Should I be concerned about ALS or MS or other similar condition?

[richzeddun]

About two months ago I started experiencing the following symptoms.  First I had heart palpitations (PVCs) and felt lightheaded.  The PVCs continued and for one day my hands and feet and felt really cold.  Then the PVCs and lightheadedness continued with some tingling in my face and extremities.  In addition I have also felt some chest pains and muscle aches throughout my body.  There have also times where I had the chills (cold) and had a low body temp, below 94.  Another symptom I have is shallow breathing-don't feel like I have trouble breathing and my breathing muscles don't hurt when attempting to breathe.  I also seem to burp more than normal after drinking liquids.  Because of the PVCs, per a referral from my primary physician I visited a cardiologist and after wearing a holter monitor, having an EKG, ECHO, and stress test I was given a clean heart bill of health.  The cardiologist put me on a beta blocker, 100mg daily of metoprolol, which has eliminated my PVCs.  However now I still seem to be having issues with slightly shallow breathing (almost like a slight feeling of pressure on my neck-for example I feel better when I don't wear a turtle neck or tight neck fitting shirt) and my most recent symptom is muscle twitches and minor muscle aches.  I have noticed the twitches throughout my body but of recent primarily in my left leg below my calf but not in my feet.  I only notice the muscle twitching while my body is at rest and not while moving.  I have been working out normally and exercising normally and have not noticed any corresponding muscle weakness. IN the last couple of days, I have also noticed minor fatigue in my right hand/foream but no weakness-it doesn't affect my strength training regiment or I don't have any problems opening jars lifting things etc.  Should I be concerned about having ALS, MS or some other similar disease?  Just for background I also take 10mg per day of Lipitor for high cholesterol (4 years). My GP thinks just stress/anxiety.

[motox320]

I think it would really help you, if you stop reading stuff on the internet. Theres no way you have MS or ALS, you would be way way worse, and your symptons dont even match.

Its obvious you have some type of anxiety, and is making this worse.

Everyone gets minor twiching, like you have mentioned, I get it all the time.

The shoulder thing,...... same deal.

Burps, breathing, sounds like acid reflux, mention to your doctor, I bet thats the cause of that.

Try more exercise if thats ok with your doctor, helps ease stress.

[Abhijeet Ghosh]

I hope all is well settled presently

[richzeddun]

thanks for you kind words and reassurance.  I will look into the heartburn/gerd issue with my doctor and I will seek help regarding my anxiety.

[hava]

These pranayam exercises will help you relax and control the symptoms.Make a list of the symptoms and check again after one month of pranayam.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 20 to 30 minutes twice a day. Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.

[richzeddun]

Also, I note that my muscles twitch only while at rest.  For example if i notice twitching in my leg and I begin to walk around the twitching ceases while I am walking.  I have heard that twitching in Motor Neuron Diseases (like ALS) can occur regardless of whether at rest or not.  Is this correct?  Also is it correct that in a ALS that muscle wasting and weakness occurs before twitching?.  Thanks for your replies.  You can really help put my mind at ease.

[richzeddun]

Thank you for your words of reassurance. I will try to let my body and mind relax and notice think about it so much and hopefully that will help.  Anyways I've never know either ALS or MS to have heart symptoms like I had so that probably rules both of those out anyways and since I've had symptoms continuously since mid January 2010 with no break (i.e. where I felt back to normal for a few days/week etc) I can only assume it's stress/anxiety or if medical only one medical event.

[Abhijeet Ghosh]

Dear Friend,
Many thanks for posting the question via my forum
I will prefer not to comment on any of the Heart Related issue.
For that, you can have it posted to "Heart Rhythm Forum" in Medhelp Only.

As far s your doubts are concern, i would just tell you that i believe that you are under
some sort of stress and not able to give full relaxation to your mind and body.
You are always thinking too much. I can say that, as same is evident by your multiple post in this forum, as each time after posting, you must had analyzed later that you have forgotten some details and hence you have posted another time.

I hope you got my point. And this is the main reason for the muscle twitch/fasciculations.
Stress is the prime cause.
Other causes are Magnesium ions deficiency, lack of sleep and other diseases like MS or ALS.
However to qualify for ALS or MS, there are multiple other symptoms and together with the radiological findings , we have to come to a conclusion.
So till that time, please don't think in that sense as the more you think, the more stressful it will become and the chances of twitched will increase.
Your all reports are almost perfect.
So don't worry and relax.All is well.

Feel free to discuss.
Regards..

[richzeddun]

another piece of information.  On 3/17/2010 I had bloodwork done for my Cardiologist appointment and the CPK test showed no indication of muscle weakness/damage.

[richzeddun]

one last note.  I do feel twitching in other areas of my body too and slight muscle discomfort but the muscle discomfort is more random in my body.  Also up until the middle of january this year I had been working out 4-5 days a week-cardio and strength training but stopped because didn't know if I had heart problems until got clean bill of heart health last week.  I'm planning to start up again as I had been excerising regularly for last 15 yrs.  Finally over the last 6 nonths I frequently have been having sleep issues and probably been averaging 5 hrs or so per night.

[richzeddun]

also two other pieces of useful info.  For the last 4 weeks I've also been feeling pressure/tightness in my left shoulder. It's slight or mild and never have had any weakness in the shoulder or my left arm/hand.  Finally my cardiologist says my echo did show slight mitral reguritation but nothing to be concerned about.

[richzeddun]

just for further information I'm an adult male age 38 and the lightheadedness symptoms have gone away.