Feeling of Numbness in Extremities

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ValgerAce59

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Hi guys~~ I always feel so guilty starting a new post, I hate bugging you all with yet another new symptom! BUT....I'll make this quick. I know the list of things that can go along with BFS, such as pain and cramping, which I have to some degree, don't know if it's related or not, but I have knee, and ankle and foot problems. But, one thing that's been bothering me lately is a feeling on my left hand, right around my pointer finger knuckle, and I guess I would describe it as an arthritic feeling, but I guess it also could be described as a weakness. It does have pain, tho, it's like especially if I extend my finger out and wiggle it around, it feels painful. But, I was nervous, cause I noticed when cooking tonight that when I went to grab the pot of boiling noodles to drain it, and I used my left hand, it was too heavy for that hand, it felt like a cross between pain and weakness (best way to describe it might be an arthritic type thing)...and so I used my right hand to drain the water. Does this sound like what I would watch out for with als? I've always read that als patients have trouble with little things, like getting the key in the door, and while I feel like I'm still functioning with that hand, it just feels like something is definitely going on, and I'm losing strength there. So many things can be signs of als, or just be unrelated, and that is the hard thing with this, is not every symptom we get has to be related somehow to the BFS, but it feels like it all is, and it's hard to escape those dreaded feelings. Just wondering if anyone could relate~~I'm just stressing lately between that and my twitching seems to be getting worse going down my back and neck. Thanks so much, I'm so sorry to be bugging you guys again!~ Val
 
hi val,this is the trouble with a mixture of symptoms, and to much information on serious illnesses. the thing is if you didn't twitch you would not notice things as much. i've had a sore foot, i couldn't actually walk on it yesterday, and like most of my symptoms it was on the left side. :confused: so i start to think, to much :rolleyes: . its heaps better today, if it's serious it's not going to have good days. prob hurt it, old age [ha ha]or something. seriously we don't know for sure whats going on with you but i really would go to a reumatologist, it may have a very easy cure. i've had trouble with a weak hand when i've lifted a pot, seriously i think we my just focuson things to much, because if you were in the kitchen chatting to someone you prob wouldn't have noticed.never feel bad about asking for support, we never mind at all. take care and keep in touch.cheerioshaon.
 
Hi Val,I agree with what Sharon said. I think we all start to connect dots that aren't there when we get any kind of pain or maybe some sort of muscle fatigue. If we weren't having the twitching, we probably wouldn't pay it any mind. I have been having this pain in my throat thing lately, like occasionally when I swallow or when i'm talking. I also have that tight and tender feeling in my elbow that's a twitching hotspot right now, so right away I start thinking these must be more symptoms of *** and I told my doctor about it and she just said that some things just feel achy or painful and there is no explanation for it. She said the elbow and the wrist are sensitive areas because we have so many nerves there and it's not uncommon for people to get crampy, painful feelings and muscle fatigue from their elbow to their wrist, especially in their dominant hand. She told me that right now I am hyper aware of my body and she isn't kidding. I think most of us are and you probably are too. I hope you feel better.Nettie
 
Nobody is exempt from arthritis, I remember complaining to my orthopaedic guy about pain in my thumb, and asking if that was part of my carpal tunnel syndrome, he examined the thumb and said, no it's arthritis.Right now my left hand is being weak and painful again, which wouldn't be so bad except the shoulder is joining in too. It makes typing difficult to sustain, which then again maybe says something about what may have contributed to it in the first place. There is such a thing as overdoing it with muscles and joints.I have put my *LS worries to bed, I am far more concerned about brain tumours right now, and I don't know what that says about me psychologically speaking.
 
