Hello,This is my first post. I actually can't really believe I've quickly become this guy....posting on a health related forum. I'm a 35 year old male that has always been pretty healthy. No syndromes, disease, constant weird issues or anything.My story goes pretty much like this. Around May I started losing weight. I'm 6'2" and weighed about 185 lbs. I was thin to begin with, and then in about 45 days I lost about 10-15 lbs....and I didn't have 10 to 15 lbs to lose. The loss seemed to be all muscle. All my muscles, shoulder, back, arms, legs, butt, seemed to shrink. As far as how I felt, I just felt weak and a little tired all the time. People started commenting that I didn't look good and asking if something was wrong with me, etc. My wife started commenting on how boney I looked, and so I decided to go see my doctor. My doctor checked me out and ordered some blood work. All the blood work came back normal except I tested positive for Mono. The doctor said the positive test meant that I could have had Mono 6 months ago or could have it now and it last 6 months. I believed the test results, but it did seem strange to me because I had had Mono back when I was a teenager and it was bad. I had run a fever for a month straight and had to miss a semester of college. This time with Mono was weird to me because I hadn't run a fever or felt sick at all, just weak and lost weight. I couldn't figure out how Mono without fever, etc. could make me seem to lose muscle and strength.Another month went by and I still felt weak. All my muscles seemed twiggy, I looked at pictures of myself and couldn't understand how I got so thin, so quick, with no lifestyle changes. One morning I was looking at my calf muscles and they were twitching. I showed my wife and told her that I must have that Restless Leg Syndrome thing. We talked about it that morning that maybe I wasn't sleeping good because of RLS, and that was why I was feeling bad. Honestly, though at that point the twitching didn't concern me and I kind of forgot about it.Another couple of weeks goes by and I still feel weak so I decide to go back and see the doctor. He tells me he's sure it's probably the Mono, but would do more blood work and a few extra blood tests that dealt more with muscle health. I didn't tell him about the leg twitching thing because I didn't want to tell him I thought I might have RLS and him think I was a hypochondriac. I already felt like a hypo by going back to see him a month later with the same symptoms he had already diagnosed me with. Again this time around all of those blood test came back normal, he did not retest me for Mono however.Another month or two goes by and it becomes October 15th. I am laying in bed and notice my calf muscles are twitching like crazy. I think, *beep* RLS. I pick up my Ipad and google "twitching calves." Thinking I'm going to read all about RLS or dehydration, eat more bananas, that kind of stuff. Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell y'all what happened next. I begin to read all about ALS and all the other MND. I begin to get nervous, because all of the information is frightening. The part that screws with me the most is that most sites( including this one) say don't wory about twitches unless you have muscle loss and weakness. Which is exactly what I have been going through and seeing a doctor about for the last four months!So I go back to see my GP doctor. He gives me a little exam, hits my knee with the rubber hammer, wiggle my ankles around, etc. and says I seem fine, but thinks we should do a EMG. This was about a month ago. Since then my twitches have gone on non -stop 24/7. They are now not only in my calves but also in the arches of my feet and bottom of my feet. Well, the EMG is scheduled for today at 1:30. Coincidentally, this morning my About BFS account was activated after 3.5 weeks of waiting. Probably a coincident, but *beep* I'm so nervous I don't like any coincedences. I'm in the prime of my life with two small children...I promise to keep y'all updated with what I go through, I guess I am hoping for reassurance... and hope and pray that when my story is over that it can be of reassurance to others....Thanks, Adam
35-year-old Male Losing Weight
- Thread starter luckyandy
- Start date
Hi, and welcome. Please let me start by saying your EMG will be clean, I promise. When I first started feeling bad, my story was just like yours, I'm female 5ft 3in, and weighed 115, when this stuff took hold, I dropped 10lbs in a little more than a week, and then lost another 5 a week or so latter, and then lost another 7 over the next few weaks. I'm stuck now at 93 lbs, with alot of twitching and a lot of sensory issues, all which seem to fluctuate in intensity. I know what you meant by not liking that sites say twitches mean nothing without weakness, atrophy, and reflex changes. Well I was weak, and I sure had lost muscle, and I even had brisk reflexes. But you know what, I didnt have ALS, and still dont 
