hamdog
Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2012
- Messages
- 17
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- NY
- City
- Mahopac
Hi...I had originally posted several months ago with concerns over ALS...had an EMG done...etc. EMG came back clean and for a bit I still stressed but eventually relaxed my fears until recently.
Quick bit of background, I am 25, first symptom I noticed was about 1.5 years ago I was jogging and realized when attempting to take a deep breath, I was unable to, as if my breathe just hit a wall (no wheezing or anything). This eventually translated to at rest too.
I had a pulmonary function test in August which had slightly low numbers on the test where you breathe in deep and blow out as hard and long as you can...the rest were perfectly normal. Chest X ray was normal...all blood tests normal (including thyroid). I also had an EMG of my arms and legs (due to muscle twitching I was also experiencing, but that was clean)
Here is what has happened since then:
- The breathing has not improved...and as of a few weeks ago it wakes me up several times at night where it feels as though my chest just doesn't have the power to push the air out (I've had experience with obstructive sleep apnea as well and this is a completely different feeling)
- Muscle twitching has become more common, literally everywhere on my body...recently, if I hold my left hand out still...my fingers move on their own, like little "ticks"...and as they do I feel weird sensation under my skin, hard to explain.
- Spasticity in my feet and legs. In my feet, it's like the muscle in the bottom of my foot shrinks and makes my foot bend and my toes curl down, and it's very painful. In my legs, it's like one muscle just above my ankle twists one way, and the muscle just above it twists the other way, feeling like my entire bottom leg is just being twisted. This has happened a few times and it is extremely painful and lasts for a minute or two.
One of my major questions is...if ALS is thoracic onset in nature, and there was no weakness yet in arms or legs, would it show on the EMG yet if the EMG was only done on the arms and legs?
Thanks for any help/comments.
Quick bit of background, I am 25, first symptom I noticed was about 1.5 years ago I was jogging and realized when attempting to take a deep breath, I was unable to, as if my breathe just hit a wall (no wheezing or anything). This eventually translated to at rest too.
I had a pulmonary function test in August which had slightly low numbers on the test where you breathe in deep and blow out as hard and long as you can...the rest were perfectly normal. Chest X ray was normal...all blood tests normal (including thyroid). I also had an EMG of my arms and legs (due to muscle twitching I was also experiencing, but that was clean)
Here is what has happened since then:
- The breathing has not improved...and as of a few weeks ago it wakes me up several times at night where it feels as though my chest just doesn't have the power to push the air out (I've had experience with obstructive sleep apnea as well and this is a completely different feeling)
- Muscle twitching has become more common, literally everywhere on my body...recently, if I hold my left hand out still...my fingers move on their own, like little "ticks"...and as they do I feel weird sensation under my skin, hard to explain.
- Spasticity in my feet and legs. In my feet, it's like the muscle in the bottom of my foot shrinks and makes my foot bend and my toes curl down, and it's very painful. In my legs, it's like one muscle just above my ankle twists one way, and the muscle just above it twists the other way, feeling like my entire bottom leg is just being twisted. This has happened a few times and it is extremely painful and lasts for a minute or two.
One of my major questions is...if ALS is thoracic onset in nature, and there was no weakness yet in arms or legs, would it show on the EMG yet if the EMG was only done on the arms and legs?
Thanks for any help/comments.