Hi~~ Thank you all so much for the replies! It was so helpful and reassuring to read all of that! I know what you mean about connecting the dots, that's really a good way to put it~~it's like suddenly everything I get is somehow connected to another symptom of als. Unfortunately, I do seem to be getting alot of symptoms that can be assoicated with it. I did a bad thing last night. OMG~~I googled something like hand pain and twitching, and found a site where a neuro answers the questions, and one guy was asking about his wife, and her situation sounded just like mine. He said she was 47 (I am 48)..and that she had been twitching for six months, and just recently had noticed a weakness of her hand, like something she is just aware of when she tries to pick something up. Anyway, the neuro answered back that he should get her into an als clinic sooner rather than later, now that her hand is starting to feel weak. I HATE reading stuff like that, cause do you know what I mean when you read something, and you just want to burst out crying? I have NEVER had anything grip me like this in my life. I've been worried about health issues in the past, and even obsessive about stuff, but NOTHING like this. I worry about this all the time, it's on my mind all day and night. I can't tell you the feeling I had when I read that, it's like a panic you go into for a while. Do you guys ever feel that way? I almost really did feel like sobbing. I just got back from a walk with the dogs, and I get so sore and stiff when I walk any distance. It's not a weakness, it's a soreness, and I have heel problems, and foot problems, and as far as I know, that isn't really a symptom of als, as much as weakness. I just really get the sore feet when I walk too far. Also, when I"ve been sitting too long. But, even when I'm sitting there, I will feel sometimes like something sharp is going into my heel, so I think I have other problems that aren't related to als, at least I hope so. Doesn't the pain factor make it less likely to be als related? I thought pain only came later in the disease, at which point you would be having bad weakness issues. I am going to go to a doc for all of this, but it takes so much for me to go in. I'm such a coward about it. I just keep waiting and waiting, figuring that the more time that goes by, and I'm not that bad, that this would point away from als. I started twitching 13 months ago now, and so it makes me feel a little better that it's been so long, on the other hand, I am having other symptoms now, that they say to look out for, so do I feel better or not? Thanks for helping me, you guys are just the best. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. Val
 
Well I have been in a lot of pain again today, in fact it got so bad, with shooting pains going right down my left arm that I went along to emergency and had an ECG just in case it was referred pain from a heart attack (my dad went that way, with pains down his arm hence the panic) Well the Dr told me the pain was coming from neck, and said he could give me more tests but it was unlikely to be my heart even though the pain was worse on exertion. Well I did not want to stick around if my ECG was fine, and as I got ready to go, he asked me if I had any medical history. Yes I said, trapped nerves, and he turned round and said that may pain shouldn't come as any surprise then.It's the old horses and zebra argument again, if you have pain it is going to be something like trapped nerves or worn joints not something totally off piste like *LS
 
Thanks again for all the helpful posts here. I'm kinda freakin about my hand tonight, tho. The thing is, it's my left hand that's causing me some trouble, and I'm also twitching in that hand, so I'm just really worried about it. I notice that I can still do most tasks, but like tonight I was pouring some milk from a full gallon for my daughter, and it was noticeably difficult, I mean I could do it, but it was something I noticed as far as difficulty. I could do it with my right hand with no problem, but my left just feels like it doesn't have the strength, and is a little painful around the pointer finger knuckle. The thing that also worries me, and is giving me that horrible 'butterfiles in the stomach' thing, is that like tonight, I took a Pepcid for some heartburn, and when I used my left hand to twist the bottle closed, it wasn't hard, but my hand twiched after that. It also made me remember how that has happened before, when I go outside to turn the spicket off and shut it tight, where it is located I always end up doing it with my left hand, and I've had that several times where after I use all the strength I have in that hand doing something like that, then it will twitch for a second or two. It's just a weird feeling, like something is definitely going on with that hand. The funny thing is, when my twitching started about 13 months ago (don't you love the way we all keep accurate count!)...the twitching started on my right hand, with my thumb and forefinger mostly, but once it stopped there, it really hasn't been a hotspot for me. I know on here, it's been said that with als, the twitching wouldn't stop in one place like that and go to another, but I've also heard that als starts differently for everybody. We were at the show tonight, and I was kind of making a fist to see if I felt like my hand was strong, and after that it would twitch again, and I just had that feeling where I wanted to cry again. It's just a terrible feeling, there I am sitting with my family, and I'm completely distracted with this health stuff. I felt at that moment, with the twitching and weakness problem, that it has to be als, cause isn't that what we've been learning on here? That twitching without weakness is benign, but with weakness, that's when you start to worry, right? Also, just having the trouble with walking is also another very bothersome thing. Again, it's more pain than weakness, but it all seems to be getting worse. I do plan on going back to my neuro, but I was just wondering if anyone can relate to also having some weakness where you have twitching. Wow, I just had a BIG twitch on my upper leg as I'm typing this. What fun. Thanks so much for always calming me down! Val
 
