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Did your neuro detect clinical weakness and/or atrophy? He's right -MND is not what you want. Be patient, it may take awhile to figure out what's going on with you. Twitching is annoying but at least it's not painful.
 
He did a strength test (had me grip his fingers with both hands), and checked my arms and legs and didn't see any visible atrophy the first time I visited. He didn't do any of that yesterday, though, just tested my reflexes with a little hammer.

I'm wondering if the problem with my arm could be due to a herniated disc? I had an operation for lumbar disc herniation, so maybe there's a herniated disc in my neck or upper back? That wouldn't explain the fasciculations in my calves, though. And when my lumbar discs got herniated, I had massive pain, the worst in my life. Now, there's no such pain, just clumsiness and a feeling of weakness.

Still, since my arm is what's bothering me, wouldn't the fasciculations be in my arm rather than my calves?

I don't really understand any of this.
 
Maybe you need a mri or catscan of the entire spine. Back problems can cause what you are having issues with. Sometimes after surgery scar tissue can build up and cause problems too. I hope you find out what is wrong.
 
My spinal surgeon seemed confident that the fasciculations were not caused by the surgery, is it possible he could be wrong? This may be the wrong forum to ask such a question, though.
 
Well, I've been taking the anticonvulsants for a week now, but they've had no effect.

I'm seeing the neuro tomorrow again for a follow-up.

What should I ask next? My condition hasn't changed at all.
 
Let the dr make the decision of what to do next. Sometimes a dr will label you as anxiety and stress related. Just tell them what is going on and discuss all the options.
 
I met my neurologist today. The anticonvulsants had no effect, which concerned him. I asked him if he still thought it was benign, and he started speaking how he had thought it was benign...but he kept speaking in the past tense. I tried to pin him down a little and asked him if, after the blood test and the drugs, what his opinion was NOW. He kind of frowned, closed his eyes for a few seconds, and said that he still thought it was most likely benign, but that he was concerned.

He mentioned the reasons he thought it was benign: fasciculations usually occur after atrophy, and my limbs show no signs of atrophy. He mentioned that since he began seeing me, I'd shown no signs of atrophy. But I've only been seeing him for two weeks since I first noticed the fasciculations! Does atrophy begin to show that quickly, in a manner of a couple of weeks? Does anyone know?

He then gave me a letter of referral to another hospital which has a larger neurological center. I'm going there next Tuesday, and he said they might schedule an EMG for me, or some other type of test. After that, I will go back to my original doctor to discuss the results.

The expression on his face when I asked him if he still thought it was benign scared me a little...it was like he was trying to think of the most noncommittal response. I get the vibe that he just doesn't have a clue at this point, and he expected the muscle relaxant or anti-convulsant to do the trick.

My question is, to those who know about this: would atrophy begin to show two weeks after the start of fasciculations? Does a motor neuron disorder progress that quickly? It just seems awfully fast, especially considering I've read on this forum about people waiting months and months and months to find out whether they had MND or something else.
 
My upper and lower arms have been aching pretty bad all day, and I just noticed the palm of my left hand twitching for a few minutes.

Could anyone tell me if achy muscles are a symptom of MND such as ALS? What's odd is that the clumsy feeling is in my right hand, but the aches and visible twitching are on the left.

In trying to take it easy day by day, but every time my body does something unexpected, it scares me a little. I still have to wait a week until my next appointment. I've started to see a counselor this week since my symptoms are causing me serious anxiety. The twitching in my calves simply will not stop, and I still have occasional twitches (just momentary) in my arms and right foot.
 
Oh, Jesus....I just stepped out of the shower and looked in the mirror and my right upper arm has definitely lost muscle tone compared to left.

This is really starting to scare me now.
 
Just a few more days to go till Tues. Don't let this get the best of ya till you see the doc. Find a way to change and calm your mind down till then. Think about about what you would tell your best friend if they were in your shoes; then practice what you would preach. Keep it in perspective. Good luck
 
I just keep thinking how unlikely it is that I do have it...I try to ignore it as much as possible because I know obsessing over symptoms just makes things worse. My initial google search brought me here, but I've avoided it since then. Hopefully the neuro at this new hospital knows a bit more about what my condition might be than my regular neurologist.
 
I am in the same shoes as you, I've been really stressed over this and i can't seem to keep my mind off of it. My doctor pins me as anxiety because i suffer it and i refused and got a neuro appointment for July2. But I am also feeling some of the same symptoms as you and it is very scary. Good luck to you hope all is well!
 
Does anyone know, or can anyone relate any personal experiences regarding how slowly/quickly fasciculations spread with ALS? I've had severe muscular twitching in both calves (even more than usual), and today I'm also having occasional twitches in both feet, both arms, and both hands. My left upper arm is twitching as I write this.

I'm really scared about this, and the only persons I've told are my mother and my best friend (who has told me just to avoid thinking about it...hard to do when your arms and legs are twitching like this!) as this is something I can't talk about with friends and co-workers.

Especially after the inconclusive nature of my last visit, I am getting quite anxious. The appointment with the new neuro isn't until Tuesday...

I started to see a counselor last week (don't know if I mentioned that before) because I've been a mess since these fasciculations started. My second appointment with him is on Saturday.
 
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