Returning to PC Doc After Doppler Exam

[TimThomas24]

So I went back to my PC doc today after the doppler exam yesterday. I've got the EMG early next week and he's referred me to the "Muscle Docs" at the local Univ. Hosp Neuro Dept. He basically said "I don't know what you have, but I'm highly confident its some benign muscle or nerve condition. So let's do the EMG and see the neuro and try to figure it out. He said there's a number of benign conditions it could be and even mentioned a few. I asked him if he suspected at all the possibility of ALS and his response (keep in mind he knows that I'm an attorney albeit not a litigious one) was "I can absolutely say categorically that this is not ALS." So although I felt concerned at the fact that he basically raised his arms and admitted he doesn't know what this is, I felt better that he at least feels its not the really bad thing.So a few questions for the experts here:1) Does the fact that my leg flare up and spasms and pain has nearly totally subsided today, the return of the foot pins and needles, the fact that the calf twitches can literally disappear/wane for several days, now replaced by a funny feeling in my forearms oddly enough, bode well for this being benign? The waxing and waning and morphing of this thing in such a short time is what has me frustrated and puzzled, but maybe its actually a good sign. One other thing, he assured me that I'm far from a true hypochondriac, that he's seen those people (very rarely). He said he knows this stuff is real but that just because its real and not fully understood doesn't make it something bad. I asked him if he was ever going to test my reflexes in now 3 visits. I thought this would *beep* him off and he just laughed and said, will it make you feel better if I check them? He checked my knees and ankles and both were normal I guess. 2) Has anyone had a weird feeling in their forearms/legs. Just a shaky kind of feeling (like after some sort of adrenaline event) but not real weakness. My arms feel shredded but I have total strength and no weakness in them? Have had this sensation creep up and its a new one, some twitchiness there also and I worked out my arms yesterday but don't ever recall feel them this wiped out after a workout.Cheers and a good weekend to all.

 

[MarioMasher]

Your symptoms sound 100% in line with my symptoms, and with just about every other post and doctor report I have ever read from someone around here who has BFS. The "adrenaline but not really adrenaline" has always been my #1 most prevalent symptom. It's like your body is excited about something (or nervous about something) but there's no apparent reason why. Your doctor's summary sounds perfectly in line with just about every other doctor's summary I have read on here. Annoying but not fatal. And far from unique. Welcome to the club.It's funny, I asked a psychiatrist once if I was really just a hypochondriac and she said almost the exact same thing. She said, "Trust me, you would know a real hypochondriac if you saw one. Those are the patients we dread the most. They are the ones who come in to our offices with 10 abdominal surgery scars, and beg us to give them more surgery. They never let up. If you're not sitting here begging me to cut into you, you're not even close."I like your comment about your doctor not knowing what it was, but being sure that it isn't the bad one. What most people tend to forget is that there's a biiiiiiiiiig long list of diseases that any person can have, and there's a huge ginormous gap between "ALS" and "Nothing wrong with you at all." Imagine a graph of numbers between 1 to 40,000. Just because your doctor doesn't know where it falls between 20,000 and 40,000 doesn't mean he can't rule out that it isn't #1. "No diagnosis yet" is certainly not the same thing as "You could have anything."

 

[Outlook1958]

Hey TimThomas24,it's a reassuring fact that your doctor told you that you can't have that-what-may-not-be-pronounced. With pins and needles in your feet you really are far away from that, as **S doesn't mess around with the sensory nerves. This is very similar to what my GP said: "This can be caused purely by your vegetative nervous system, but let the neuro have a look." Short info: My vegetative nervous system is indeed out of order and no one knows why. I have learned to live with it, but in case of new symptoms it takes me a lot of time to convince myself that they are harmless.You have mentioned a strange feeling in the forearms: I also had this a couple of weeks ago... Sometimes it was some sort of overstrained feeling in the tendonds (the same as if you pull your fingers backwards or something), and sometimes it was some sort of slight pain in the wrists or forearms for a couple of seconds, however without cramps. The pain was however difficult to localize, I often couldn't even tell wether it's the wrist joint, a muscle or a tendon. It went on that way for a week or two and then passed. I don't seem to have it anymore, it has been gone for almost a month now. I tried to find external events that might have triggered it (excercise, carrying heavy things etc) but couldn't find anything unusual that I might have done. I'm doing workout once or twice a week at the fitness center, but haven't noticed anything extraordinary so far. Dah... it must be hiding and waiting to strike o.o

 

[kylespike]

Well interestingly your symptoms mimic mine based on what I have seen you write (though would love to have a PM from you with a complete list of your symptoms). Oddly I also work in law so maybe a 'legal-eagle' thing

 

[occasins]

I'm a lawyer too. I think it has something to do with the fact that lawyers spend lots of time sitting in front of computer screens, especially since the advent of things like electronic discovery. Now that I am (sadly, in some ways) no longer a practicing trial attorney out and about to court, my symptoms, especially the exact same kind of leg symptoms, have increased.Being a lawyer is not only very stressfull (adversary system, deadlines, difficult clients, other lawyers, high stakes) but lawyers are typically control freaks. Not a good combination when dealing with this.

 

[TimThomas24]

Funny...I was a trial lawyer for several years. Enjoyed it for the most part but would get absolute knock me on my *beep* migraines a few days after every trial. I went in-house at the first chance and now I manage (aka watch) litigation. Its definitely a less stressful life. Thanks for all the informative responses.

 

[Krackersones]

I can't blame my symptoms on practicing law since I gave it up at age 34. I'm now 37 and teaching English to middle school students. I did class action defense at a big law firm and worked horrendous hours for 6 years until I couldn't take it anymore. The fact that I took a $170,000 pay cut to change careers tells you how much I disliked being an attorney. I have mentioned having been a lawyer to doctors before and it seems to make them more defensive or overly cautious with me. I really wish doctors weren't so effected by this knowledge although I guess I understand it. I try really hard to indirectly communicate that I just want help and have no interest in ever suing anyone unless I really thought there was some intentional or extremely negligent conduct involved that if I didn't sue something bad would very likely happen again to someone else. I asked my current neuro why his nerve conduction test showed severe abnormalities and his colleague's showed everything to be normal just three weeks early. He got so defensive with me about this question and basically refused to give any comment. I know it had to be the fact that he knew I used to be a lawyer.

 

[occasins]

I just say I'm a criminal defense lawyer and have defended more than one doc against the feds criminalizing his pain management decisions for his patients. They dig that.

 

[kylespike]

Im not a lawyer I do real work I'm a criminal psychologoist, but I work for a very large law firm. My job is basically to find flaws and holes in our 'clients' case and character before the prosecution does. It is a good job and I wouldn't change it for the world, but I do deal with some very unsavoury individuals.