) You will find that weakness, and muscle loss, dont mean what we think they do. Atrophy (muscle wasting) is not an all over thing, it happens in one muscle at a time, over a very extended period. Weakness is not feeling weak or tired. Its clinical weakness, where you can no longer open things, or stand up from a seated position, start your car, push on the gas pedal, that type of weakness is measurable by a doctor, and you would already know if you had that, and your neuro today will tell you that you have none.Please dont be worried, your appt. will go fine ) I will keep an eye on this thread if you have any questions you would like to ask before your appt. If not we will be here for you when you get back.Good luck, but you dont need it,Robynn )
) You will find that weakness, and muscle loss, dont mean what we think they do. Atrophy (muscle wasting) is not an all over thing, it happens in one muscle at a time, over a very extended period. Weakness is not feeling weak or tired. Its clinical weakness, where you can no longer open things, or stand up from a seated position, start your car, push on the gas pedal, that type of weakness is measurable by a doctor, and you would already know if you had that, and your neuro today will tell you that you have none.Please dont be worried, your appt. will go fine ) I will keep an eye on this thread if you have any questions you would like to ask before your appt. If not we will be here for you when you get back.Good luck, but you dont need it,Robynn )Welcome,the fact you lost (as you said) muscle mass all over your body without motoric involvement is pointing away from ALS. The atrophy with ALS is focal and spreads slowly with weakness to adjacent limb on the same spinal level - e.g. if it begins in left hand, it spreads to arm, shoulder and to right arm.Except for neurologic causes, thyroid disoderds are causing muscle wasting and fasciculations - thyreotoxicosis to name most known of them. Calves are generally prone to fasciculations, so are the feet.Let us know what was your EMG.Best wishes,Docen
angusglover
Well-known member
Have you found ACTUAL weakness? I have seen ALS in action and you would know if you had it. Widespread like yours is not how it goes.....trust me, it just doesn't!!!
Okay, I'm back from the Nuero testing.A tech did the nerve conduction part of the test. She tested both of my legs. She had a real poker face, I couldn't get any read on her as to how things were going. She did the test and then said she needed to go visit with the doctor, and as she began to leave the room she asked me,"And how long have you had your symptoms?" I answered her, and for some reason her asking that question after doing a stone faced NCS really freaked me out!The Doctor (Neurologist) then came in to do the EMG part. Right off the bat he tells me that twitching in the calves is very common, they see it all the time, and that twitching calves and feet alone is nothing. He even said that studies have followed those people for 20+ years and like 100% had nothing wrong with them. This was exactly what I wanted to hear! He asks me about my weakness and I tell him I feel weak all over, kind of like you do a day or two after recovering from the flu. He asks if there is anything in my daily life I have found that I don't have the strength to do anymore. I told him I feel weak, but am still doing all the stuff I used to could do. He said that's not the kind of weakness that is associated with MND. He said that twitching calves alone is nothing to worry about unless I had profound weakness in an area, not just feeling weak and puny all over, that I shouldn't worry about it.He did the EMG in both legs and in my right arm. He did note several fasciculation's in each calf. In fact, he even commented on how the fasciculation's in my left calf made the needle move around! You could hear the fasciculation's like a static "pop" on the microphone. He said my arms were silent and fine. He said the calf fasciculations were very common and not to worry anymore.I still will go back to my Doc for the final results, but I feel like the nuero who did the EMG already told me the gist of it. I think if the NCS part had been odd the tech would have mentioned it to the doc before he came in the room and then he probable wouldn't have been so adamant that nothing was wrong with me. Right now I feel pretty good about it. Couldn't have gone any better unless the EMG had picked up no fasciculation's in my calf I guess.By the way, is it common for an EMG to pick up fasciculation's in BFS?Since I had fasciculation's does that mean I had a "dirty EMG"?
