a question to ask

[paul1976]

hello everyone, i hope it is okay to ask for some advice,.
i have read the "sticky" but hope it is okay to write here and ask also.

i feel its best to write a brief history rather than a series of questions as hopefully the picture becomes clearer.
last summer i noticed some vibration feelings in my right foot, and i guess this became a bit more prominent during the year. mostly at night in bed and then at the desk at work... incidentally id also have lower back spasms / issues or leg cramps when waking up...

in january these vibrations started more strongly in my right foot and then jumped to my left foot... (ill call them internal vibrations) for a while i would feel muscle twitches (seen and not seen) around the feet but not always...

the muscle twitches i can see, have since spread up wards and around my body although not as often as i feel them in the feet or lower legs.
in the last weeks the internal vibrations seem to have calmed down or disappeared, but i do feel the twitching (can/ cant see) in both feet and twitching around the body that i can see sometimes

i have had some pain in my left leg since the turn of the year, or soreness rather, and some feeling of heat in the left foot once in a while...

in my mind i admit ive got a lot of anxiety and i have seen the doctor, who gave me the usual tests and i was "fine"... i have since been referred to a neurologist, who after checking me with the hand / eye / reflex test offered an xray of two points (lower back and neck area) referring to past issues ive had there (slight compression of cord and lower back pain issues... she offered me the option of an MRI to put me at ease so i went for this of course and will have these tests over the next weeks... but no EMG test yet...

uncertainty is everything i guess... ive so far not experienced any muscle wasting or obvious changes in power or strength, balance or flexibility... no weakness... at one point i read that fasciculations are not a symptom of ALS at the start, and other times i read a few get this also... in my own mind the vibrations were the start of the problem for me and things have evolved from there, ive had the back spasms throughout my life when im particularly unhealthy to know this isnt a new symptom so the upcoming xray may shed light on that issue hopefully..

ive read a lot, but realized little i guess... so i warmly take any advice you may have.

my very kindest regards and respect
paul

 

[lgelb]

Asked and answered. There is no indication for an EMG that I can see.

You have pre-existing spine problems and anxiety, and one feeds the consequences of the other. As you remember that vibrations, feelings of heat, soreness and twitches are all extremely common and that loss of motor function is the hallmark of ALS, you might also contemplate the many empiric "treatments" that you can try to improve your lot, from self-massage to a new pillow/mattress/work chair if/as warranted. Positioning, stretching, nutrition, hydration, stress and sleep are all worth a look.

Best,
Laurie

 

[affected]

Just stick to what is in the sticky your read, and your questions are all answered - nothing of ALS in what you have written. Great news for you!

 

[paul1976]

thank you so much for your kind words of support and advice Laurie & Tillie, i really do appreciate you taking the time to reply!