and improve like that, so that's great news. The EMG will give you a definitive answer, so try not to second guess everything until then.

 

[Toto's Dorothy]

As you mentioned in your post, yes a cid re flux can and does cause pro blems with spee ch. As for Be ll's Pal sy, I highly doubt that as it is ra pid on set as in hours to days. Also if your doc tor thought that, I'm surprised he didn't do any further te sting and trea t ment.

I agree with Aly, check with your den tist about your symp toms and I guess you will have some closure after Friday's EMG.

Good Luck to you Friday and let us know of your re sults.

 

[notme]

I had dental work cause trigeminal neuralgia. I'd think it was very possible a nerve was affected by a dental procedure.

As ALY said, bulbar ALS just doesn't get better. It slowly insidiously gets worse.

As to reflux, it can burn everything in the esophagus if severe enough. I take Prilosec 2 times a day and have to sleep with my head elevated.

 

[jellis86]

Thanks for the reponses!
Not to self diagnose...yeah right...but I am really looking into TMJ as a cause of my speech issues. The reason I believe this is because after I had the novacaine 2 weeks ago, my speech was almost back to normal for 2 days, well normal for me! I think the best was the day after the procedure and then slowly it has gone back to where it was before the dental work. Novcaine would artificially relax the muscles that are tense due to TMJ.
OK..I might be nuts, but everyone else told me I sounded clear, and that was before I told them I had gone to the dentist the day before.
I still have the EMG of my tongue this friday and that will be the definitive answer...either good or bad!

 

[momap53]

Good luck on Friday. Hope it's a dental issue.

 

[jellis86]

Had the EMG/NVC test yesterday.
I was hoping to get the results right away but alas I was told I should hear about it on Monday. He said he had some number crunching etc. do do first and would then forward the results to my Neurologist. The Dr. did say that based on what he saw of the NVC tests, he did not think I had Myasthenia Gravis....which confirmed the blood test administered this past summer.
He tested several muscles in my right arm and my left leg. He chose my left leg because he said it showed stronger reflex action. The he tested my tongue through my chin/neck area.
The whole time he was asking me questions about current symptoms...clumsiness, difficulty using keys, dropping things, dexterity, etc. I told him the only real symptom I have is my speech/lisped speech. He also asked my about muscle twitches and I told him that I have them but no more or less than what I have always experienced. It's hard to explain but everything that happens to me now is amplified in my mind....neck or arm twitches that last only a few seconds and might happen only one time are imprinted in my brain whereas before they happened and I couldn't have cared less.

I can say with assurance that the EMG portion, needle pokes, were almost 100% pain free, even through my chin/neck area to my tongue. However, the NVC portion, especially the repetitive shock conduction study for detection of Myasthenia Gravis, was somewhat uncomfortable....but not unbearably so!

I will update hopefully on Monday of the results.

 

[notme]

If your EMG was anything resembling paid free, I need your doc. I'll never have another one for any reason. Same goes for the NCV. it was horrid.

I'd never heard about it testing for MG. it's to test for trapped nerves or nerve damage, I thought.

 

[momap53]

Jellies, I had the tongue shish ka bob with my 3rd EMG. The idea of it was much worse than the actual procedure itself. I'm glad they "sprung" it on me so I didn't have time to think about it. I, too found the NVC more uncomfortable than the needles.
So sorry you had to wait for results. I've been lucky to get the info from the Neuro doing the test, except for at Mayo where I went for a second opinion, but I already had a DX by then, it was just to note progression and confirm.
I'll keep you in my prayers while you wait

 

[jellis86]

Unfortunately I am not going to get results until tomorrow since my Neurologist is out of the office today.
The nurse did tell me that if it was urgent, the on call would have contacted me. But to me what would be urgent about an EMG that couldn't wait until later? So I still have no idea....

Sorry to hear how bad the EMG test was for you notme! Like I said the actual needle pokes were almost painless. But when they strapped my right hand flat and shocked me 8 times 3 times in a row, (total of 24 shocks in less than 3 minutes) and that was after all the other shocks...it was to say the least excruciating!

So I will update tomorrow once I hear from him.

Thanks all!

 

[jellis86]

No results now until Friday at 1:00....seems that the neuro has to go over the results with me in person.
Sure is disconcerting!

 

[ottawa girl]

Good luck on Friday. I'm wishing and praying for best news possible.

 

[notme]

Jelli, please when you post, break up huge blocks of text. I don't know about others, but they are very difficult for me to read. Good luck Friday. Keep us posted.

 

[jellis86]

Dirty EMG....a few 1+ readings on rt arm and left leg and a 2+ in my tongue.

Next are the tests to try and rule out ALS...Lumbar puncture, spine/neck MRI, Heavy Metals, more blood tests, etc.

If they all come back negative then it is off to Mayo in Rochester for 2nd opinion.

He is going to look into the Novocaine issue of making my speech good for a couple of days. He thought that was very interesting.

 

[momap53]

Sorry to hear that the EMG was dirty, now more tests and more waiting for results. I'll say a prayer for patience and peace while you wait.