I have the following symptoms:
-Arms, hands, and legs are stiff, heavy and weak (left arm weaker than right).
-Muscles burn with lactic-acid type burn feeling with use or holding a position. For example, arms burn when folding laundry or holding a cell phone. Legs burn climbing stairs.
-Muscles cramp, including diaphragm muscle. For example, left hand/triceps will cramp if holding a cell phone, and diaphragm will cramp when bending over.
-Atrophy of right masseter and right side of face, left triceps, left wrist, below right knee, near right elbow, and glutes.
-Tremor in hands.
-Loss of hand dexterity. Trouble with utensils and dropping objects.
-Body wide twitching with some focal twitching under eyes and at left elbow/triceps.
-Problem swallowing solids in pharyngeal stage. Need to wash down food with water.
-Sometimes choke on liquids and saliva.
-Weak voice, with pitch loss.
-Slurring and trouble articulating/forming words.
-Increased saliva.
-Aching/painful tongue.
-Run out of breath when talking.
-Intermittent dry cough.
-Cough after laughing and sometimes after eating and talking.
-Throat becomes scratchy and irritated from talking.
-Phlegm buildup.
-Watery eyes during the day and goop in eyes in morning.
-Reduced blinking.
-Shortness of breath on stairs.
-Insomnia.
-Poor lip seal.
-Bite tongue and cheek.
-Thumbs feel sprained for days after use, such as thumb and index finger holding neck of bottle.
-When sitting, butt hurts from weight loss even on soft surfaces.
-Feet hurt for days after I walk barefoot. Seems to be loss of footpad.
-Positional vertigo feeling at all times, not just when rising from lying position… even when sitting, standing, and walking.
-Clumsy, incoordination.
-Off-balance feeling and walking into walls, doors, and other things.
-Need to eat continually to maintain weight.
-Emotional lability.
-V toe (between 3rd and 4th toe), both feet.
I have had 7 EMGs over the past 15 months. The first two were normal. The subsequent EMGs showed large motor unit potentials (MUPs) in all muscles tested but no spontaneous activity (fibrillations and sharp waves). My clinical exams are reported to be normal. 7 neurologists at top ALS clinics say they are sure that I don't have ALS. But they provide no other explanation.
Is it possible that I don't have ALS, even with all these symptoms and large MUPs on the EMG?