Val,On many occasions I have felt the fear and panick you are experiencing today. Even now when I do strenuous things with my hands they will twitch afterwards. Or then again if I do a tricep exercise they will twitch afterwards. You have a couple of things going for you. First, 13 months is a long time to twitch without having experienced weakness. Moreover, you mentioned that your other hand started twitching first. You have to understand the disease that you fear - this would not be the case. If you had als that hand would have went on to weakness - it won't get better once a muscle starts dying off. You don't have als. Our minds play tricks on us - once you start thinking about strength, etc then what was an involuntary process begins to become something you are contemplating. From there it's a bad forest because you don't have any basis for comparison. In other words, you never paid attention to these feelings or your muscle activity in the past. So with no reference point you begin to imagine all sorts of things. I remember thinking I had atrophy in my hand and calf - they still look the same years later. it's just mind games. Have you been to a neuro or doctor? If they told you you were fine you are.Mark
 
Mark, I can't thank you enough for that response! I came on here just now hoping and praying that I would have a response just like yours. I had been running around the house doing work, shutting windows and all of that, and I noticed that when I stood still for a second to talk to my son, I could feel the twitching in my left hand. And, I've noticed that before, I think I mentioned it, that sometimes when I do something that involves that hand, it will sometimes twitch after, especially if it's even a little strenuous. That makes me feel so much better that you said you have the twitching sometimes in muscles after using them. I guess the thing that really worries me is that I feel so differently in this hand, like I'm definitely using my right hand more all of a sudden. I feel like I have strength in it, like I walked in the house tonight carrying two gallons of milk in bags in that hand, but it's when I do CERTAIN things, like if I try to pour a gallon of milk that is full into a glass with my left hand, just the way that works and the way you have to kind of twist your hand around is difficult for me right now. It almost feels like my hand is sprained, that's the best way for me to describe it. You know how you would baby it if that happened? That's what it feels like I'm naturally doing. Thank you so much though for explaining what can happen in our heads, I really needed to hear that. Cause sometimes I think, "could I be this much of a freak, that I could actually be making my left hand twitch more somehow now that I've noticed the weakness"???, and I think that couldn't possibly happen, but I guess it can. All of a sudden, I hardly notice the twitching anywhere else but my hand. Although, it's weird, cause I did start the twitching in the right hand, and now I hardly ever have it there, only on the left. And, the left hand was kind of a hotspot for me recently, and now this weak feeling seems to have followed it, so I worry about that being the progression of als. It is amazing how reading one bad thing can send you reeling for days, even weeks. I had unfortunately, in a weak moment, googled 'weak hand and twitching', and ran across this site where you can ask a question, and supposedely a neuro answers, and this guy asked a question about his wife, and she sounded just like me, he said she had been twitching, hers was only for 6 months though, and then he said her hand has been getting slightly weaker. The neuro answered that she needs to get into a clinic sooner rather than later cause with als, there are some treatments. I felt like sobbing after I read that, like I had been punched in the stomach. That is why it helps so much to read posts like yours, it helps me to forget the bad stuff. I've been to a neuro, but I've had alot more symptoms since I've last seen him. He only did some blood tests, and a sleep study. Since I've been to him, I've had the tongue twitching off and on, and the knee and foot problems, and now this hand thing. Although, now that I think about it, I did have the knee problems back when I saw him last, and he seemed to pretty much blow that off. The foot thing is more painful than weak, so I don't know what that is. It's more of a stiffness and painful thing when I first wake up, or get up out of a sitting position. I'm fine if I'm wearing the right shoes, and been walking around a bit. Well, not really fine, but it feels like other things, since it's more pain on the bottom of my foot and the heel. I am planning on going back to the neuro soon, I'm just scared, and waiting for time to go by, since time is what is on our sides. Thank you again, and I'm sorry that I have once again bored you with my mindless dribble. I really appreciate your post, it's helping me get through the night!! BTW~~do you think it's completely necessary to have an emg to feel good about it not being als? Cause my neuro didn't seem to think one was necessary, and I'm happy with that. Thanks again so much, Val
 
Hi read this post. Is it possible to have twitches for 6 months and then weakness? Or is this time period enough to be safe?thanksMaarten
 
