Dr. visit yesterday

[monkey]

Hello everyone..
After hearing some of your suggestions about my complaints i went to the doctor yesterday. He really didn't seem that concerned (wow thats surprising) he seemed to focus on more of a anxiety issue than anything else. He did however take blood.. on the patient information sheet it states that he took,

Basic Panel -
* Glucose
* Calcium
* Sodium
* Potassium
* CO2 (carbon dioxide, bicarbonate)
* Chloride
* BUN (blood urea nitrogen)
* Creatinine

SED rate -
* Infection
* Inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
* Blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma
* Cancers that have spread (metastasized)

CPK muscle -
* Test measures the different forms of creatine phosphokinase in the blood.

I noticed he also wrote down Hypokalemia, which is a medical term for low potassium?

Well i get the results back today hopefully and i guess i will go from there.. i asked him about if it could be ALS, and he replied "It's to early to tell"... real comforting. Anyways if this test comes back negative he wants me to wait 2 weeks? What would you guys do in my situation? Should i demand to see a Neurologist ASAP? I will give everyone some background info on me.. I'm 21 years of age and i am very active, however in the past week i have muscle spasms all over my body and what also feels like my hands and feet are trying to cramp but never do? It often feels like it is hard to control my hands to do simple tasks because they want to stiffen up. I dont think i have any weakness but i am unsure due to my hands not working correctly.

 

[Jamiet]

just hang in there.

Wait for the blood test.

your really young for ALs, really young. it's almost unheard of at your age.

Based upon the blood test, then, go from there. This all takes time to work itself out.

 

[brooksea]

Sorry you had such an experience with your doctor. Did he not even ask why you would think you had ALS?

Hang in there, like Jamie said, you are really so young to have ALS.

Wish you the best.

cj

 

[Al]

Hi monkey. You really haven't had these symptoms long enough for anyone to tell if it is ALS. It will take some time to percolate your symptoms into something definable. You are stressing yourself way too much. Relax. I know it's hard but you have to do it.
AL.

 

[ltr]

Hi Monkey - your doctor really can't send you to a neuro until the results of your bloodwork comes back. The doc has to rule out the simple things, which could be the problem, first. I did notice there wasn't a magnesium level listed in your bloodwork, which could be another source of your problems. You may want to ask your doc about that because that would be a very, very simple explanation. I also have had my hands giving me a difficult time doing tasks because of spasticity, and it's been going on a year! So, hang in there, like the others said, it really takes some time. And, hopefully it might clear up while you're waiting! Good luck. Leslie

 

[monkey]

*Update*

Hey guys,
Got the results back, they said everything looked normal.. i don't know if that is good news or not. My muscle cramps are starting to get bad, it seems when i drive my foot wants to cramp up when i press the accelerator or my hand wants to cramp up when i turn the wheel. Has anyone else experienced this? This seems to be occurring to fast to be ALS, im so confused on what to do now.

 

[ltr]

Did you ask about that Magnesium? It's a simple fix and can cause your symptoms. Leslie