Hi guys I have been hanging around the site for awhile now and I wanted to post my story and ask some questions. It is kind of long but I wanted to make sure to paint a full picture of what’s going on. Around the first of the year I was doing squats with a bet to much weight and I ended up tearing the meniscus cartilage in my right knee not horrible but to the point that I needed to stop working out for a while. My right leg has never been quit the same after that. I can’t do leg extensions without my right leg shacking like there is a earth quack but with rehab it has been getting better but it is safe to say I have lost a lot of strength in it after I hurt my knee. The problem that brought me here started about the same time I got the MRI for my knee that would be on 3-31-11. My right leg would twitch every once in a while. At first I figure it was related to rehab and my knee injury. But it just got worse and worst then my right triceps started to do it so I went to my GP. She told me to see if it went away. After I came back 3 months later she sent me to a Nero.The Nero is not sure what is causing it but he says I have demyelinating neuropathy and thinks I may have CIDP. He ran electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction study (NCS) on my right quadriceps, calf and triceps. I am not sure how bad it was but the doctor was not happy. Then He ran about 19 blood test that all came back normal. So now I am on prednisone 20 mg a day " started it on 11-10-11" and it really has not been helping it seems to have made the twitching worse. When I went to the doctor it was just my right side and sometimes my left that had twitching. Now pretty much my whole body has some twitching. It is worse in my arms and legs but I have it in my back. The only other symptoms I have had is that my left hand feels stiff sometimes. I have had one really bad cramp in my right calf and it went away pretty fast. The twitching is only when my muscles are at rest as far as I can tell. Last it seems stress make it worse and a good night sleep seems to help some. And for the past 2 days my thumb and pinky on my left hand have been twitching. The only good news I have is that I can still work out and I am lifting more weight then I was before I saw the doctor.I don't have any lose of strength yet other then my right leg and I am not sure if that is from the demyelinating neuropathy or knee problem. I really think it’s just my knee injury since after I hurt it I lost a lot of strength all at once not over a long period of time but maybe the demyelinating neuropathy caused my knee injury and I was just not aware of any lose in strength in my right leg till I hurt it. I was wondering if anyone else had symptoms like mine and you were told you have CIDP then told you have BFS? I am going to see another doctor on the 11th since I am not getting any better and I wanted to ask him some more questions since I have learned a lot from all the reading I have been doing. Do any of you guys have any suggestions for questions or test I should ask him about ? I wanted also like to know if anyone knows a good doctor in the Taxes DFW area that has dealt with this kind of problem before. I just went to the Nero my GP sent me to after reading about this I think I may want to find someone more experienced. From what I have read about BFS and CIDP I think the treatment for my CIDP may make BFS worse and that’s what has seemed to happen. I am not going to stop taking my drugs till I see another doctor but any advice would be welcome.Thanks for all the helpJast
Seeking Advice: Torn Meniscus
- Thread starter elcapi
- Start date
Hi Jast and welcome.....I am no doctor but from all that I do know, I dont hear one thing from your story of symptoms that sounds anything at all like CIPD....and I studied that one way too much cuz I was scared that was what was wrong with me in the beginning when I had issues with my walking....but...I think you sound smarter then your doctor.....Does your doctor acknowledge BFS and its symptoms, if not then he may be looking or even reaching for something else to pin your symptoms on, but IMO CIPD is not your problem and I totally agree with you in the fact that Prednisone WILL cause BFS symptoms to worsen in most cases because BFS is about over excited nerves and nervous system, Prednisone will absolutely amplify that in most people with BFS (I cant say all cuz some people seem to be able to tolerate any med)..This situation upsets me a little because there are very specific symptoms that you would for sure have if you had CIPD and I'm just not hearing a single one in your story....I would highly recommend you seeking out a second opinion from preferably a Neuro Muscular specialist and if all things are clean and negative....then welcome to the BFS club my friend....because your symptoms sound very BFSy to me....and you are correct...if you had sustained a substantial knee injury...then you would or your doctors would encounter some clinical weakness in that area.Please take care and feel free to post anymore questions or concerns you may have.Robynn 
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)I really wish someone here had the same experience as me with the prednisone. I keep racking my brain trying to put this together, I know I am no doctor but I can't help reading every thing I can find about CIDP, BFS or ALS. I don't even know why I read about ALS my doctor says he really does not I have ALS or MS. I really just hate not knowing whats going on, it feels like the whole thing is some sick waiting game that I have to play if I want to or not.I posted on a CIDP forum asking if any one has had the same experience as me and I have not seen any one post that they have in a week. Most people seems to have weakness or pain first then twitching. One of the old timers told me that what I have sound more like BFS. But if my EMG was not good can it still be BFS? From what I understand you have a clean EMG with BFS and a dirty one would point to some thing else, is that right?I played 4 games of basketball, cleaned my house and went shopping with the wife today. The whole time I keep get a feeling of dread any time my leg hurt or I feel any kind of minor pain in my body, If my hand goes to sleep, or any thing that could be a symptom of CIDP or ALS. I know in my head it all comes down to clinical weakness as long as that is not a problem then I am OK and the other stuff could all be just in my head.Today my right foot started twitching and my right cheek. It was only a few minor ones but its the first time that has ever happened. I have also notice I some times twitch right when I wake up in the morning now. It use to be a few hours before I noticed and twitching before. I know I need to calm down and try not to worry about it but with out knowing what it is I can't seem to keep my mind off of it.I went to the Nuero about the twitching in my leg not the weakness in my leg that happened the day I hurt my knee. My right leg was getting stronger before I even went to see him. Then he tells me "I think you have CIDP or some thing is damaging your nerves. I am very worried about you." WTF man how can some twitching turn in to global nerve damage?"