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Stjudetinkerbell

New member
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
5
Reason
CALS
Diagnosis
08/2013
Country
US
State
Arkansas
City
Harrisburg
My husband is in his mid 40's and has been walking 3 miles a day for the past 2 months. He is active. He noticed that his calf muscle on his right leg is smaller than the other one. He went to the doctor and they are sending him to a neurologist and order test. ASL keeps coming up from the dr and research. He doesn't have pain really. He are some other issues he is having but don't know if it has anything to do with the muscle. By the way his calves are about 1 1/2" different. Tired, dry mouth, shaky sometimes, headache, diarrhea, feels congested, feet hurt and very sensitive head. We know some may be from age etc. but the muscle has us scared. Neither one of us know anything about ALS but what we have researched this week. Okay with all that said do you think (I know your not a doctor) he may have ALS? Or any other ideas? Thank you all and any advice is appreciated
 
Be patient. Let the professionals sort it out. Doesn't sound like my ALS. When is his appointment with the Neuro?
 
What about lymes disease, has he had any blood tests done?
 
Like Ms. Pie said, be patient. You are at the beginning of a lot of tests and waiting. It could be anything at this point. Don't fret and worry until you have to. It could be a long road. I hope it is not and they find something very simple and fix it.
 
What all test should we expect? How long does it take usually for answers? I have learned that every case is different, but the muscle wasting and weak we are scared. Thanks
 
I can understand being scared, but it will serve no purpose and will waste time you will not get back. There are many tests. Lots of blood work, possible mri, and emg/nvc. The dr will know what to order based on your husbands problems. When you go to the just explain what is going on and listen.

Going in with a preconceived notion will not help, so go in with a blank slate. Be prepared for a long journey and hopefully you will get a surprise and get a quick and simple answer.
 
All the other symptoms don't really fit ALS, so don't worry too much about it. muscle weakness can also be found in other illnesses. Let the docs do their jobs, and don't obsess about ALS. Good Luck!
 
I'm surprised, astonished really, that your GP would have even mentioned ALS. Firstly because family physicians are not usually trained to diagnose it ( they may think it, but likely won't say it until patient is examined by specialists) and secondly because it's way early in the game to even consider ALS.

It is entirely possible ( and not unusual) that your hubby always had a calf muscle size difference; it may be more obvious given his walking regime these last couple of months. The other symptoms you mention are inconsistent with ALS.

If I were you - I'd not be worrying about a fatal disease.

Hope you let us know how it turns out.
 
She didn't diagnose him with it. She knows that it is smaller then it was and she said she wants everything checked. She said it could be nerve damage or anything else or something as serious as ALS or MS. And no it hasn't always been like this. All the research that we do ALS keeps coming up.
 
I don't want to sound harsh but stop researching. You will only feed your fears. Let the drs do their job. You are at the beginning of this journey and there are a lot of tests to be done. I am speaking from experience and everyone here has been in your shoes. Looking up this symptom or that symptom is not going to give you the answers you seek.

All these diseases mimic each other, so let the drs sort it out. All you can do is support each other and be patient. Time will tell and it may take a lot of time. Keep up posted on how things are going.
 
Just looking for answers. We have 2 kids still at home and our daughter was diagnosised at 5 with cancer, she is 14 now but just went into remission last year. We still are dealing with all the side effects from that which she will have the rest of her life. So we like to know answers and research help with that.
 
The problem with researching symptoms on the computer (and we all do it I know) is that obscure and rare diseases pop up just as frequently as the more common and less deadly diseases. We see that every day on this forum...ALS is a rare disease and your doctor just mentioned it but you have fixated on it. research the other symptoms and do not add in muscle weakness--ALS will not come up. What ever it is, it is highly unlikely that it is ALS.
 
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