calf weakness, twitching and hand symptoms

[Dougfunny]

Hi everyone. I've been having a lot of muscle twitches mostly in my calf areas and thighs but all over as well. Also my left calf feels weaker than my right even though I can still walk around on my tip toes and heels on both feet.

Another thing I noticed is that it is difficult to straighten my pinky out all the way when I do the hang loose sign where you stick out your thumb and pinky. I was kind of doing it as a joke and I noticed that my pinky would not straighten out I don't know if that's a possible symptom. Also my left hand with the wonky pinky was trembling but not my right

I had an aunt who had als who sadly is no longer here. When she died 4 years ago I became obsessed with flexing my fingers to test for it but I gradually lost concern for symptoms and everything was fine. Even though I've never stopped flexing my fingers since then.

I am having a stressful time now with a lot of big decisions and I didn't want to have to post here and bother anyone but last night with the twitching non stop and reading about people who presented initially with twitching has really freaked me out. I have been crying and just feeling completely alone.

I'm sorry if this all sounds ridiculously stupid. I am aware that I probably just have too much stress. I have a doctor appointment scheduled tomorrow so I will see what they say. In the mean time if anyone would like to offer their 2 cents I would much appreciate it.

 

[Nikki J]

I am very sorry about your aunt. It is a terrible and traumatic thing to lose a loved one to ALS

Twitches as you likely know mean nothing without weakness. ALS weakness is not what feel but what doesn’t work properly anymore

Your finger could be anything or nothing.

Glad you are seeing your doctor. They can examine you and tell you if anything is actually weak ( even then there are many causes). Be sure to tell them how distressed you are.

Let us know what the doctor says but don’t worry. I suspect you will be reassured

 

[Dougfunny]

Thank you for your response Nikki. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I also forgot to mention that my voice feels weaker like muffled with phlegm. I can't seem to clear my throat and there are twitches there as well. Also my throat feels very tight but I am able to drink water easily.No slurring or lisping. Does that sound like als?

 

[Vincent]

Take away everything that starts with it "feels", and there aren't many symptoms left. Again ALS IS FAILING NOT FEELING. My entire body feels fine but there are muscles that do not contract. It feels like I should be able to do anything, but somethings do not work any more.
As far as it being hereditary, if it ran in your family you would have more than just your aunt. There would be multiple cases over many generations. I think you can relax as far as ALS goes.
Vincent

 

[lgelb]

Doug, presuming the doctor reassures you, it might be a good time to talk with someone you trust and/or a counselor, about these big decisions. When you feel stressed, memories like your aunt's death, which I'm sorry to hear about, and the time you spent worrying about your own health can come back doubled, and affect your body in many ways.

As Nikki notes, twitching without loss of ability is nothing to worry about and many of us have a wonky pinky -- not a finger we exercise a lot.

Best,
Laurie

 

[Dougfunny]

Thank you all for your responses. You are very kind people and I wish you all the best. Dr did not think anything or even test anything but I'm pretty sure I'm just really stressed out. I appreciate all your kindness.

 

[Dougfunny]

Hi all again. Id like to ask a question about clinical weakness.
When I stand on tip toes on one leg, it seems my right leg is far more competent and has way more endurance than my left. I also notice when I walk that the right leg seems stronger and easier to move without thinking. I can still walk on tip toes and heels but my question is, could this be the start of clinical weakness?

 

[lgelb]

The human body is not perfectly symmetrical in terms of strength on both sides, whether it be arms, legs, core, what have you.

Most of us have a dominant leg, e.g. that you would kick a ball with.

Most of us would balance better on one leg than the other.

There is nothing to worry about, but sometimes you will want to give the "weaker" leg or arm more work if you want to become more symmetrical for sports, looks or fitness.

 

[Dougfunny]

Thank you for your response Igelb. That all makes sense and it could be that I've never tested my balance and strength before all this twitching nonsense started but I'm wondering if this weakness sounds similar to how clinical weakness initially presents itself? Again, thank you for taking time to answer.

 

[Nikki J]

No it really doesn’t sound familiar.

Your doctor apparently thought all was fine. If you can’t accept that go back to them and discuss your fears and how to deal with them. They will tell you how to proceed

 

[Dougfunny]

Hi everyone

I started with symptoms 6 months ago, I had trouble stepping off the ball of my left foot (unsteady balance one one foot) and twitching all over. My twitching has since calmed down but is still active and most active in my left calf and foot.

Its still hard to step off the ball of my left foot and my left leg gets tired much more easily. Since most of the twitches are concentrated there it makes me concerned that I am developing weakness. My left calf also appears to be smaller.

I can still stand on top toes and heels but my left leg will get very tired and fall much more quickly than my right when standing on one foot on top toes. Does anyone have input on what could be happening? Would I be more weak at this point if it was mnd?Thank you!

 

[KarenNWendyn]

It doesn’t sound a whole lot different from 6 months ago, but I’d suggest seeing your doctor to get it checked out and compare to your previous exam.

 

[Dougfunny]

I'm working out of town in the country so I can't see my neurologist right now was just wondering if I would be displaying more obvious signs of weakness at six months in like not being able to stand on tip toes or heels? The weakness has kind of felt the same and I still appear to walk normal but I don't know if that will change soon

 

[KarenNWendyn]

just wondering if I would be displaying more obvious signs of weakness at six months in like not being able to stand on tip toes or heels?

Doug, most likely that would be the case. Part of the criteria for diagnosing ALS is documenting disease progression. That said, people with ALS progress at different rates, and some hit long plateaus where progression seems to be at a standstill. So there is no standard time course.

Please read through the prior posts in this thread. We don’t believe you have ALS based on your symptoms. Keep in mind that what is important when it comes to diagnosing ALS is the big picture: clinical weakness as determined by a physician, characteristic EMG changes in multiple muscle areas, upper motor neuron signs, evidence of disease progression, and ruling out ALS mimics.

So while we can give you our opinions that your story doesn’t suggest ALS and hope to reassure you, we also suggest followup with a physician if you remain concerned.