Re: Symptoms

Posted By Mindy on June 12, 1999 at 09:28:53
When all of
this twitching started, I wasn't too concerned. After about 2 months, I visited my PCP, who said it
was probably benign and stress related. After 4 months, they were still there. Read about
fasciculations and EMGs in medical books and freaked out about ALS! Found this forum and it has
provided great reassurance. At 5 1/2 months, I had an EMG, nerve conduction and reflex tests. All
absolutely normal--didn't even pick up the fasciculations. Both doctors said "It's nothing really bad".
The doctor who performed the EMG knew how nervous I was and even tried reassuring me that if
there was anything there, he would have picked it up, since he was very acitvely trying to find
something--inserted 15-20 areas, 2-4 times in each area.
I guess what's troubling me most is that I never really received a diagnosis. Just that the tests all
come back fine. I don't have any real weakness--can still carry 60lbs worth of kids up and down the
steps, open jars, heel-toe walk, etc. I have had a lot of stiffness in my right knee and hip, although
probably due more to carrying the kids than anything else.
I'm dealing o.k. with the twitching, which is all over my body from head to toe. However, about a
week ago I noticed a "numb feeling" on the bottom of my right foot. It didn't feel like your hand feels
when you sleep on it all night and I still had sensation in it--could feel the lightest feather touch, but it
just "felt numb". I had no trouble walking, doing calf raises, etc. With a shoe or sandal on, I didn't
sense the "numbness". Has anyone else had this feeling? I'm still a little concerned about MS, since I
haven't had an MRI. What do you think?  Do these symptoms sound like BFS, MS, Fibromyalgia, or something different?
BTW, I'm a normally very healthy, 28 year old female, mother of two.

[CCF Neuro[P] MD RPS]

Posted By CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS on June 12, 1999 at 12:57:32
Dear Mindy:
What you describe sounds like benign fasciculations.  With all the test being normal, this is what I would call it.  Without muscle weakness, it is almost always not ALS.  
It is difficult to tell you what the parathesias are from, spinal cord, nerve compression for pressure (sleeping the wrong way) metabolic (such as vitamin B12 deficiency), etc.  At this point, I think I would just watch what happens.  If things do not get better within a few weeks then I would have it checked out by a neurologist.  Some times we find that mothers who have large children who like to be held get nerve compressions from the act of holding the child, that will resolve when positions are changed or correct lifting is started.  
Sorry I couldn't help you more.  Enjoy your children and keep us informed.
Sincerely,
CCF Neuro[P] MD

[chris__0__0]

Posted By chris on June 12, 1999 at 18:42:36
I am very interested in these fasciculations I am reading about. I am having a lumbar-sacral MRI done next week because of abdominal pain I've had for 2 years (neg colonoscopy and 2 laparoscopies. I do have pelvic adhesions but there is good reason to believe they are not to blame for the pain) In the beginning all the doctors asked about my back, but I had no back pain, now I do, along with the abdominal pain. In March I started a step aerobics program (I am 48) and it was after this the pain started to intensify. The first week I was in the program I started getting these weird twitchings inside my right lower quadrant of my abdomen.(not on the surface) They lasted a full week and were quite regular, although not as regular as a pulse. It was very annoying but after a week they went away. I get some occasionally, always on my right side.
Are these twitching feelings I've experienced what you refer to as "fasciculations?"  How common is it for a back problem to cause only abdominal pain for so long? Would the fasciculations be related to any possible problem that I might have?  It seems odd that they are on the same side as my pain and started after I began the exercise program.  Thank you.  

[CCF Neuro[P] MD RPS]

Posted By CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS on June 13, 1999 at 13:12:47
Dear Chris:
Fasciculations are muscle twitches.  They can be pathological where muscle disease is occuring or benign where the muscle twitches for no apparent reason.  They can be accompanied by cramps but not usually muscle pain.  Fasciculations can happen after intense muscle exercise.  Whether these are occuring with you is difficult for me to tell based on what you describe.  I would check it out with your neurologist.
Sincerely,
CCF Neuro[P] MD

[Bridget__0__0]

Posted By Bridget on July 31, 1999 at 12:44:04
Dear Mindy,
     I am a 36 yr old mother of 3 and I started having fasciculations last October(98).  I was terrified that I had ALS. I went to a gp who told me that I either had MS or Lyme disease.  Lyme test came back negative so he sent me to a neurologist who sent me for an emg. The emg was negative and the neurological blood tests came back negative (I had to wait for 3 weeks for the neuro blood tests to come back from california).  No deficiencies and a normal emg.  The doctors couldnt understand how terrified I was.  They said they couldnt find anything wrong with me and said I shouldnt worry.  Unfortunately, I  had been looking up ALS on the computer and found so much terrifying information that I thought I had it.  I bothered my neurologist so much that he sent me for a second opinion at the Albany Medical Center.  This neuro who handles all ALS cases for his area checked me out and said I definetly did not have ALS, MS, Parkinsons or any other neurological disease. He told me that the first doctor I saw was way off the mark and fasciculations have nothing to do with MS.  He called the condition benign and said I should try to take it easy. He said he has had other cases like mine.  He said there are indicators of ALS that a doctor would pick up even before an emg.  He told me that people that have it are unaware of the fasciculations most of the time and the symtom they notice fist is pain.  Anyway I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone.  I had several months or pure terror in the winter.  I couldnt function properly and my parents had to come from florida to help take care of the kids while my husband was at work.  No one could tell me that I was fine.  I didnt feel fine and because I was so stressed out I was weak and tired and I thought those were symptoms of a more serious disease.  I couldnt eat or sleep and was taking klonipin (klonopin) and a sleeping pill. I also had numbness and tingling but Im certain now it was caused by all the stress I was going through.  No one could understand why I wouldnt listen to the doctors who were telling me there was nothing wrong with me.  I hope your not as bad as I was.  If your emg says your ok you are - so try not to worry.  I am still having fasciculations all over my body and it will be a year in the middle of October since I felt my fist one.  They got progressively worse after a very stressful fall when the kids kept getting sick.  It took about a month after my Medical Center appointment for me to start to relax.  And there are days that the fasciculations are bad and I still get very nervous and test my muscle strength.  It is still very scary for me to look up anything about fasciculations because Im afraid of what I might see and Im so scared that I will go back to the terrible panic I felt all winter long.  I gave my email address if you want to ask me any questions.  Take it easy - these things are weird but we are not the only ones.
-Bridget  










Follow Ups: