Really scared please help!

[ally]

During the last 2 years i have been experiencing back ackes muscle cramps and paresthesias...In the last 2 months i noticed fasciculation in buttocks and thighs and then in legs calfs feet belly,left hand :above little finger and next to elbow....i have them in eyes and cheeks.I try to flex my arms when i get them but they dont stop and that is scary...I also feel cramps and stifness in feet and in achilles tendon the fasciculations scare me as it might be ALS...The fasciculations are pulling and pulsating but most of the time i feel only a singular pulsating-pulling..I have also noticed that my left arm wrist area is thinner than the right and the hand has more lines...I havent noticed any profound weeakness as i can lock the door open jars etc...I am a 22 year old female..I know ALS is rare in my age but i also know it does happen..Im going to have an EMG next month to evaluate my leg pain as the doctor suspected a herniated disk was the cause of my back pain..I had mentioned fasciculating but he didnt seem concerned...I didnt mention als but since then fasciculations became more pronounced.I also have soem neck issues the neck of my muscles(near throat) one day were stiff and cramped..I sometimes get the in the same spot in buttocks,calves and feet but also in random places ....Im really scared i know only an EMG will tell me but i would also like to ask your opinion...
Thank you...
(p.s a will also like to add that when i had buttock fasciculation earlier i got up and walked..it stop momentarily but when i stood still i think i felt it a bit more.it cant be bfs because it always stop with movement and occurs when muscle is at rest right?..despite the other symptoms that maybe related to disk herniation i worry about propable atrophy and the non stop fasciculations)

 

[Zaphoon]

Ally,

There are many, many things that can be causing your problems. One of them is a herniated disk the doctor mentioned; another is anxiety. Widespread fasciculations in a short period of time are not usually an indicator of ALS (from what I've read).

On the other hand, progressive weakness is a hallmark of ALS and you stated that you have not noticed such.

Hang in there, take a deep breath and relax a bit. Odds are greatly in your favor that you do not have ALS. Your symptoms, at this point, could point to many different maladies!

 

[ally]

Thank you very much for your reply.....I had atwo simultaneous fasciculations today and i read somewhere that simultaneous fasciculations occuring in various muscles are distinctive and show malignacy in opposition to bfs which is one muscle fasciculating at a time...is this true?please anyone who knos answer me
thanks

 

[Zaphoon]

I do not have ALS and have multiple fasciculations going on at a time throughout the day. I've had 2 clean EMG's that have proven them to be benign. I first noticed the fascics over 2 years ago and have suffered no atrophy or weakness in the area of them.

Fasciculations are not in the criteria for a diagnosis of ALS.

 

[ally]

Hey thanks a lot for your reply.....Have you ever had fasciculations in two different areas at the same time?
Thank you

 

[Zaphoon]

I have them constantly in both legs, occasionally in an arm, shoulder or the stomach.

 

[ally]

Im sorry if im being annoying but i dont understand...forgive me but do you mean you have one twitch in leg one twitch in other leg at different time frames of do you mean both legs twitch together at the same time...
thanks again for your time

 

[ally]

oh and do yours cease with movement?occur at rest?are they random or occur in certain spots and never occur there again?sorry if im rumbling

 

[Zaphoon]

I have them constantly, at the same time, in both legs and moving my legs does not make them go away.

 

[ally]

Thank you very much for your reply...hopefully my doctor will diagnosed me with bening fasciculation syndrome like you...i truly hope...thanks again for your reply....

 

[Zaphoon]

I haven't been given a diagnosed of BFS. As it stands now, it's PLS. One neuro told me he didn't believe my case had anything to do with BFS. That being said, the fasciculations I do have are benign. With BFS, you usually do not have pathological neurological signs (i.e. Babinski, Hoffman, etc.).

 

[ally]

hey a would also like your opinion in this because i think my left hand looks atrophied...https://www.alsforums.com/forum/members/12528-albums385-picture2638.jpg

also thres a dent near the thumb area...it looks wrinkled and smaller...https://www.alsforums.com/forum/members/12528-albums385-picture2639.jpg

also heres a pic of my right hand for comparison

https://www.alsforums.com/forum/members/12528-albums385-picture2642.jpg

please tell me what you think
thank you

 

[ktmj]

ally I know you are in the scared anxious state. A few of us have been there. I started having muscle twitches about the time you were born, and still have them today.

Like Zaph mine are almost constant in my legs as they are such large muscles of the body, as in multiple places ALL the time, and I mean ALL the time, except right after exercise. Weird, yes. But last time I had them checked it is still benign.

It's been over 21 years - they might be with you for a while. And they won't drive you crazy. Well, maybe I have been crazy my whole life and just never got over it.:wink:

In some people they go away after a few months or years. For us lucky ones, we get to enjoy them our whole lives.

Get checked out - best wishes.