Update on Twitching Journey: Paris

[alyLeoNCali]

Hi from Paris,

Some of you may remember my story : I began twitching about 5 months ago, starting in the right hand and spreading everywhere since, with ups and downs - some weeks without virtually anything, some other twitching big time.
Saw a neuro in august - who performed routine physical exams and said it was nothing - prescribed no emg. And a GP one month later, who just said fascs were caused by stress and worries - and thaht was it. Gave me magnesium, which I barely took.
Thre months later my main concern is still als.
I've experienced perceived weakness in my right hand, which has worried me a lot. I am still able to open a box, or to lift a bag, or to do 20 push ups in a row. The weakness come and go. It's difficult to explain. I feel I may not be able to do this and this, and still I can. No real progression since this first happen, 4 months ago.
What I wanted to know (and this is for the ones who know something about als) is : when can I rule out this possibility ? Is 4 months enough ? When i stretch my arm, it hurts a little, even to my fingers. So maybe it's just muscular compression ?
Let me get this straight : since I read fascs without weakness = no als, I do my best to convince myself i actually have weakness. See ? Yeah, I know it's weird, but it's what hypocondriac are made of, and I'm sure some of you already experienced that.
Since no physical exam will convince me, I think maybe the passing of time will.
This is where I need some help. What do you think, according to yoir experience, or what you know about als diagnosis ?
Thank you for your help.
This site is just great.
Fabrice

 

[StephG22]

Fabrice:

Your doctor may not know what BFS _is_, but he/she is likely quite competent to know what BFS _isn't_.

And MOST of us on this board aren't doctors, but collectively we have more experience with BFS than most doctors, I think.

Put your mind through the following 4 steps:

(1) If you were to imagine receiving a diagnosis of ALS (do Europeans call it motor neurone instead?), you of course can't tell for sure how you would feel, but I THINK you would at least post to the BFS board one last time to report, to help others.
(2) You probably realize already that there are lots of others on this board who also have that need to be helpful, even if things are bad for them.
(3) In your many weeks on this board, you've never seen ANY posts from people who moved right on to ALS. (And you don't want to, either!)
(4) Because (just like me) you've had symptoms for 5 months, including perceived weakness - AND your doctor sees nothing to indicate you should receive further testing - then I think you should accept our offer of full membership in the BFS Club. Seriously, I don't think any of us knows enough to give you the number you're asking for (say, 3 months of twitching = no ALS), but I DO think you're as OK as a BFSer can be.

P.S. Never in my BEST pre-BFS day could I hope to do 20 push-ups at a time! Impressive.

--alyLeoNCali

 

[Dfaris02]

I have perceived weakness in my hand and arm almost every single day. Today I don't but that is because I am worried about something else!

I had a normal EMG in that arm and hand. I'm not lying and saying I'm not totally convinced I am ALS free yet because I have my bad and good days but I can tell you that I do get the perceived weakness in my hand and arm and have had a normal EMG there.

I also get what feels like clumsy coordination in the fingers on that hand as well.

 

[TreeOfShammons]

I just did 22 at work because I can't seem to convince myself that I'm ok. I'm in no shape to be doing 1 pushup, let alone 22, and will pay dearly for it the next day or so.....then I'll probably do 22 more in a few days.