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Rechellef

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Mar 8, 2018
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Learn about ALS
Country
US
State
FL
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Casselberry
I am new here and am FINALLY seeing a neurologist, but wanted to get a feel for the experience of others.

After [failed] surgery to repair my left ankle joint, I knew they had damaged the nerves in my foot and ankle, so any problems in that leg was always seen as a result of the surgical damage, which included mild but chronic fasiculations .

However, over the past 2-3 months I started experiencing horrific muscle spasms in the left leg including the outer calf muscle which would turn my foot inward and my toes down.

I am not magnesium, potassium, or calcium deficient and keep myself well hydrated. This has progressed in addition to vastly increased fasiculations in duration as well as strength (we are talking hundreds a minute every day, all day).

With that said, I just started experiencing weakness in that same leg (I have a hard time pressing down or standing on my tip toes) and my leg gave out on me this past Sunday. At the same time, I started having occasional spasms in my right leg as well as mild fasiculations with no weakness yet were as I never had these symptoms in the right leg before.

My reflexes are non-existent in both ankles although I have no idea why my non-injured ankle has no reflexes.

I am scheduled for an EMG at the end of the month to get some sort of answer. I am a gymnastics coach and active 50 year old woman, so this is very unlike me and apart from post surgical weakness (which was 3 years ago), I have never experienced this sort of weakness in this leg before. I should also mention that although the spasms and fasiculations occur around the clock, they are particularly bad at night and I can barely sleep most nights.

I am not scared of whether or not I have ALS because until I knew I can't let it worry me and I am certainly not going to self diagnose. However, I just wanted to see if others have had the same symptoms before being diagnosed.

Thank you in advance for your help!!
 
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Hi, coach, sounds like you are on a good diagnostic path. I think it's fair to say that ALS is low on the list of potential dx.

I am not sure how you arrived at the conclusion that, for example, you are not Mg-deficient when as you are aware only 1% or so is seen in blood levels, but would encourage you to consider empiric supplementation, even localized such as Mg lotion, as you wait for the EMG. A miminal balanced B complex supplement is another thought. Also curious if RLS/PLMD was ruled out?

Weakness per se is not necessarily a sequential symptom if you are really having hundreds of fascics per minute or cramping a lot, as muscles can become irritable and unreliable in repetitive movement such as you describe.

Best,
Laurie
 
Thank you for the suggestions. I take a food based folate/vitamin B supplements and do use a mag based lotion. Not too worried but my neurologist is exploring all options.
 
Rechellef let us know after you have had the EMG and been examined by a neurologist, we can't do much else really :) I hope they find a treatable cause quickly for you!
 
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