New symptom, worried

[Skchasta]

Hello All!

I have been a lurker here off and on for about a year, but I felt it time to post as I'm sitting here in my computer chair worried out of my mind, have been for the past few weeks.

After going through the initial post I though my symptoms are similar to those with ALS and wanted the people on the forums thoughts.

I'm 32y/o Male, no prior family history of ALS, or any neurological disease that I know of.
So about a year and a half ago I began noticing twitching in my arm, didn't think anything of it until it wouldn't stop, I attributed it to anxiety or something. I didn't eat all that well either. However I began noticing it in other areas occasionally all over my body. Bridge of my nose, eyelid, pectoral, ankles. Reading here since it was mainly/probably due to nerves or the anxiety, I kind of forgot about it, and it went away or so I thought.

About two weeks ago my right arm, where most of the twitching had continued to occur started to feel burning like when you exercise a muscle. Then my ring finger began twitching and I would notice this more often. Now my forearm and shoulder along with the muscle that is along the topside of my elbow feels this burning when doing normal things. Also my wrist is kind of stiff too.

I akin it to how if you are holding something outward from your body in front, and just hold it there, the muscles begin to burn.
I don't know how to describe it, but it's not pain per-sea, it feels like my muscles are week or like lactic acid is building up from doing exercise, but I have not done anything in my mind that should cause that.

I'm constantly doing exercises like pushups and tricep extensions, curls to reassure myself, but after reading the pinned posts. This is probably not going to make me feel any better about the situation. I constantly look at my arms to compare them and I swear that the one affected is getting smaller and there are spots in the muscle that are gone/dents. I also am able to do many of the things that the pinned post says are difficult with ALS. Like buttoning a shirt , unscrewing bottles and whatnot, gripping objects are possible, but seem weird.

I hope this makes sense.
I have a PCP appointment this coming week, but I know i'm not going to get any real answers from them. Wondering if I should just go ahead and look up a neurologist? What do you all think about the symptoms I've had for about a year and a half, plus this new burning?

Thanks for your thoughts and responses. I know everyone's life is busy and important. I do appreciate anyone's replies.

 

[Bestfriends14]

Hello,

Please read the sticky at the the top of the DIHALS page titled "PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING". It will give you answers to all your questions outlined in your post.

Take good care.

 

[lgelb]

Assuming the PCP says you are in the clear in terms of disease, perhaps it would be worth it to get an evaluation by a personal trainer who can help you design a regimen to help you make the most of your exercise and even out the muscles you perceive as weak. But as BFSTE said, we see no reason for concern about ALS.

Best,
Laurie

 

[Skchasta]

Thanks so much for your responsiveness!
I was very worried about the burning sensation, but after reading the sticky again, it seems that this being felt in multiple muscle groups and seemingly affecting various regions of my whole right arm/hand/shoulder, this would lean away from ALS as you indicated. Correct me if i'm wrong on this.

 

[ThisPresentMoment]

How many hours a day do you sit at a computer? How ergonomic is your set up? Do you use an support arm that extends from the desk to support your arm? Gel pads? My nerve in my arm has been burning because I have not been taking enough care sitting at my computer. The pain can go all the way up to my shoulder. I'd suspect a body use muscular problem, but not ALS.

 

[Skchasta]

How many hours a day do you sit at a computer? How ergonomic is your set up? Do you use an support arm that extends from the desk to support your arm? Gel pads? My nerve in my arm has been burning because I have not been taking enough care sitting at my computer. The pain can go all the way up to my shoulder. I'd suspect a body use muscular problem, but not ALS.

See this is where you may be onto something! I work at my computer and then spend a lot of my non-work hours on the computer as well. I use no supports except a lumbar for my lower back. I probably have poor posture to boot.

Do you have that burning, from the forearm to your shoulder? I guess my thing is, what is considered pain. I remember reading that pain is normal in ALS only towards the later stages where you would have seen other symptoms. I wouldn't consider this pain. It feels like you are in the middle of exercising. That what it feels like when I'm doing normal activities with my right arm, and my ring finger and pinky finger feel very stiff. But I felt like with the twitching it is signs of something more sinister.

Thanks for the reply again!

One of my questions was is it common to see twitching for so long (1.5 years) without any weakness to accompany it, and it be ALS?

 

[lgelb]

It would be very unlikely to have twitching/burning pain for 1.5y without weakness, and have ALS. ALS goes faster than that in terms of weakness. Indeed, weakness as the inability to do something (as opposed to "feeling weak") is the hallmark of ALS.

I agree ergonomic sitting is a great project for you to pursue. I changed my trackpad a couple of weeks ago because it was a little higher, maybe 1 cm, than my new keyboard. Almost immediately, my thumb pain that had begun with the new keyboard, went away. If your whole posture is bent, many parts of your body are under stress.

Daily range of motion exercises in the morning before you begin keyboarding are also very helpful in keeping the pain at bay.

