Babinski Sign always significant?

[johnnyliverpool]

dancer...your class................

 

[princessbeverley]

sorry, meant babinski, big toe going upwards and little toes fan out on 1 foot, stay the same on the other foot.His COPD was only diagnoised by a nurse at the asthma clinic.he does not gasp for breath has no trouble breathing with exercise or anything, does not have dicoloured lips like my uncle who has COPD. the doctor said his diaphram is out of coordination with his breathing, chest Xray clear no infection, but sometimes chokes whilst drinking and eating. they have not even referred him to any lung specialist just have given him an inhaler but does not seem to make a difference. he is not out of breath at any given time or even struggle for breath he just has lots of clear mucus? that he has to cough up? Its the stumbling dropping walking into door frames, banging doors and cups on the table, going to the shop then coming back because he has forgotton what he went for? he kicks out all night in bed and twitches as though he has had an electrical shock, he gets up twice during the evening to go to the toilet, but his prostate test is normal. he has had his field vision done but still bangs his head on car door or shed door etc. he has always been a lovely husband and father but now gets agitated easily and has had temper outbursts, something he never did before. the fact he can no longer play darts as he could before or even snooker, he dropped the balls on the floor yesterday. i can see my husband wasting away before my eyes and family and friends are constantly asking why is he so thin. He does the the most stupid things then denys them, he thought people where taking about him at work or when out socialising so the doctor put him on an anti anxiety tablet. he has a slight tremor in his hands and some times his face looks drooped the fascucilations in his head are more prominent now so more obvious to other people the GP said it was not normal to have them it was not caused by him chewing, his brain scan was normal so the neurologist wanted to see him in a year which is in feb 2011 but our GP wants him to be seen again now due to his symptoms getting worse, My friend died 5 years ago of Huntingtons, and my husband just reminds me of him prior to him been diagnoised. my husband was hit by a car last october and i asked if that could have caused this, but he had all the symptoms before, the doctor said it was a red herring as although he sees the cars he still walks out in front of them. I just hope we get to the bottom of this as it is a great strain for me and my son who is 11 with type 1 diabetes. Before he was ill he was so good with him, bike rides games etc but now he has no patience and my son can sense and see the changes in him. as to the answer about his COPD like i said it is classed as mild, he is only 44 years old it is all the other things that he does which is our cause for concern, thanks Princessbeverley

 

[olly]

well put johnny.
i do have babinski sign.............but when my feet are freezing cold i dont,they are just stiff and wont have any movement.
the moral of this story is.............make sure the feet are warmed up first.

 

[charlottecorday]

Princess,

You really have a dilemna. He's not a smoker?What about alcohol consumption? What meds? I understand this is personal, so don't disclose anything you don't feel comfortable saying. Toxicity could be part of the reason for some of his actions.Did you have his liver enzymes checked?I'll check back tomorrow, you really need to get some answers, or some peace. Try and get some rest tonight.

Today, I was told by my neurologist that a good neurologist could control whether or not you show the Babinski Sign, meaning, he doesn't weigh it heavily in diagnostics.

 

[charlottecorday]

O.K. Princess. Your Gp says he wants to see him now, or wants him to see the neurologist now? Now would be a good time to see a doc, before the poor guy gets run over.

I'm missing any signs of bloodwork. Liver, kidney, thyroid, blood sugar, calcium levels all could be helpful to rule out problems.Here, in the US, we have blood panels that include most of these and more in one sitting.If a GP orders them, it is cheaper than having a specialist like a neurologist order them.Has he had all these come back within normal limits?

If you said so, I missed it.Consult with your GP again, if you have the means.Please let us know.

