hand clawing and right side muscle weakness

[jc80]

26 yo female.  For the last 3 years I've had progressive hand clawing in my right hand.  I am right handed.  It started in my pinky and has included my ring finger now.  I have decreased muscle mass on my hand,wrist,forearm.  Tried several dr's, many don't know or don't believe me.  Most recent dr noticed decreased strength in my right ankle as well, I cannont flex my right foot for very long or very high.  Other problems maybe related or not: chronic constipation, decreased feeling but not numbness in right finger tips and toes.  Sometimes I feel "cold splashes of water" like a spray bottle of cold water on my legs. Sometimes on front of thighs, sometimes on back. Not pins and needles, but just brief feeling of cold water spray. I have a slight right hand tremor.  I also get leg muscle pain sometimes, and sometimes I have leg problems that are not painful.  I describe that as "walking through water" where its exerting and difficult to walk foward, usually lasts entire day when it happens.

Neurologist says I have hyper-reflexes.  My most troubling problem is the hand weakness and clawing and tremor as I am right handed and interferes w/ my job. He ordered MRI of head and neck that was normal.  EMG was normal.  No family hx of neuro probs except great-grandmother had parkinsons at old age and both her brothers had it at a young age.  Great aunt has MS.  Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

[WorriedinAZ]

The depression goes with the symptoms for me. It's weird if I wake up foggy and off balance I am more depressed then if I wake up with a stiff left side. This is the strangest disease ever! Whatever it is....
Do ya'll have any  of these autonomic symptoms?....decreased blinking, hypersalivation.
How about feeling like your facial muscles are tightening?
Do your symptoms come and go sometimes from minute to minute?? mine do.
Try to Have a good day, Christine

[worriedmario]

My face sometimes feels tingly or checks feel weird but I think it it because of my less than adequate night guard for teeth grinding. When I close and open my left eye it feels like there it's glued but it still blinks quickly.

My most bothersome symptoms now are the limping and tremor. Also, I am in a lot of muscle and joint pain especially at night. I read that the pain is rare for PD but more common in young onset PD. I'm sure that at some point all these symptoms rotate and hit you. It does seem like the symptoms can stop from in a heart beat at times. But as time goes on they don't seem to leave me anymore, they only get worse. Everyone in my family says I should stop thinking about it and that I don't even know if it's PD. Easier said than done.

[worriedmario]

Also, what did your neuro say about the symptoms you are having now? They do seem reluctant to say the truth. It seems like your symptoms are more advanced because you have had them longer whereas my symptoms started 4 months ago. i forgot to mention that I do get really sleepy during the day at times. Never used to happen, at least not that bad.

Do you guys feel depressed? It seems like the worse the symptoms get it becomes harder emotionally. I feel fine when I'm around my wife but at work I feel down. I keep hoping for a miracle of some sort. I'm still shocked and just bummed out. I feel bad for my wife and everyone around even though I'm the one who is ill.  I can tell that this will take a lot of family support if it is PD. Good luck to everyone

[worriedmario]

I gre up in a rural area and we did some farming with pesticides. The pesticide I think was DDT whih from what I know was nasty and has been banned.
I'm also having other symptoms. I wake up early and can't fall asleep again. Also, unusual constipation. I think my sexual functions have been affected a little, but not sure if it isn't just stress. Overall I feel weird and sometimes my thinking is slowed down. My symptoms get much worse, like my tremor and walking, when I'm under stress.

I feel sorry about you and the kids, but I think that in the end it's a positive. I'm expecting a child and if anything else that brings so much joy in this stressful time. The biggest concern is finances in the future. Here I'm just beginning a career with all these student loans and now I'm not sure what will hapeen next. I know that no matter what my wife is there and will be there. I would love to have more kids once we have this one, but the thought of hardship for my wife with me being ill is a big unknown.

[WorriedinAZ]

That's inspirational. I just saw a young onset specialist who told me to come back in 6 months; if it is worse it is PD if not, then probably just fibromyalgia.

[jc80]

I havn't completley given up on my right hand, i'm just preparing my left hand for the worst.  getting it stronger and more dominant just in case. i do exercise about 3 days a week but go by the rule that if it hurts too much i don't do that particular excersize.  bad pain vs good pain.  

and i'm glad you are only 6 months away from a dx, but six months seems sooooo long.  stupid fibro dx masking everything.  good luck!