Cognitive Issues/Fasciculations

I am a 27 year old male with an unremarkable health history (never had to go to the hospital, etc) and have been experiencing what appear to be neurological symptoms since Fall 2007. I will be visiting a neurologist (the third within the past year, unfortunately) at the end of this month and am soliciting feedback on questions/test requests that will help ensure my visit is productive. Note: With no offensive intended, I am only interested in responses from doctors.

I first began experiencing problems in Fall 2007, which included issues with coordination (e.g., lots of mistakes when typing; even this post took about an hour to write/proof) and some cognitive issues (e.g., problems with speech, word finding, eventually reading). Physical symptoms began in early 2008 and included fatigue, sleep disturbances, and unrefreshing sleep (e.g., sleeping for 8 hours and waking up exhausted).

I visited a neurologist in Summer 2008; brain MRI was normal. Symptoms worsened and I visited another neurologist in Fall 2008; EEG, serum B12, and thyroid panel were normal. Since November 2008, my muscles have begun to twitch (small, localized twitches); at first twitching only occurred in my calves, but now happens almost anywhere (upper legs, arms, eyelid, etc). Potentially unrelated, most recently, the floaters in my eyes have increased and are dark (read: black) in color; several in my right eye are a distraction when reading.

Due to these problems I have transitioned to a new job where I have no public speaking/press engagements until I can figure out what is wrong. These problems have also caused me anxiety, but I have tried hard to keep my concerns in check.

One obvious request to make is an EMG. Any other suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Your symptoms are very suggestive of fibromyalgia. The main symptoms of fibromyalgia include pain in the body, muscle twitching, cramps, excessive tiredness and fatigue, reduced concentration, problems with speech, anxiety, impaired speed of performance, problem with both short term and long term memory, and sleep disturbances. Sleep is interrupted with cycles of wakefulness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia

I would suggest you to discuss this possibility with your treating doctor. Another possibility that can be considered is chronic fatigue syndrome. This usually occurs after a viral infection or flu and has similar presenting symptoms.

Hope this helps!