Hello all,
A lot to read below, I hope someone still finds the time, very grateful for your time.
I am a 32 year old male who has been having a lot of problems within the last 3 years. It began with problems I don't think are related, I got chronic right sided headache, progressing into neck pain in the same side, then over the years I began getting pain in my entire right side of the body, from head to to, I got pain from the muscle leading from the neck to the scapula, then the pain extended into shoulder and right neck/throath, then the right ribcage, then lower right back, then right arm. A LOT of pain. I also had two episodes of vertigo for months were the ground shaked and jumped. Concurrently, I had fasciculations in my calfs and other places. I know most of this might be relevant. I had a clean EMG in 2012 with lots of fasciculations seen but otherwise then ok.
As bad as all this was, I could live with it.
Then maybe 5-6 months ago, following bouts of severe fatigue, I began getting fasciculations in my back, in the right scapula area where the pain was. My arms was getting stiff and very sore, my shoulder and shoulder muscles hurting like hell. I began walking staggering,a little to the left, a little to the right, I swayed when standing up, feeling like I was falling backwards and not always on balance.
All this while being followed by neuros who did tests for MS and other things, no one has suspected ALS so far, but things have evolved.
I went to a physioterapist for my right sided back, shoulder and arm pain. He looked me over and then told me 'your right side looks atrophied' the muscles running along the spine were much weaker, in his words 'sunken in'. The erector spinae muscles.
I then got other people to check and they saw the same thing. I noticed that my right pectoralis (chest) muscle was also now significantly smaller than the left and that the muscles overlying the right scapula (subscapularis) is 'sunken in' and pretty much a hole as my brother told me.
There is no doubt that my entire right side from the lower back to upper back to right pectoralis muscle has atrophied. Now I think the pain is not from overuse but from atrophy and shortening. I look at my right hand and I think it looks a bit less fleshy.
I was an avid weightlifter before and know my muscles and my body. I noticed that when I did hyperextensions for the back muscles my walking has improved when my muscles right after training are stiff. My poor walking seems to be because of lack of back muscle at least in one side.
I do not yet have any clinical weakness except my right hand which fatigues quickly and feels 'stiff'. After I use it, it might feel like it is sort of in the same position. I hurt a lot in the entire right back and arm section after excercise or doing anything really.
I also have a disc prolapse in C5/C6 with nerve root compression (same side as problems) and some medulla pressure, but surgeons tell me this should not explain my symptoms. I also tested positive for Lyme IgG but not IgM which doctors tell me means I don't have the disease now and that there are false positives. I have a lot (30+) white spots on MRI, which have never been properly diagnosed.
I am due for an EMG in 14 days, but I am worried sick. I had a lot of muscle mass in the past and I fear that though I don't have clinical weakness, what i am experiencing is muscle atrophy due to some motor neuron disease. There is no doubt my right side has less muscle than my left and I am a right handed. I fear the pain is from atrophy. I am very scared now.
A lot to read below, I hope someone still finds the time, very grateful for your time.
I am a 32 year old male who has been having a lot of problems within the last 3 years. It began with problems I don't think are related, I got chronic right sided headache, progressing into neck pain in the same side, then over the years I began getting pain in my entire right side of the body, from head to to, I got pain from the muscle leading from the neck to the scapula, then the pain extended into shoulder and right neck/throath, then the right ribcage, then lower right back, then right arm. A LOT of pain. I also had two episodes of vertigo for months were the ground shaked and jumped. Concurrently, I had fasciculations in my calfs and other places. I know most of this might be relevant. I had a clean EMG in 2012 with lots of fasciculations seen but otherwise then ok.
As bad as all this was, I could live with it.
Then maybe 5-6 months ago, following bouts of severe fatigue, I began getting fasciculations in my back, in the right scapula area where the pain was. My arms was getting stiff and very sore, my shoulder and shoulder muscles hurting like hell. I began walking staggering,a little to the left, a little to the right, I swayed when standing up, feeling like I was falling backwards and not always on balance.
All this while being followed by neuros who did tests for MS and other things, no one has suspected ALS so far, but things have evolved.
I went to a physioterapist for my right sided back, shoulder and arm pain. He looked me over and then told me 'your right side looks atrophied' the muscles running along the spine were much weaker, in his words 'sunken in'. The erector spinae muscles.
I then got other people to check and they saw the same thing. I noticed that my right pectoralis (chest) muscle was also now significantly smaller than the left and that the muscles overlying the right scapula (subscapularis) is 'sunken in' and pretty much a hole as my brother told me.
There is no doubt that my entire right side from the lower back to upper back to right pectoralis muscle has atrophied. Now I think the pain is not from overuse but from atrophy and shortening. I look at my right hand and I think it looks a bit less fleshy.
I was an avid weightlifter before and know my muscles and my body. I noticed that when I did hyperextensions for the back muscles my walking has improved when my muscles right after training are stiff. My poor walking seems to be because of lack of back muscle at least in one side.
I do not yet have any clinical weakness except my right hand which fatigues quickly and feels 'stiff'. After I use it, it might feel like it is sort of in the same position. I hurt a lot in the entire right back and arm section after excercise or doing anything really.
I also have a disc prolapse in C5/C6 with nerve root compression (same side as problems) and some medulla pressure, but surgeons tell me this should not explain my symptoms. I also tested positive for Lyme IgG but not IgM which doctors tell me means I don't have the disease now and that there are false positives. I have a lot (30+) white spots on MRI, which have never been properly diagnosed.
I am due for an EMG in 14 days, but I am worried sick. I had a lot of muscle mass in the past and I fear that though I don't have clinical weakness, what i am experiencing is muscle atrophy due to some motor neuron disease. There is no doubt my right side has less muscle than my left and I am a right handed. I fear the pain is from atrophy. I am very scared now.