Leg Cramps, ALS Symptoms Scaring Me

[ySplendidCrafts9]

oK, I was just reading about sx of als dont ask me why...ahh~ well, it says leg cramps at night. Ok, I know, why did I do this. SO, I have been getting them all the time and it is freaking me out! I am getting hamstring pain , shin pain, ahh! This morning my shin hurt so much and couldnt sleep. I am so scared right now. Then it said EMG finding...fasiculations. I had them on my EMG along with den/ren...someone help me I am very nervous right now...

 

[Thegoddessina]

I had cramping in my right shin. It was just come on at night and couldn't get it to go away. Sometimes even while walking. I went to the doctor and I had a shin splint. When through physical therapy to exercise the muscles and it went away. When cramps started somewhere else I reminded myself that this, too, shall go away. Soon you will start focusing on some other body part and the cramps will go away. Calm down. It is nothing. Have you tried tonic water before bed? This with one aleve at night helped my friend who had leg cramps. I hope you can calm down and realize that you are stressing yourself out (and not the cramps).

 

[ySplendidCrafts9]

Thanks! I am just freaking out b/c I went to look up muscle pain to see what could be causing it and of course MND pops up and I( being the idiot that I am), go on to read all the sx and it says, "cramps at night that come and go" are you kidding me? Also, on the EMG it said shows signs of Ren/den and fasiculations. Ya, well I had that on my EMG. So, i guess it wasnt "clean". It did say fibs and psws and some other stuff too to look for . I am just a freak, b/c I would just like to know why I twitch and have muslce pain. So, i tried to look it up with Dr. Google(knowing I shouldnt of) and this comes up. Why dont I look at all the other things it could be rather than the worst one? Why ? I hate that I am so negative...I know a lot of you can relate.

 

[simonw00]

HI ChezI have just been through/ am going through a similar scare. I have had fasciculation for 11 months now but only developed cramp/ pain about 6 weeks ago. The cramps are in my feet and lower legs and I also am getting achey/crampy feelings in my hands. Like you, I saw the reference on some ALS information sites to cramps as a symptom. Like you, I was frightened. Being a doctor, I ordered myself a CK (which was normal, although was about 70% higher than when I did it 9 months ago... but then again I do more exercise now). Because the number had gone up, I ordered myself an EMG which showed 'renervation/ denervation' in my L quads muscles (the person who did it said there was no sign of active disease and he said that a lumbar disc could cause this). Now I am waiting to see the neurologist again. I know she is gong to tell me what a fool I have been for worrying about myself and will be very disnmayed that I started ordering myself tests! I am sure she is going to tell me that, like Imaginary Girl, I have given myself shin splints and plantar fasciitis from changed exercise patterns in the wrong shoes due to my flat feet. But at the moment I feel like you highly nervous about the 'what if' scenario. As you say, I don't know why we do this to ourselves! RegardsSimon

 

[Krackersones]

I have all the symptoms findings you describe: cramps at night, fasciculations (they weren't found on the EMG but I've seen them a hundred times so obviously I have them), denervation/reinervation found on muscle biopsy such was not found on the EMG. So I am in your same boat. I also know the following facts:1. cramps at night are as common as a symptom can get; my own neuromuscular specialist gets them at night so bad he takes a medication that is not approved for that purpose because of the side effects (this medication is qualiquine (sp) and is only approved for malaria and it is available in small doses in tonic water). So if my own doctor has it and is not worried about the worst for himself, then obviously this is not a very specific indicator to fear. 2. We all have fasciculations on this board or we would not be here. It is irrelevant whether they are found on the EMG. Whether they are found on the EMG is probably a factor of luck and the patience of the technician.3. The denervation/reinervation is also a product of peripheral neuropathy which if you research that term you will find it is also very common. I have denervation/reinervation but only found it on the biopsy. The last neurologist I saw said it was unusual for me to have had a muscle biopsy in the first place because they are usually only done on people with muscle weakness which I do not have. So I can imagine this phenomenon is a lot more common that people realize but not that many people get EMGs and muscle biopsies to find it just because they twitch and cramp. It really is hard to have symptoms in common with a horrible illness but you could also say people with a chronic unexplained cough or unexplained migraines or unexplained dizziness or unexplained chest pain or unexplained heart palpitations are in the same situation. They probably are ok but there is still that unexplained aspect that makes them fear it is something worse. Every day that passes that we don't have progressive weakness is one day closer to less need for concern.Krackersones

 

[ySplendidCrafts9]

Thanks Simon and Jro! You have calmed me down a whole lot. I love that I have this site to help me with my fears. It is comforting knowing that others have the same sx as me. It just makes me nervous b/c it is getting worse. I havent been to the gym in 2 weeks now and I think I use to just blame the muscle pain I got on working out and using a different muscle, but now I know that isnt true and it is freaking me out. I sit her now and have shin pain and quad. Last night and this morning it was the other shin and earlier today I was in the water swimming(mostly floating) and my legs hurt and my left arch of foot (the one that twitches all the time) got a bad cramp. what also makes me nervous is that it seems a lot of people get off and on hot spots, but mine has not left my left foot at all, now going on 8 months. I, like you Simon, wantto get another EMG. I have switched PC's and have appt in Oct, but not sure if I can wait that long. What type of Dr do you think I should go to? Maybe someone can explain what is going on with my body!!

 

[simonw00]

My wife thinks I am crazy because I should have just gone to a poditrist and / or physio/ osteopath to sort out these presumably musculoskeletal problems as soon as they appeared a few weeks ago. But I just can't accept that this advice until I have first heard my neurologist say "It's all ok!" My appointment is 22nd August. I managed to get in pretty quickly as I am a colleague but I have still had to wait about 6 weeks. October isn't so far away and maybe you should heed the advice of my wife that I was unable to heed, i.e. assume it ISN'T the worst and start trying to fix the problem by other means (orthotics in shoes, advice on stretches and exercises....). Good luckRegardsSimon