Ok, let's get this straight once and for all:Normally als presents with weakness - very real clinical weakness. I know of two examples - one explained by my doctor which he dxed and another by a friend who had a friend that developed it.In one case this man presented to my doctor with very bad weakness in both feet. He was tripping, falling, and just not able to function in the day. He did have twitching localized in the feet and ankles which he noticed. Immediately, my doctor knew something was wrong because he had atrophy, hyper reflexes, clonus, and failed clinical requirements for strength. He unfortunately died less than two years later.My friend Leah had a friend who also noticed twitching in her hand (I think it was just one hand). She began to feel very very weak and fatigued - generally. One day while writing her hand just stopped functioning and the pen fell from her grip. She went to a doctor and also passed away within 18 months or so. All of the specialists told me that fasciculations are generally not what brings someone into their offices when they have mnd. Instead, they show up weak and many times don't even notice the twitches.Therefore, when you talk about carrying Gallons of milk, etc. it sounds like you are just thinking about it. You carried the groceries in probably not aware of your body because of other factors but now everytime you pour milk you think about it. Do you have wasting in the hand you are worried about? And again, your other hand would not have got better in time. ALS is a progressive disease - it ravages your body. Twitching though it's incredibly scary is not the main concern - it's weakness, lack of small motor skills, and an inability to function normally that presents as a problem. It's very hard to believe. Even last night I was doing babinski on my left foot and looking for atrophy because it's twitches so badly. But then I have to catch myself and realize it's been doing that THREE YEARS. By now I would literally be dead or very near to it...I would not be doing one hour workouts with a trainer or running interval wind sprints. This is a mental chess match and it is VERY VERY hard to overcome it. Hang in there.
 
Thanks Mark for your response, Again. I hate reading posts like Val found and see them on threads. I understand the point and the concern but it just gives me something to dwell on all day. We dont know how OLD that lady is? We dont know how the twitching was? Was it localized etc? Was her hand atrophied. I find it really WEIRD the Doctor would say "get her to a clinic asap b/c als is better caught early". I've NEVER heard them make such statements on the internet.....My doctor told me NOT to believe EVERYTHING I READ on here- because its FULL of a lot of CRAP and MISINFORMATION that can be interpreted by a laymen person the wrong way VERY easily.I've always read by other neuros and told by my own that once you have TWITCHING the weakness would be definate and unmistakable. I hope all these neuro's are not lying. I am going to believe them.Lovely
 
Indeed Deedee, we may not believe all those internet sites. In the case Val describes we don't know anything about this lady. We don't even know she has **S. Also the story cannot be true. We may not forget that there are a lot of 'bad' people in the world who enjoy to make people upset. Normally a neuro or doctor is not giving advice trough the internet , he has to see the person for being able to diagnose someone,.The only thing we can do is to listen to the medical trained persons who saw us. Every case is different, every person is different. Only the neuro/GP who have seen us can make a diagnose. Bart
 
Hi all~~ I have to apologize for posting about that story that I read. I forget sometimes how hard it is to hear those things, and since I was so upset when I read it, I asked about it on here, forgetting how that might upset others. Just another example of how this thing we have sometimes impairs your judgement. Seriously, it's like when I panic about something, and kind of go over the edge about it, it's all pretty unreasonable, and it's like I'm not thinking straight, just like posting that scary story. You are right to say not to believe the things you read on the net. I have found that those sites, in which people sometimes pay to get a person who is supposedely a doctor respond to them, always seem to be pretty shady. I spent 10 bucks one night asking a doctor online about something unrelated to BFS, and the answer was just so stupid. This person talked in circles and really didn't say anything to me. Also, as you said, don't forget, this neuro doesn't know anything about the person that he's responding to, so when he hears about twitching and then a weak hand, he's probably just trying to be safe telling the guy to get her into a clinic, but she's probably fine. Thanks, Mark, for reassuring me again~~I know I'm probably driving you nuts with this hand thing. It makes me feel better that you pointed out that my twitching started in my right hand, and I don't have any weakness there. You had asked if I had any wasting in the left hand, and that's a hard question, because as you had mentioned before, there is no point of reference, so when you see a dent, you don't know if you've had it forever or what. On my left hand, right by my pointer finger knuckle, there is a dent that the other hand doesn't really have, and I noticed that a while ago, and had actually posted about it. I have no idea if I've had that for years, it's just something that I noticed. So, yes, my left hand does look less bulky than my right hand, but I am right handed, so isn't that normal to a degree? I don't think I have any severe wasting, but definitely a little different than my right hand. As for carrying in the gallons of milk, it's just that I have always done that, and now there is this awareness because of a pain in my left hand. One thing I notice, is that when I put my left hand flat on a surface like a table or anything, and then lift up only my pointer finger, it's painful and feels like a tight muscle there or something. So, doesn't the pain factor point away from als? It scares me a little about your friend that had hand twitching, and then couldn't hold a pen, cause I guess to some degree, that is me as far as having the hand twitching, and now some weakness. I wouldn't know if I could hold a pen in that hand, because I'm right handed, so I don't use my left hand in that way. I just notice with the heavy stuff that there is some difficulty now that wasn't there before. Things that I didn't think about before like pouring milk, I now notice and will use my other hand. Again, I hope I didn't scare anybody with that stupid story, there are so many out there, and that is why I really don't usually go anywhere else besides here and my e-mail! Everything can be taken out of context, and we are all looking for the bad stuff, it's easy to freak out about it. That really is the nature of what we all seem to have in common here, is the sensitivity towards information that we find. Thanks again for all the help you guys have provided me with. You are helping me get through my days! Val
 
