Your story is one very familiar to those of us on the board. I'll hit yoru questions in order:
1. Pinched nerves, disc problems, old injuries that are aggravated can cause all of the symptoms that you are experiencing.
2. Read the excellent "BFS in a Nutshell". I think you'll agree at the end of it that you do not have ***. In addition, *** symptoms do not present with sudden onset, and are rarely bilateral.
3. Pain and cramping can be anywhere. Not everyone experiences cramping, but almost everyone who receives a diagnosis of BFS experiences pain of vary degrees and in varying places. The pain is often accompanied by perceived muscle weakness and fatigue, either localized or generalized.
4. You are not dying from BFS or the symptoms you describe.
5. The neurologist should do an exam which is more detailed than the one your GP gave you, including looking for examples of hyper-reflexia. The neuro will be looking for objective clinical weakness, not your perceptions of weakness (Again, BFS in a Nutshell explains the difference). Ask the neuro to explain to you how you can have fasciculations without weakness. Be sure to mention the pre-existing back conditions.
6. I can't give you a professional opinion. I can tell you a personal story in that I had some numbness, which turned into twitching, which led to symptom Googling, which led to massive anxiety and an exponential increase in twitching. I had numerous MRIs and two EMGs (due to possible bad results on the first one) before I was diagnosed with BFS. My twitching is still there, but my anxiety levels are reduced 90% and I just accept that fact that some days there minor twitching and some days lots of twitching (and always increased twitching after working out).
Best of luck. The first read on the description of your symptoms leads me to believe that you will receive a managable diagnosis, like almost everyone else on this board.
1. Pinched nerves, disc problems, old injuries that are aggravated can cause all of the symptoms that you are experiencing.
2. Read the excellent "BFS in a Nutshell". I think you'll agree at the end of it that you do not have ***. In addition, *** symptoms do not present with sudden onset, and are rarely bilateral.
3. Pain and cramping can be anywhere. Not everyone experiences cramping, but almost everyone who receives a diagnosis of BFS experiences pain of vary degrees and in varying places. The pain is often accompanied by perceived muscle weakness and fatigue, either localized or generalized.
4. You are not dying from BFS or the symptoms you describe.
5. The neurologist should do an exam which is more detailed than the one your GP gave you, including looking for examples of hyper-reflexia. The neuro will be looking for objective clinical weakness, not your perceptions of weakness (Again, BFS in a Nutshell explains the difference). Ask the neuro to explain to you how you can have fasciculations without weakness. Be sure to mention the pre-existing back conditions.
6. I can't give you a professional opinion. I can tell you a personal story in that I had some numbness, which turned into twitching, which led to symptom Googling, which led to massive anxiety and an exponential increase in twitching. I had numerous MRIs and two EMGs (due to possible bad results on the first one) before I was diagnosed with BFS. My twitching is still there, but my anxiety levels are reduced 90% and I just accept that fact that some days there minor twitching and some days lots of twitching (and always increased twitching after working out).
Best of luck. The first read on the description of your symptoms leads me to believe that you will receive a managable diagnosis, like almost everyone else on this board.
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