Anyone care to take a stab at this....

[PackersFan]

I posted a few weeks back about the weakness in my right shoulder, wrist, hand. At that point i had an emg last month (with a NCV) on my right arm- all came back normal. Since then i've been to my GP who pretty much has no clue as to what it could be since he feels the neurologist has done multiple tests and all came back negative. I also went to my monthly chiropractic visit and told him about it. He had me do a grip test which showed that my right hand (which is my dominant hand) had a weaker grip- it was 105 on left side and 95 on right side. He said that he would normally send me to see a Neuro to be tested for MS or ALS but since i just had the clean emg that it was not necessary. So.......no one knows. I don't want to go back to my neuro because he thinks the fact that i'm 30 years old and we've done numerous tests is a clear indication that nothing is wrong and he's pretty dismissive of me.
I'm just not sure where to go from here....
There's really no pain or numbness in my right hand/arm. Just the occasional twitch and fatigue/weakness. I go back to the chiro again next week and i'm gonna see what he thinks. He gave me some exercises to do to see if it helps with 'blood flow' in my hand/wrist and some exercise band workout for my shoulder.
Not sure what the next step would be and who to see next. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm not freaking out about ALS but would definitely love for someone to say "this is what's going on". Since the Dr's aren't very helpful i have turned back to the wonderful people on this forum.

Fire away.....

 

[Alyoop]

If it has the doctors stumped then we are probably not much help. I daresay you have had an MRI of your neck? I have a weak dominant hand due to a neck injury. If youe EMG is OK, then that takes ALS off the table, considering you have weakness. It would have shown up as a very abnormal test.
Sometimes, things like MS take a while to show themselves, with the lesions not showing up until a later date. It maybe just a matter of waiting and seeing over time what may happen
Wish you the best.

 

[PackersFan]

Hey Alyoop,

Thanks for the reply. I had an MRI last year when this adventure started with my neuro. They checked brain and spine- all came back normal. I guess the one thing that bothers me a bit is that we only really have one neurologist office in our city and my neuro, even though he's a really nice guy, is fairly dismissive and sometimes comes across like he's bothered to even check these things. You're right, just gonna do the exercises and give it some time and see how things go. Just didn't know if anyone else had any suggestions for weak arm/hand with no pain.
Thanks again for the reply!

 

[laurel]

I would query some post viral residuals. Hopefully that is it, and time will tell. Best of luck.

Laurel

 

[Luke]

I'm sorry you've got this issue and can't get any real answers. I'd just treat it as an annoying but not scary thing and make the adaptations to your tasks so you can still do the things you need to do. Perhaps in time the source of the problem will become clear and you can address it at that time. Depending on your health coverage and ability to travel, maybe you could seek a second opinion, too. Take care.

 

[Tokahfang]

And remember, if your hand weakness gets worse and you need things to help out, it doesn't require a diagnosis to get most of the helpful stuff. Most of it is cash purchases. Living with a disability of any kind is about maximizing the ability you do have, so keep that in mind. Typing, eating, shaving, etc can all be done with no grip strength whatsoever once you are set up for it. We can't tell you what it is, but feel free to come back with those practical questions.

 

[vickim]

It took me nearly 5 years, 2 general practioners, and 3 neurologists to get a diagnosis. The neuro I see now specializes is muscular problems and works through a university hospital. University or teaching hospitals listen alittle more than some who has a private practice , thats my opinion anyway.

 

[hjlindley]

Agree with Vicki about teaching hospitals. I had the ulnar nerve moved whenthe han d got weak, got better for a while, got worse and off the hand specialist who said it was my neck. The neurologist wasn't sure but with a negative EMG he fused my spine. My weakness progress and I had a probable diagnosis 2009 from an ALS specialist. He didn't say anything because I still didn't have a dirty EMG. After a lumbar fusion, which I've been expecting for some years due to a birth defect, we finally got a dirty EMG in 2011. This is a deductive diagnosis, which means they have to eliminate an incredible number of things that can cause weakness. In me, they even sent off a blood test for heritary pressure point neuropathy (rare as all get out).The good n ews is it is a rare disease, but not all neurologists have sen the wide range of clinical presentations. I had just hand weahness for 3 years. Find an ALS specialist, but don't let this panic you until someone who knows this thing well tells you. Good luck!