Referred urgently to neurology

[AnxiousAnnie]

Good morning all. Over the past few weeks I have noticed that my feet look different, in that the tendons are more prominent on my right foot, the foot looked thinner and more wasted than the left. I then noticed that my big toe will not pronate as far as the left and is weaker despite it being my dominant foot. Both these things have been seen and confirmed by the GP.

I also have muscle twitches in the right leg and foot but these did not happen during the appointment.

The referral is being sent urgently but is still likely to take a number of months and I am frantic with worry, convinced I have MND and am going to die. I have 2 children under 4 and struggling to focus on anything else due to the worry.

Anybody else have similar symptoms?

 

[lgelb]

The odds are greatly in your favor, Annie. First, as you have young children, I presume your age is <45, an atypical onset. Second, can you really say that the asymmetry of your feet (which is common) has changed greatly in the last few weeks? Third, even if it has, most causes would be benign, such as an injury or poor positioning/pressure that you did not appreciate at the time, and the movement of your big toe could be affected by something as simple as a bunion. As you will have read here, twitches don't really feature as an incremental concern for MND.

Fourth, the dominant foot being the weaker foot is really of no consequence. After all, you use them equally for most things, so they're both working pretty well.

While you are waiting for a neuro appointment, perhaps you could see a physio to whom your GP can refer, I believe, and test the notion that the muscles in your R foot that are weak or less bulky, can be improved. If so, that would be another argument against MND. But honestly, I don't think you will find anyone here whose onset featured differences between the R and L big toe, from a function standpoint.

Best,
Laurie

 

[AnxiousAnnie]

Many thanks for taking the time to answer me Laurie. You are right in that I am in my mid 30s. I am unable to say exactly when the foot changes happened as until relatively recently i had swollen feet through pregnancy.

I hope that, as you say an alternative explanation/s are found for my symptoms.

Would I be correct in saying that weakness generally precedes wasting?

 

[Dee Dee 0617]

I see your country is listed as UK, I am attributing the wait to get into a neurologist has to do with that. That is a long time for you to worry. I'm interested in how a toe could bring you all the way down the road to a fatal illness. How does that happen? When I was diagnosed I had no idea what ALS was. I thought carpal tunnel. Mine originated in my left hand while typing. There is a world of possibilities between where you are and ALS is Go, enjoy your kids, live your life. God bless you. You have two children under four, take a nap. Hire a sitter, and go to sleep.

 

[AnxiousAnnie]

Thank you Dee Dee. Yes NHS waits can be quite long for some services in some areas.
I think a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Best wishes to you.

 

[KarenNWendyn]

The foot issues sound mechanical to me. As Laurie says, everyone has asymmetry. Over the years, this can impact how we use our bodies and lead to more asymmetry and muscle wasting. People also get arthritis and injuries that can accentuate the wasting. This is very common.

Keep this in mind, and also know that if you can still do everything you could do previously, it would highly unlikely for you to have ALS.