 

[Skchasta]

It would be very unlikely to have twitching/burning pain for 1.5y without weakness, and have ALS. ALS goes faster than that in terms of weakness. Indeed, weakness as the inability to do something (as opposed to "feeling weak") is the hallmark of ALS.

I agree ergonomic sitting is a great project for you to pursue. I changed my trackpad a couple of weeks ago because it was a little higher, maybe 1 cm, than my new keyboard. Almost immediately, my thumb pain that had begun with the new keyboard, went away. If your whole posture is bent, many parts of your body are under stress.

Daily range of motion exercises in the morning before you begin keyboarding are also very helpful in keeping the pain at bay.

Thanks Again for the quick response! Maybe my setup could be causing some of the discomfort, but I have not really changed it in a long long time.
My question was that I would have seen something before now if ALS was the case??
Yea the Twitching has been going on for about 1.5 years, the burning/soreness/pain is a new symptom. I honestly get confused differentiating between weakness and burning. To me they are the same
I can put it this way. My right arm/hand, which is the part i'm concerned about, can do the same activities, open bottles, brush my teeth and hair, even type on the keyboard. But with my right arm/hand I start to get burning discomfort/sensation that resembles an exhausted muscle at the end of lifting a dumbell or something else. The "no pain no gain" feeling.

 

[Nikki J]

Weakness in ALS means you can’t do it. There is no feeling associated. I feel as if I could walk on my toes and my heels. I can’t. The muscles don’t perform. When my doctor says push against my hand with your foot I can’t move her hand at all

As it says in the sticky ALS is failing not feeling. You are describing the opposite

 

[Skchasta]

Weakness in ALS means you can’t do it. There is no feeling associated. I feel as if I could walk on my toes and my heels. I can’t. The muscles don’t perform. When my doctor says push against my hand with your foot I can’t move her hand at all

As it says in the sticky ALS is failing not feeling. You are describing the opposite

Thank you so much for your clarification Nikki J!
I do greatly appreciate everyone's input. I will update the thread once I speak to a PCP.

 

[Skchasta]

Okay so I went to my PCP today, he did a bunch of different tests. Drew some blood, which I should be getting results back for tomorrow. He did several neruotests on me, pressing against his hand, balance, and checked my reflexes in my arm and knees. All which he said looked fine and normal responses in my reflexes and not hyperflexive. Which correct me if i'm wrong hyperflexive is something that is a definite for ALS?

He mentioned doing an EMG if the results do not show anything.
The burning sensations are gone for the most part. I stayed off the computer for a whole 24 hours and it seemed to help that somewhat.
However when comparing my right arm with my left arm, I still notice that burning/exhausted muscle feeling when doing a task. Such as moving stuff off my shelves in the closet or brushing my hair. Is that commonly refereed to as getting weaker? It just is strange being that it is my dominate hand/arm is the one i'm experiencing this with.

Will update again once I get any info from the bloodwork. Thanks again for all your responses in this thread!

 

[lgelb]

Hyperreflexia is not necessary for the diagnosis of ALS, nor is it always alarming. But no matter, you don't have it.

If you have any element of overuse injury, odds are that the dominant arm would be the one affected -- you use it more. But as you have seen in the sticky, feeling without failing is not weakness, full stop.

 

[Skchasta]

Hyperreflexia is not necessary for the diagnosis of ALS, nor is it always alarming. But no matter, you don't have it.

If you have any element of overuse injury, odds are that the dominant arm would be the one affected -- you use it more. But as you have seen in the sticky, feeling without failing is not weakness, full stop.

Thanks for correcting me on that Laurie!
Will post results of the labwork if they are applicable to the thread.

 

[Skchasta]

So I wanted to update this since I got my results back from the blood tests. Doc said everything looked fine except my cholesterol was really really high and I need to dial back the alcohol consumption quite a bit. He did want to schedule an EMG test, but I don't really have the insurance to do that, will come back to that later. I also wanted to update some symptoms. Since a few weeks ago that I initially posted, my finger stopped twitching and my arm feels much better, but my legs have continued to twitch, not as much as that first night... which was pretty bad. I did go to the gym and do some legs, that reassurance thing where you think you are getting weak in one leg...my left leg, where most of the twitching was going on. Now I swear i'm getting weak in that leg... keep telling myself that its nothing. Must have done something to it in the 1 exercise I did. Twitching happens mainly when at rest. I was wondering your opinions on if based on what I posted in the thread so far if I should go through with the EMG? If it sounds like it would be a waste of money or if it warrants an EMG or should I just get an appointment with a nuro?

Thanks again for your replies!

 

[lgelb]

If resources are limited, I wouldn't bother with even the neuro as yet, let alone an EMG, unless your PCP gave you more of a case for either than what you've provided here. Instead, I'd work on nutrition (which, with high cholesterol, isn't a bad idea), hydration, sleep, stress and if you can't afford PT or training, see if there's a massage therapy program nearby that offers cut rates for student massages, as a starting point.