Has Anyone Confirmed Atrophy?

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Really? My neighbor who had ALS noticed some mild weakness first then atrophy of the hand and let me tell you he FLUNKED his EMG. His/my family doctor knew when he saw his hand something was terribly wrong. My mom has atrophy of the legs. Have you been on any kind of Steriods. My mom was on prednisone it caused her horrible atrophy and leg weakness. She couldn't walk up steps for 2 months.
 
Everyone can see the difference in the hands. It's between the thumb and index finger - first dorsal interosseus.I know 100% sure it has not been there in the past. I just know, it really looks weird. I showed it to one neuro but he said he didn't think atrophy goes like that. I don't know if I have real weakness there I can still do everything with it, however sometimes my index finger feels stiff but the feeling goes away, I also have non stop twitching in the first dorsal interosseus since FebruaryI noticed the dent/atrophy in December 2009 and as far as we can see it has not progressed (or progressed dramatically) But normally a EMG would pick up signs if it was atrophy. The neuro put in a needle 2 centimeters from that place. If I make two circles with the hands and ring them and pull I feel the 'bad' hand muscles hurting, so there really is less muscle in it and you can feel it too. I don't know what to think of it :(
 
Hi LostBoyI do wonder whether you have decided yourself that you have atrophy... it does sound as if your neurologist has examined your hand and told you that you don't have atrophy there. I d'on't think that anything important would be missed on EMG or by your neurologist. I know you get very worried about your health so I also wonder whether you needn't worry too much about the hand muscle asymmetry. Certainly, the muscle pain is nothing to be concerned about - I experience this a lot.RegardsSimon
 
One other thing, you can see the atrophy when I hold something or make an 'O' with the thumb and index finger, but when the hand is resting flat on the table you don't see a dent. When the 2 hand are flat on the table next to each other I can see that one hand has little less bulk mass.
 
My left hand sinks in underneath my pinky so does alot of other peoples. My doctor just said thats how that hand is made. My right hand doesn't do it, just my left. I showed it to my doctor and he said well look at my right and left. His did it too. Again my neighbor really didn't think his hand was all that weak but his skin on his hand was hanging. When he showed it to me I thought....OMG how could you think that was nothing at first.
 
My left hand sinks in underneath my pinky so does alot of other peoples. My doctor just said thats how that hand is made. My right hand doesn't do it, just my left. I showed it to my doctor and he said well look at my right and left. His did it too. Again my neighbor really didn't think his hand was all that weak but his skin on his hand was hanging. When he showed it to me I thought....OMG how could you think that was nothing. It was terrible. BUT honestly, his first signs were weakness, he just thought it was because he was getting old. He brushed it off until the atrophy set in
 
Lostboy... if you had atrophy from ALS and you had a EMG, it would not be normal. You had a clean EMG and your neuro told you it's not atrophy. Why do you choose to do this to yourself? I know you are afraid but come on. What other proof do you need to be convinced it's not ALS? I feel so bad for you having to live the way your living. Are you on any medication?
 
Barbie,I started medication.To be correct. One neuro said to me: that looks weird maybe you have a muscle disaese afterall (his was january 2010)another neuro said he didn't think it was atrophy.I did sent picutres of my hand to a well known ALS specialist (Carvalho) and he said: "looking at your picture it seems there is a slight muscle atrophy of the first dorsal interosseus muscle" "There are benign fasciculations in 1st dorsal interosseus, taking into acount the apparent atrophy then ulnar nerve lesion is a possibility" (but EMG was clean)So what is it?
 
Lostboy you are killing me! Can anyone say anything that will make you feel better? Because of my recent hand issues I have been embarrassingly checking out my muscles on my hand comparing them with my other hand. Sure enough the muscle on my hand that I am having issues with appears to have a dent. There is a thread about atrophy that talks about how naturally we have dents. You have no weakness and a clean emg. I would be rejoicing and running around the streets naked! Lostboy like I said in my email response you could die tomorrow. How would you feel about the last few years of your life? The moment I made the decision to let it go and not pay attention, I stopped noticing the twitching. It is still there, but I am not so bothered by it. Until I read your thread, lol!
 
Lostboy,I do indeed have a spot that my Neuro picked up on last visit...May, 2010. It is an indentation...he didn't say the word "atrophy" but he said it was, "odd, not seen often" and asked if I had taken any sterioid shots there at any point before. He did not seem alarmed. But he did do an EMG again on that side....and just so you feel even LESS alone....that is the side I have: pain, 80% of my twitching, and anything else bad that happens! :D) And I am not being a smart *beep*, I am just trying to seriously tell you this with some wit! But I was freaked out too. He said it was not common....to me that was just a sure sign of demise. The EMG (my third one in a year) still came back normal. Not everything has an easy explanation....and that just stinks! But it also doesn't mean it is the worst thing. Weird things happen in our bodies. Try to at least feel better that I, Carrie, have a big ol spot too!Blessings,Carrie
 
Runnergirl, I agree, first the scary, crapy symptoms, then came the horrible anxiety. And yes, this is the worst thing I have every experienced besides natural childbirth, but at least with that, I knew it would end, this stuff....who really knows????? But I will continue to do what I do best and that is fight and move forward and thank you for your words of support. Huggs, and please stay in touch and take of yourself. :D)
 
Lost boy continues to be a lost cause. It seems the only thing that has atrophied is his common sense, yet, I sense he also enjoy throwing bull around. These kinds of question are ridiculous. No one here has atrophy, let alone als. If the tests that people get done here are any indication of what is going on at hospitals and doctor's offices, then, the economy for the medical profession is excellent. But, so is the prognosis for you getting over your bfs. It eventually fades into the background of ones life, and when it does flare up a bit, it is of little concern. After having read many thousands of post, and posting a couple of thousand of my own, I know two things: 1) You are all well and 2) my words have little impact on you. The latter one doesn't bother me, because the only ones who remain here after a time are those who either have an anxiety disorder or those who need constant attention. I guess I needed a bit of attention myself at one time, so this post is not about judging or casting aspersions...just injecting the reality of silly bfs, as I see it. I've had all the symptoms to varying degrees, including a twitching tongue, horrible burning, and some shytty cramping. It sucks at first, but not mulling over every symptom is key, AND forgoing all these ridiculous tests. The test ensnare you in the wheel of the medical system, which actually disallows you feeling better. All one has to do is read how many tests have been taken by so many here, and the pattern of how it fosters anxiety soon becomes clear. The proof of all this is, of course, as I've stated before...no one, not one person here has come down with als, ms, parkinsons, or any of the other myriad diseases they imagine. I see that some old-timers come back from time to time and tell everyone not to worry, that they went through the same thing and it isn't worth wasting time over. The response is often "that's the best post ever," "thanks for coming back, this gives us hope," etc, but in reality not much changes, the same questions get asked over and over again. Well, the days move forward and sooner or later you'll all get over it. :D) Cheers,Basso
 

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