Its ok Val. My neuro and docs just could NOT stress to me enough about reading into things on the internet about this. They both expressed most of the information is old, wrong, or taken out of context or put in away that a person not in the neurology field or doctor can read it and make sense of it.Val, one thing you have to remember as I do when my "left hand/arm/shoulder/" feels weak. I am right handed..I do everything dominantly right handed- never before would I ever compensate by using my left hand UNTIL i started checking for weakness...so i notice myself trying to carry more things w/ that hand, do more things w/ the left hand etc. when naturally its going to be weaker and NATURALLY it is a bit weaker than my right- but not to the EXPERTS. Watch people around you that are right handed- they will only use their left hand for little things like...to hold the glass..(not the milk) or open the door, with the milk in the right hand (the heaviest thing). Thats just dominance.Make sense?Lovely
 
Lovely~ Thanks for the reassurance! I'm sure I'm doing that, where suddenly I'm always testing my left hand, and of course it's gonna fail some tests, because as you said, my right hand is dominant. But, I do have something going on in my left hand, cause it's painful also. It hurts not really in my whole hand, but just around the knuckle below the pointer finger. And, if I have my hand flat on a table, and try to lift up the pointer finger, it feels painful, not horrible, but I mean just a bit painful and stiff. My husband actually thought it might have something to do with text messaging alot, but I text with my right hand, but I guess I could be holding the cell phone weird when I'm doing that, I don't know. I wouldn't even be thinking about this if it weren't for the twitching, and the constant fear of als. I get so sick of it, worrying about it each day. I know I need to go back to my neuro, but part of me is scared to do that, since we have so many plans this summer, and it's easy to just try to ignore, and wait for time to go by. It's already been 13 months since I first noticed twitching on my right hand, and that makes me feel a little better. I hope you are feeling well and taking care of yourself. I know it's hard. I went through the drive-thru at McDonalds today, and I felt so crappy after I did that. I have to remember to keep my attitude good, and when I eat junk like that, I kind of spiral downhill with my mental state. I mean, nothing bad, just like feeling blue. If I exercise, and eat right, I just feel so much better mentally, why is it so hard to stick to?? Anyway, thanks again! Val
 
Val sent you a pm! (also the finger thingy majingy could come from being on the computer a lot- ) Linda mentioned something about shoulder pain and her doctor calling it keyboard shoulder or mouse shoulder lol something like that- i bet it can happen w/ the fingers too.Hey you said u text msg a lot...I dont think you could be doing that if you had "weak fingers/hands etc". REMEMBER??? :p
 
Lovely~ Thanks so much~you are so sweet, always so reassuring. You remind me so much of myself when I was pregnant, I really started having some health anxiety with my second child, and it's kind of been downhill ever since! I do believe one thing my neuro said is that there are certain people that are "hypervigilant" about their health and their symptoms. I'm sure that some of the things that I get, my husband wouldn't even think twice if he got. Like, the finger thing. The only reason that scares me though, is I have this whole scenario worked out in my mind about it being related to als, because of the twitching. That's true about the texting, but I do text with my right hand, and hold the phone with my left hand, and the problem I'm having is in my left hand. And, it's in certain positions....like pouring milk from gallons is hard cause of the way you kind of have to twist your hand to do it, but I can carry something even rather heavy with my left hand as long as it's straight on top of my hand. It's that knuckle and finger that are sore, almost like the way a sprain would feel. I've been trying to think of anything I might have done to strain it that I forgot about. And, I think I mentioned this, so sorry if I'm repeating myself, but it hurts when I have my hand flat down on a table, and then try to lift my pointer finger up. It feels tight and sort of painful. Anyway, thanks again for all of the reassurance. I hope I can help you also, I have so many stories of the things I went through when I was pregnant, I'll have to tell you a couple sometime. I'll respond to your pm as soon as I can have the computer free for a minute~~there's always someone waiting in my house! Thanks again, Val
 

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