 

[princessbeverley]

Hi, Charlotte thanks for the reply, my husband has had full bloods taken to rule everything from thyroid to diabetes full blood count everything, liver kideys and inflammatory markers which where elevated but he had a chest infection at the time. The GP rang today to say the Neurologist will see him again soon so just waiting for the appointment. in the meantime a friend called to say she asked if he was ok . last night in the pub and he was nasty and started shouting at her saying he was fit and its me who is ill, she has known him all her life and was most upset by his reaction, she was so concerned, today another friend asked if he has cancer because he is so thin. He is total denial and says he has only lost 4 pounds when in reality its more like 24 pounds. he can see the twitches over his body but cannot feel them they do not bother him in any way. He says because his brain scan and Xray were clear and his blood tests are normal he is fit and well. Its the change in personality the fact that he is so clumsy and forgetful, he says things like i do not love him and there is nothing wrong with him its me who wants him to be ill. I find this distressing. there is not a day goes by without him dropping something or tripping over something and as for the coughing fits and choking he takes twice as long to eat his food and cuts it all up in small pieces to eat it. my family are supportive but my step fater is dying of cancer, and we lost my father may 2009 to cancer all of which my husband finds hard to deal with it seem to make his symptoms worse with any form of stress.he smokes a lot and drinks in moderation socialy. he is not the same man at all since oct 2009 he is thin twitchy agitated nasty clumsy forgetful inconsiderate and i just want to help him but he can see nothing, the neurologist we saw in march i felt listened to my husbands lies, talked about golf snooker etc golf he has not played for over 12 months and snooker he was the best now not so good, I do not know what to do most of the time i just keep quiet when he breaks things but inside i am fuming, he broke my garden hammock a few weeks ago he just dragged it till it split in half. Its driving me mad i am so upset all our family and friends can see the changes i just hope the neurologist can before he realy hurts himself,the quicker they can find a reason for this the better it will be for him. will it? i hope? my instinct tells me there is something seriously wrong with him and that is the familys opinion. as for my husband he is in total denial and makes excuses for his behavior blaming everyone but himself. My marriage is at stake because if he is well and fit i could not live my life with a nasty aggressive man, i have a 11 year old to think of. verbal abuse is so wrong so there must be an answer to all of this, why does he twitch fall over drop things cough choke have erratic behavior, He is embarrased when he does these things and so he just turns and starts saying better get to the doctor ive broke a cup again whoops my tests are ok. I will pray again today for the strength to get me though this and hopefully will get some answers soon thanks beverley

 

[princessbeverley]

Hi Charlotte, forgot to mention the weight loss has been his muscles in his upper and lower legs his bottom has disapeared, and he has lost muscle in his arms back and chest he was a 40?42 inch chest now he is a 38 but his waist has remained the same at 33 inches?The back of his calfs look like they have 2 lines running up them and the skin on his legs hang when he is sat down. His hands and feet are also thinner? His face does not look full anymore and his cheeks seem to be droopy he was a healthy weight 18 months ago he just loses the weight slowly. Thanks, princessbeverley

 

[charlottecorday]

You are doing everything you can. None of this is your fault. I'm so concerned about you. I sense your anguish.

Sounds like everything is being done that can possibly be done.

Did they ever do a baseline chest xray, since he is a smoker, that would always be good. The liver enzymes and kidney function(especially) should have been rechecked after his chest infection. O.K.,you said the xray was clear.Was that a chest xray done in the last 6 months?You didn't specify.All this should be ordered by your GP, at least in the US, it would be more cost effective.Any information I give you is to be communicated to an MD.I am not an MD.

The neurologist will probably order an EMG/ncs.Sweetheart, did he already have this test, did you say?
If the results are not interpreted to your satisfaction, or you do not understand them, Wright can help you with that.

While you are at the neurologist, pull him aside, explain your anxiety and severe mental anguish(NORMAL).Maybe, he can prescribe you something to take the edge off.

The darkness is always before the dawn. Keep us all up to date.

 

[charlottecorday]

Princess,

I think I misunderstood you to write that the liver and kidney functions were elevated, but rereading, it appears you are trying to say they were normal. In that case, if it was recent, no need to recheck. Just wanted clarification.Let us know how YOU are.

 

[johnnyliverpool]

ok gang...what about the startle reflex?....weird or what?...dont have so much now but 6 months back..wow!....................funniest was in the docs waiting room.i was shuffling up and down having had to move from my seat cos i was stiffening up..you know the feeling, the microphone is in the ceiling and when the doc called my name i jumped a mile , legs and arms doing some sort of dance...the two receptionists at the desk started howling with laughter...i laughed along with them but its not altogether a pleasant feeling...got the startle with surprises also..and once i told my long suffering missus a little white lie and she caught me out..and sure enough off went the crazy legs and arms.....so whats your experiences...johnnyjumpy.

