Mela
New member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2018
- Messages
- 5
- Reason
- Other
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- US
- State
- PA
- City
- Mars
Good Morning,
First, I would like to say that I am truly humbled by the members of this forum, who daily give their advice, encouragement, insight to strangers filled with worry. You truly are special people that inspire me to do good and “pass it forward”
I never thought I would need your help, but I do. I am a 41 year old female and mother of 3 small little boys. I’ve had the worst summer of my life due to some crazy symptoms. I have some questions, that I was hoping you can help me with.
Starting in April, MAy, I started to have some weird symptoms: Intermittent electric shock numbness to the right side of my tongue. By the first week of MAy, the symptoms progressed with variable tongue tingling and burning through my mouth.
Saw a Neurologist- had a good Neuro exam except he thought my Left tricep was weak, which was weird because i had known absolutely nothing wrong with my Left arm at all. All blood work and Brain MRI was negative except i had a pretty low B12. He thought that was the definite cause of my sensory mouth symptoms and started injections immediately. He assured me that that they sensory symptoms in my mouth were definitely not ALS.
Approximately 8-10 days later, my left arm became weak over a 4 day period. No radiating pain, no numbness, no tingling, no neck pain. The arm just became weak and shaky and my 4th and 5th fingers suddenly felt weird with fine motor skills, My right jaw also locked up 3 times over that period.
Saw my neuro again- exam was again good, but he ordered an EMG for my left arm. NCV was normal. EMG was performed by our local ALS clinic specialist-it was not clean. According to the specialist, it showed C7 root chronicity through 3 muscles, Left tricep, forearm extensors, and Cervical spine. It did not show any pattern of MND in any of these muscles, just chronicity. He only did my left arm, because did not see any MND “problems”. I thought this was very odd because I dont have a history of neck dysfunction except for occasional stiffness 1-2 times a year. Had a cervical MRI to prove the results and it did not show much degeneration at the C7 levels.
3 days after my EMG, i looked down at my left hand and noticed visible atrophy of the Left hypothenar region of my hand where my ADM is clearly sticking out. Nobody had noticed it before. Showed my neuro and he ordered another EMG scheduled in mid-August. Even with seeing my atrophy, he continues to say that he doesn’t “believe” it to be ALS, but doesn’t give me a reason why, just going by his clinical experience.
I have seen an orthopedic and neurosurgeon and they both do not believe my neck could be causing my weakness or hand symptoms.
As I wait for my next EMG, I really feel like my hand is worsening, with subjective weakness of my wrist and finger flexors and now apparent thinnning of my palmar and thenar regions. Even as I type this, my Left hand feels completely different. I can actively move wrist/fingers in every way, but I just feel like it is wasting away. My tricep fasciculates at times and is weak.
That is my story: I have great anxiety that this next EMG is going to be doom day for me and my young family.
I have a few questions:
Though I have NOT had numbness/tingling symptoms, I have had a hot, burning sensations or nn “sensations” intermittently through my hypothenar, thenar, wrist crease and palmar regions. Have you guys ever felt a “burning” or Nerve sensation as Your muscles are wasting?
How many of you had an EMG that showed only chronicity at first and then “changed” to MND wavelengths in subsequent EMGs?
For those of you with hand symptoms at onset, did you “feel” your hand wasting away, as I feel? And did you feel your symptoms come on pretty suddenly like in a 7-10 day period when they first started?
I know my story sounds odd, but my husband and I are both Physical Therapists, and we are pretty knowledgeable about orthopedic neck conditions, etc.. and This truly does not seem like a typical orthopedic problem to us. I am so worried and depressed about the neurological possible diagnoses. All I know, is that there is something very wrong with my left arm and hand. Any insight would be truly appreciated. Thank you so much.
First, I would like to say that I am truly humbled by the members of this forum, who daily give their advice, encouragement, insight to strangers filled with worry. You truly are special people that inspire me to do good and “pass it forward”
I never thought I would need your help, but I do. I am a 41 year old female and mother of 3 small little boys. I’ve had the worst summer of my life due to some crazy symptoms. I have some questions, that I was hoping you can help me with.
Starting in April, MAy, I started to have some weird symptoms: Intermittent electric shock numbness to the right side of my tongue. By the first week of MAy, the symptoms progressed with variable tongue tingling and burning through my mouth.
Saw a Neurologist- had a good Neuro exam except he thought my Left tricep was weak, which was weird because i had known absolutely nothing wrong with my Left arm at all. All blood work and Brain MRI was negative except i had a pretty low B12. He thought that was the definite cause of my sensory mouth symptoms and started injections immediately. He assured me that that they sensory symptoms in my mouth were definitely not ALS.
Approximately 8-10 days later, my left arm became weak over a 4 day period. No radiating pain, no numbness, no tingling, no neck pain. The arm just became weak and shaky and my 4th and 5th fingers suddenly felt weird with fine motor skills, My right jaw also locked up 3 times over that period.
Saw my neuro again- exam was again good, but he ordered an EMG for my left arm. NCV was normal. EMG was performed by our local ALS clinic specialist-it was not clean. According to the specialist, it showed C7 root chronicity through 3 muscles, Left tricep, forearm extensors, and Cervical spine. It did not show any pattern of MND in any of these muscles, just chronicity. He only did my left arm, because did not see any MND “problems”. I thought this was very odd because I dont have a history of neck dysfunction except for occasional stiffness 1-2 times a year. Had a cervical MRI to prove the results and it did not show much degeneration at the C7 levels.
3 days after my EMG, i looked down at my left hand and noticed visible atrophy of the Left hypothenar region of my hand where my ADM is clearly sticking out. Nobody had noticed it before. Showed my neuro and he ordered another EMG scheduled in mid-August. Even with seeing my atrophy, he continues to say that he doesn’t “believe” it to be ALS, but doesn’t give me a reason why, just going by his clinical experience.
I have seen an orthopedic and neurosurgeon and they both do not believe my neck could be causing my weakness or hand symptoms.
As I wait for my next EMG, I really feel like my hand is worsening, with subjective weakness of my wrist and finger flexors and now apparent thinnning of my palmar and thenar regions. Even as I type this, my Left hand feels completely different. I can actively move wrist/fingers in every way, but I just feel like it is wasting away. My tricep fasciculates at times and is weak.
That is my story: I have great anxiety that this next EMG is going to be doom day for me and my young family.
I have a few questions:
Though I have NOT had numbness/tingling symptoms, I have had a hot, burning sensations or nn “sensations” intermittently through my hypothenar, thenar, wrist crease and palmar regions. Have you guys ever felt a “burning” or Nerve sensation as Your muscles are wasting?
How many of you had an EMG that showed only chronicity at first and then “changed” to MND wavelengths in subsequent EMGs?
For those of you with hand symptoms at onset, did you “feel” your hand wasting away, as I feel? And did you feel your symptoms come on pretty suddenly like in a 7-10 day period when they first started?
I know my story sounds odd, but my husband and I are both Physical Therapists, and we are pretty knowledgeable about orthopedic neck conditions, etc.. and This truly does not seem like a typical orthopedic problem to us. I am so worried and depressed about the neurological possible diagnoses. All I know, is that there is something very wrong with my left arm and hand. Any insight would be truly appreciated. Thank you so much.