Status
Not open for further replies.

MARKSACC

New member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
2
Reason
Learn about ALS
Country
US
State
new york
City
levittown
I had an abnormal EMG showing fibs, psw's, increased poly's, decreased amp and decreased duration with normal recruitment. This was found in lower and upper legs as well as shoulders. muscle biopsy showed denervation and I have twitching in my right calf. I have been referred to a neuromuscular specialist but I have to wait 5 weeks for the appointment. Does this sound like ALS?
 
maybe a myopathy or polymyositis.. there are a ton of neuro-muscular diseases and disorders. Could be a ton of things, keep a positive outlook, welcome to the forum.
 
polymyositis is what the Rheumatolgoist originally thought it might be before the muscle biopsy. The pathologist stated that there was no inflamation, no necrosis, no attack complex. There was only signs of a neurogenic process (nuclear clumps, angulated atrophic myofibers and focal limited atrophy). The actual diagnosisby the pathologist stated : rare atrophic myofibers without inflammation or myofiber necrosis. That is why the Rheumatologist reffered me to the neuromuscular specialist. Then I noticed the twitching in my calf and needless to say am very nervous.
 
MARKSACC,

Many neuromuscular conditions have twitching associated with them. Twitching does not equal ALS (In fact its not even part of the most common diagnostic criteria for the disease). Hopefully the neuromuscular specialist will provide more insight to you.

Robert
 
mark,

The decreased amp and normal recruirment usually point to myopathies. Which you can have fibs and sharpwaves with.
Twitching is not the text book version of alot of diseases, but if you actually talk to people with other disease they get twitching also.
I went on the myotistis forum and asked about the twitching and you can't beleive how many people twitch or did twitch in the beginning.
hopefully the nueromuscular speacilist will be able to help you.

What are you actual symptoms?
 
Robert, good point. It just occurred to me that none of the 7 (or is it 9? I think I've lost count) neuros I've seen have ever asked about me about "twitching," or commented on the subject at all.
 
Re: twitching... like Beth said, none of my doctors have asked about it, they make note of it if observed, but don't comment. When I asked what the twitches/fasciculations indicate, my neurologist said that no one really understands why they occur completely. As they can caused by more than one set of circumstances, they are not all that useful for diagnostics.

I got to thinking about how twitching is supposed to be lower motor neuron in cause. Which has got to be true. However, what about how stress or too much caffeine can bring it on in virtually everyone in the population? When that person's eye (common example) starts twitching, and does it off and on for periods of time, & this person is perfectly healthy, it may technically be caused by the interface between the lower motor neuron and the muscle, but what sets it off has to originate somewhere else in the brain. Heck, I've noticed when, after too little rest and too much caffeine now, if I get upset, my eye will jump like crazy, I definitely think its a faster twitch than it used to be, more fluttery, but still, the cause of that specific event is brought on by circumstances, not my illness.

Mark, just hang in there until your appointment, there are a LOT of conditions out there that we all never knew existed until we enter this world of weird neuromuscular manifestations. good luck!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top