 

[olly]

i too am like that johnny,i can be very jumpy sometimes and it looks like i am a bag of nerves.
the incident with your wife and the white lie is also typical of pls.
when we are nervous,anxious ect it can suddenly increase reflexes and spasms.
we are just poor hypersensitive people lol

 

[johnnyliverpool]

looking in the mirror i suddenly noticed...i"d got a big head..!..........then i realised why..my shoulders had wasted, particularly my left one.....remembered neuro saying my left side had dropped....got exercising and got some muscle back....so"s i look nearly normal now...to be honest i look fantastic...tall handsome..i could go on but you might think am exagerating......anyone else had such a fright........johnnylier

 

[sadiemae]

Husband looked in the mirror(which he usually avoids) and noticed his arm has turned, and looks kind of deformed. He is wearing a brace now, to straighten it out,. HUGS Lori

 

[princessbeverley]

Hi, Charlotte, Thankyou for your reply, i feel much better when i get a good nights sleep which is not very often unless my husband sleeps in the other room, the constant banging and twitching drives me mad but does not bother him, it only started last year, prior to the that he always slept well. He has told his father whom we only see once a month that he has only lost a few pounds in weight and its due to the fact he does 150 press ups a day, HE NEVER DOES ANY! Thw neurologist we saw was unhelpful and arrogant, when i asked him about his unusual behavior he just said it was the family not the patient who notices it first and to bring him back in a year if his Physical symptoms get worse, which they have and it was not his doctor that referred him or the works doctor but mine after i had a ECG that shows signs of angina, he said he was not worried and he puts it down to stress of my son been diabetic , when i explained about my husbands ill health, his odd behavior and the fact he slurs now and again and is driving me up the wall because anything he does he denies or just does not see how wrong it is, he asked me to bring him in and he would look at him. which he did and said he didnot think the twitching on the side of his head was normal and his weight loss has been constant now for the past six months. So at last someone who is listening and could see the twitching, he asked him to sit with his shirt off, he said it was subtle but there. My husband passed the mini metal exam and could do the counting backwards etc, but its not that kind of problem. he will spit on the floor in door entrances? does not get bathed unless told to, uses bleach and spills it all over his clothes dressing gown etc when he promised not to touch it again. breaks keys in car door or house door but blames my daughter 25 who does not live with us? Everyday is stressful because you do not know what he will say or do, and he just cannot see anything is wrong, but all family and friends are asking us what is wrong. He said i have told them he is ill when i have not even seen these people. Ther are a few personal issues which i cannot even talk about, but i feel like throwing the towel in , like i said i pray and hope we will find the answer to his problem then hopefully things might get easier. I have SLE, Lupus and at present well due to my steroid injection will be starting my antimalarials after ive been to the hospitail over my so called angina , my appointment is tomorrow so fingers crossed everything is ok. In the meantime my husband who is at work at present is phoning me 6 to 8 times a day to see what i'm doing? many thanks for listening, princessbeverley.

 

[charlottecorday]

Hi Princess,

I will try to Pm you today. When I was new, still am rather, I did not understand the technical aspects of the forum,still don't. We are posting on a thread that regards the Babinski sign.

I just want to say, I am sorry you are having to go through all this.Sounds impossible to me.If you can't figure out the PM, feel welcome to keep posting here. I am sure everyone is concerned about you and your situation. In the meantime, if you can go to a health food store and purchase some Cayenne Pepper capsules, they may help with the"angina". Sounds like ,at this point, I would be having panic attacks.Go to an emergency room, if they are available if your physical problems get worse or continue. I understand now, all docs there are employed by the government.(very different here)

Bless you, dear.Hopefully, we will all figure things out one way or another, but then, there are some things we will never know.

I'm still not sure if you meant to say his liver and kidney function bloodwork was normal or not.Keep us up to date regarding yourself please.