ionyZarrion
Well-known member
Congrats man!!!What a result...sweet...great neuro ...A KEEPER!!!Answers:1) YES2) Absolutely not
Congrats!No, EMG with only fasciculations is considered to be perfectly clean. Actually it is better to have them captured because you can be sure there are no fibrillations with them as well. Well I do not like if neurologists say "calves twitching" is mostly benign as most of us twitch everywhere from head to feet. Congrats again 
Thats fantastic news, see, you are one of us. ) It is very common for the EMG to pick up fasciculation with BFS or whatever, but they arent looking for those or even looking at them when they do the EMG, they are looking for denervation and renervation and you had none, which is awesome.Please dont do what some people do when they get a clean EMG, and they start thinking and wondering if they had the EMG to soon. An EMG is a very sensitive test and it can pick up damage up to two years before a person even get symptoms or twitches. So dont do that to yourself, because if your symptoms where being caused by the big nasty, the EMG would have told them so today.Come here when you need some reassurance or if you start to doubt things, and we will do our best to reassure you.Congratulations, you're good.Robynn )
) It is very common for the EMG to pick up fasciculation with BFS or whatever, but they arent looking for those or even looking at them when they do the EMG, they are looking for denervation and renervation and you had none, which is awesome.Please dont do what some people do when they get a clean EMG, and they start thinking and wondering if they had the EMG to soon. An EMG is a very sensitive test and it can pick up damage up to two years before a person even get symptoms or twitches. So dont do that to yourself, because if your symptoms where being caused by the big nasty, the EMG would have told them so today.Come here when you need some reassurance or if you start to doubt things, and we will do our best to reassure you.Congratulations, you're good.Robynn )JoggingCub
Well-known member
Congrats on your clean EMG luckyandy,As a part of the psychology of BFS, it is normal now, to reach a point where you may doubt the results of your EMG, like I did, many here have, as your symptoms many persist. I hope that you don't, but if you do, do post here and we will reassure you. Being afraid of ALS has a way of taking a toll on your psyche. The dammed internet makes fasciculations and ALS synonymous.
AussieSurvivor
Well-known member
Good result Adam..Now you can stop worrying and get on with enjoying your family and life. The weight 'lifted' will work wonders in helping you with this.Calve twitching is so so so common with BFS..almost worth not mentioning. I dont even give mine a second thought..but it took a while to get to that mental level. You will get there too!Welcome to the BFS club!cheersRodger
Thank you so much for the encouragement. I have read posts by all of you on other threads as I've been waiting for my EMG. Much of what y'all have said to others has already been of much comfort to me.Darr, I wanted to tell you that your post "Why I think I am so afraid" was terrific. It absolutely defined why I get so much anxiety. I am scared of things I can't control....as are most hypochondriacs ) .Unless the "official" emg report comes back different from what the nuero who did it implied then I think I'm good.I know my lingering concerns baring no new symptoms will stem from these three things....1. I haven't had a clinical neuro exam, just my family doctor and the emg.2. I still don't know what is causing my twitching....though I realize I may never know.3. I can't control the twitching.....I can't make them stop! (Right Darr! ) )
) .Unless the "official" emg report comes back different from what the nuero who did it implied then I think I'm good.I know my lingering concerns baring no new symptoms will stem from these three things....1. I haven't had a clinical neuro exam, just my family doctor and the emg.2. I still don't know what is causing my twitching....though I realize I may never know.3. I can't control the twitching.....I can't make them stop! (Right Darr! ) )BailysBunniLuv
Well-known member
Congrates Lucyadam for clean emg.The commen thing betn me and u is that fascics started after a significant weight loss.But i intentionally lost wt with diet n gym coz i was obese n having high blood pressure.take care.........baily
AllGoodHere
Well-known member
luckyandy - you are lucky as you had the best possible results from the neuro - in that respect we are all lucky in this way (now if only we can get rid of all the 
symptoms!) I just wanted to say that it is very common for people to get bfs/bcfs/pnhe after a stress inducing event like a bad virus, an infection, an operation, or an emotional upheaval, etc. It was one of the first things my neuro asked about because he has seen this many times in his long practice. We see it a lot here also, so many of us accept that that is what set off the symptoms for us whether we attribute this to our weakened immune system or damage from the bodily stress, etc. The only unfortunate thing that most of us have found is that once the symptoms start, it can take a long while for them to abate; seems unfair since they seem to come on so fast. My son had mono and they said it could reoccur so perhaps it is acting up and weakening you (did you tell the neuro about the mono?). You could try some of the immune boosting supplements to see if that helps you come around a bit more.
symptoms!) I just wanted to say that it is very common for people to get bfs/bcfs/pnhe after a stress inducing event like a bad virus, an infection, an operation, or an emotional upheaval, etc. It was one of the first things my neuro asked about because he has seen this many times in his long practice. We see it a lot here also, so many of us accept that that is what set off the symptoms for us whether we attribute this to our weakened immune system or damage from the bodily stress, etc. The only unfortunate thing that most of us have found is that once the symptoms start, it can take a long while for them to abate; seems unfair since they seem to come on so fast. My son had mono and they said it could reoccur so perhaps it is acting up and weakening you (did you tell the neuro about the mono?). You could try some of the immune boosting supplements to see if that helps you come around a bit more.