usysparawl
Well-known member
I am home from my back doctor, an orthopedic surgeon.
Of course, the twitches stopped the second I sat up on his table, despite the fact I had them in the waiting room. But I showed him where they occur and explained everything.
I told him about my fears of ALS. He said "everybody gets little twitches" and it is common with disc problems. He gave me a quick neuro exam (to calm my fears) which included walking on toes and heels, tested my reflexes, and even measured my calves for atrophy. All was normal. He said ALS would present with all sorts of other things including weakness, and no need to worry or even see a neurologist at this point in time. I asked him again and he said NO ALS, FORGET ABOUT IT.
Then he did some x-rays of my lower back and discovered I have a narrowing space between L4 and L5. He said this wasn't in addition to my previous herniated disc (15 years ago) but the result of . . . and feels my disc problem is irritating the sciatic nerve that runs down that leg and is making it twitch.
He said as long as it doesn't get any worse or there is any pain, no need to worry. If the twitches don't stop in 3 weeks, I am to come back and he will schedule an MRI -- for reasons other than ALS.
Then he gave me a prescription for some valium. Oh, and when I mentioned the "buzzing," he said he has never heard anyone complain of that in his 30 years of practice. He was smiling at this point.
This man is a close friend of my family, so I am certain he would have been concerned if anything was wrong with my neuro exam or reflexes. He also told me my dad had developed "drop foot" from his disc problems.
I am going to keep my neurologist appointment (in three weeks) for now, and see what happens or how I am feeling by then. Maybe it will have stopped, or maybe I will need some extra reassurance -- who knows. But I do feel better knowing my reflexes were normal. I think you just gotta believe them when they say they can tell something is seriously wrong as soon as they lay eyes on you.
Peg
Of course, the twitches stopped the second I sat up on his table, despite the fact I had them in the waiting room. But I showed him where they occur and explained everything.
I told him about my fears of ALS. He said "everybody gets little twitches" and it is common with disc problems. He gave me a quick neuro exam (to calm my fears) which included walking on toes and heels, tested my reflexes, and even measured my calves for atrophy. All was normal. He said ALS would present with all sorts of other things including weakness, and no need to worry or even see a neurologist at this point in time. I asked him again and he said NO ALS, FORGET ABOUT IT.
Then he did some x-rays of my lower back and discovered I have a narrowing space between L4 and L5. He said this wasn't in addition to my previous herniated disc (15 years ago) but the result of . . . and feels my disc problem is irritating the sciatic nerve that runs down that leg and is making it twitch.
He said as long as it doesn't get any worse or there is any pain, no need to worry. If the twitches don't stop in 3 weeks, I am to come back and he will schedule an MRI -- for reasons other than ALS.
Then he gave me a prescription for some valium. Oh, and when I mentioned the "buzzing," he said he has never heard anyone complain of that in his 30 years of practice. He was smiling at this point.
This man is a close friend of my family, so I am certain he would have been concerned if anything was wrong with my neuro exam or reflexes. He also told me my dad had developed "drop foot" from his disc problems.
I am going to keep my neurologist appointment (in three weeks) for now, and see what happens or how I am feeling by then. Maybe it will have stopped, or maybe I will need some extra reassurance -- who knows. But I do feel better knowing my reflexes were normal. I think you just gotta believe them when they say they can tell something is seriously wrong as soon as they lay eyes on you.
Peg
) Mine did, too.