Very Concerned about symptoms

[dolphins4life]

Hi Everyone,

I do appreciate everyone's opinion. About 3 months ago I noticed that both my legs felt achy and a "little" heavy (like I just got out of the gym after an intense leg workout). I went to see my Dr. and he tested me for PAD and also conducted a NCV of my legs. Blood work came back normal, but the NCV was abnormal.

So, I had MR's of my Cervical and Lumbar. The MRI of my Cervical came back negative - no issues. My lumbar MRI came back with the following impression:

1. L3/L4 2-3 MM bilateral disc osteophyte complex producing moderate bilateral foraminal stenosis with
    displacement of both L3 nerve roots.
2. At L4/L5 there is a 2 MM disc osteophyte complex and mild hypertrophy of the facet joins producing
   mild /moderate bilateral foraminal stenosis with a  slight displacement of both L4 nerve roots.

So, having this in hand, and since the NCV was abnormal, I went to a Neuro Dr. He conducted a NCV of upper body and EMG's of lower and upper. All came back normal. There were some findings on my hands, but the impression was that the Upper and Lower extremities were within normal limits.

My CK is low. Which I have been told is a good thing. However, the twitching is still there (especially at night) and now the arch of my right foot is aching.

Both my legs ache. Really bad after mild exercise or walking too much. I had a CT scan of my abdomen thinking that maybe there's an impingement of my nerves and that was clean. I also had burning down  both my arms and I am fatigued pretty quickly. I do not think my legs are as big as they once were, but I cannot sense whether there was any atrophy or not.  

I honestly don't know what to do. The pain in my foot is bothersome and the twitching is a pain in the rear.

I was wondering the following:

1. Could the EMG that was taken have been given too soon? If I had twitching (if that were truly the onset of ALS)    
    before I had the EMG, wouldn't the EMG have picked it up?

2. Since the MRI of the lumbar stated "displacement", does that mean it could be pinching the nerve roots?
3. The Neuro Dr. said that the pain in my legs is not from my Back, but it does make sense to me. Has anyone else
    experienced the same thing?

Also, I had an MRI of my Brain and I am waiting on the results (next Friday).

Has anyone ever experienced pain in there thighs as being one of the symptoms of ALS?

God Bless everyone on this forum.

[dolphins4life]

Thank you so much for your comments. There are a couple of more things that seemed to have popped up over the past week. The first one if my left hand seems much more 'WRINKLED' then the right hand. I don'y have loss of strength. I cannot stand or walk very far without having to stop and rest. They really hurt. I am 46 years old and I am scared. When I showed my Neuro he sort of shrugged it off. So, now I am wondering if he messed up the EMG as well. I have another appt. with another Neuro, but I am frightened that this will be ALS. It's only been 1.5 months since the EMG was done. Could the hand issue be caused by a trapped nerve and leg issue be from Claudication?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your medical problems. A displaced L3 can cause leg aches, especially in thigh and upper leg. Also, osteophytes which arise due to degenerative disease can press on nerve roots. So, if your muscle activity is fine the EMG can be normal. But if a nerve root is compressed, the NCV can be abnormal. So, it is possible you have nerve root compression or radiculopathy, especially if only the sensory nerves are compromised.
You should benefit from physiotherapy so ask your doctor about it. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.

[uush]

My symptoms were a bit different as I have some other health issues.  I agree so much w/your comment about curing diseases.  It seems to me that a lot of people dont care about these things until they get sick.  
Hope all is well.

[dolphins4life]

Hi uush,

Thanks for your reply. I will try and heed your advice. Did you have similar symptoms or were they different? He said that the twitching was is BFS. But, didn't say what else this could be. He said without weakness the twitching is just that. But, I am concerned.  I just don't know what to do. I am trying really hard to try and not think about it.

Thanks for your comment. I am just so angry that this country is so focused on war, that we cannot focus on what's REALLY important. CURING CANCER and DISEASES - for EVERYONE!

God Bless!

[uush]

Did your Neuro. say what he thought could be wrong? Or is ALS the only thing he is thinking? I know waiting for test results can be very stressful, scary, etc...  But try not to worry yourself during the wait. I know, easier said than done but b4 I was dx I worried a lot & now I wish I used that time t have fun, like going on a vacation, instead of stressing myself out about something that I could do nothing about. I hope/pray your test come back ok & keep us posted.