Weakness again.....

[Tiname]

I must ask...I have for the past 6 weeks experienced more and more weakness in my right arm and leg. I can still do the same things as before, but my arm and leg gets very easily fatigued, sore, exhausted really. They feel heavy kind of.... If I have been to the gym f.ex these muscles will ache, cramp and stiffen up much more tran the others..... Is this the start of What is called clinical weakness? Did and of You experience these symptoms as the start of your weakness? The affected muscles were tested by EMG 5 weeks ago,. Normal results.. I also have widespread fascikulations, maybe more in my legs...
My weakness startes similarly in the right leg/foot/thigh and the entire right arm, I feel the progression of these muscles are the same too....

I feel so frustrated, Maybe I should do another EMG...?

I appreciate all your thoughts and input on this one.... Thank You!

Tina

 

[vzandt]

Five weeks ago you had a clean Emg. That is great news. Please read the thread on clinical/perceived weakness. Its very good. If you can still do things that's great to. My husband CANNOT do things. It is impossible. His brain says "move my foot" his foot does not move.

 

[ottawa girl]

Please - yes- request another EMG. (gotta love universal healthcare) Do return to us 6 - 8 weeks hence, and tell us it's clean, yet again.
Since good news from your doctors does not satisfy your ALS cravings, I suggest you open new cans of neurologists, until you hit upon one who actually agrees with you.

While this forum is not a krabbelag (crab feast), you are making me somewhat "crabby".

I envy your achy muscles due to exercise and I would happily and greedily ingest magnesium or 70% chocolate to lessen the pain.

Oh what the heck- I'll have the chocolate anyway!

 

[momap53]

Go back and read our responses from your last thread. Nothing has changed

 

[edwards5257]

Tiname, ask any question you want!

 

[momofsixkids60]

Tina, you posted on the 9 of September (I did a little reading). ALS does not progress quickly over days to weeks time. Having an emg would be a waste of money and the doc tors time. Please listen to the re sponse from Wright.

As for some of your activities, maybe slow it down at the gym. Read the stickies, the po st by notme on per ceiv ed or real weak ness, Sadiemaes po st als or b f s, and visit a bout b f s do t co m. Also, you might want to visit your GP for some an xi e ty meds. It might help.

Good luck,

 

[notme]

I am very thankful for your replies... and it seems like Wright especially, is well experienced in the emg-area.... I am of course glad that my emg 3 weeks ago was normal, but my weakness in right leg and arm are worse now ( stiff, cold, sometimes buzzing, pins and needles...awkward when walking) and my neuro tells me to do another emg in 6 months if I still have the fasciculations.. Why would he take a new emg if the one I did not show anything? That is why I find it a bit difficult to trust the phrase " clean emg : no als... But of course I want to! one more thing if you can help: The only thing on my emg was a bit slow speed in the NCV, I think it was in the nerve from my foot to my back? Anyone knows what this means? The neuro didn't mention it any further....

Your EMG was normal. Fasciculation in ALS are seen, yes, but people without ALS get them, too.

Many of your things such as buzzing, cold, tingling, pins & needles, etc. are sensory. Sensory nerves are not the nerves ALS affects.

He said he'd repeat it in six months if the issues persisted because doctors have to protect themselves from sue-happy people.

In ALS weakness (and I mean weakness that a doctor notices when he examines you) OR spasticity or pathological reflexes upon clinical exam are ALWAYS present in ALS

Always.

A feeling of being weak or fatigued is very different than real weakness. With yor weakness, if you saw a child about to run into the street, you could reach out and lift him from harms way.

A person with ALS weakness would not be able to do so. The real strength necessary would simply not be there.

You don't report any UMN issues on your doc exam, nor weakness on your exam. All the people here that we're told they had ALS had true weakness or true co firmed signs of UMN issues....all of them.

Most started with one hand or one foot. It can be several months before another limb shows visible signs a person sees, but the EMG will show them months before they are visible to the one being tested. Those that have symptoms of bulbar have speech issues as a first sign...again, noticed by a doctor.

Read B. F. S and some of the places already suggested. We can't say that you don't have a pulled muscle or that you haven't overdone something or that you don't have some sort of deficiency...but your sym ptoms suggest the one thing you do not have: ALS

Follow up with your doc to check those other potential issues.

 

[hopeangel66]

i know that everyone progresses at a different rate, that no two cases of ALS follow the same pattern of loss, but what i'd like to find out, is if you have lower motor neuron loss in both lower extremities as a starting point, then it goes up the trunk thru the core muscles and into right hand, then is it possible that you could lose your breathing abilities before you lose complete loss of everything else. have noticed a weaker sneeze, abiity to blow nose, cough ----- are these indicators of diaphragm weakness and possibly next breathing loss? thought maybe someone might know. would rather go sooner than later with this evil dis.

 

[Alyoop]

It might be a good idea to start your own Thread under people with ALs rather than here. You will get a good deal of help from people with first hand knowledge of the illness.
You can indeed have diaphragm involvement without the loss of everything else. You should go and see your doctor and have your breathing assessed .

 

[hopeangel66]

thanks alyoop for the suggestion about a new thread.
have my own SAT and the numbers are good.
probably should see a pulmonologist next --- if for nothing else a baseline.

 

[notme]

Angel, see if your neuro can refer you to one familiar with ALS. SATS alone aren't enough to go by. You can always post on other parts of the forum, too. Many with actual ALS avoid this DIH ASECTION like the plague