Welcome to the Community: BFS

[ToothFairy92]

Hello to all on this wonderful site !!!! This is my first post and want to first of all tell everyone what a huge emotional relief you have been for me.
I am so glad i have found you all !!!!
I was recently diagnosed with bfs. Without going into a long list of symptoms , they are very similar to most posted on this website. My gp ordered an MRI to look for MS... It was normal. She also ordered blood work... normal as well. She then referred me to a neurologist. He did a clinical examination looking for "clinical weakness". He also did a clinical examination of the nerves with a "tuning fork" type instrument. After the clinical examination he diagnosed me with bfs with no EMG. He said the EMG would be a waste of time bacause i showed absolutely no signs of weakness. Should i be concerned he did not order an EMG based solely on a clinical examination ? Note he does want to see me again in late April ( 3 months since diagnosis) to re-evaluate.

Thanks for all the support !!!!

 

[Summerlicious]

Nope, you shouldn't be concerned that the doc didn't order an EMG.

My doc did not think it was necessary at all. He did a complete neuro, checking for strength (walking on heels, griping his fingers with my hands, etc. I even offered to do pushups for him...he said that wasn't necessary ). He did the tuning fork thing and checked my reflexes.

He said if I really, really wanted an EMG to help with my anxiety over this he would do it, but he absolutely did not think it was necessary. I decided to not have it done. I wasn't wild about the idea of stickin a needle into my muscles and since he saw no reason to have it done, I was fine with it.

 

[ToothFairy92]

I'm glad to hear others have been diagnosed without an EMG. I dont know why for sure but i had the impression that BFS could not be diagnosed without an EMG to eliminate more serious diseases. But it makes sense like several of you stated that an EMG is not needed unless the "clinical" exam suggests one is needed. I appreciate the time you all took to reassure me.
Note to TrisTrip.... A good sense of humor is always medicinal in my book

Thx Again,
Teri

 

[sza]

My understanding is the BFS is a diagnosis of exclusion -- and based on this, since I don't have any symptoms other than the classic BFS pattern, I haven't even seen a doctor, much less had an EMG.

Until I see something in my symptom pattern that is genuinely alarming, I'm willing to do whatever I can to manage the symptoms on my own -- without heading down the path of more tests, more meds, etc.

So, based on my experience, it looks to me like the advice you are getting here in the forum and from your doctor is quite sound -- and I hope it helps you feel a bit more at ease!

 

[johnsoncarter]

It is also important to keep in mind that due to being extremely anxious regarding our symptoms, if not careful, we may urge doctors to prescribe invasive testing that is unnessary and can result in adverse outcomes! For example, I know of one person who was having abdominal pain and although reassured by his physician that he was experiencing benign intestinal problems insisted on having a CAT scan of the abdominal region. After much prodding the physician complied and ordered the CT scan. The result, no clinical pathology was found BUT the exposure to inordinate levels of ionizing raditation from the CT scan was approximately equivalent to the radiation dose Japanese survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb blast received which over a number of years raises one's odds of developing a life threatening cancer! In addition, this same person had an emergency colonoscopy performed at a later date resulting in a perforation of his colon!

The same holds true for other invasive diagnostic procedures. Therefore when a doctor is thinking of utilizing certain invasive diagnostic procedures he/she must make a rational decision based on weighing the risks/benefits of employing a specific diagnostic procedure. So prior to "pushing" a doctor to order specific diagnostic tests take a deep breath and carefully research your request, the pros and cons, prior to plunging head first into a situation that may have negative health related consequences that are unalterable.

 

[Supabro]

I have to echo what Jeff said above about having a "bad" EMG and a good clinical vs. the other way around. I had two EMGs that showed some denervation. I also had an MRI which showed 4 herniations of various degrees and had four physical neuro exams (GP, regular neuro twice, and then the EMG expert).

The MRIs showed two cervical and two lumbar herniations of various degrees, and the physical exams showed absolutely nothing. No weakness, atrophy or change in reflexes. The EMG expert said that the changes in the EMG were consistent with the herniated discs, and officially diagnosed me with BFS when I was in the office.

So the bottom line is that I wouldn't worry that you didn't have an EMG if your strength and relexes are fine. Lots of things can cause EMG changes (as 17Wildcat17 pointed out when he talked me down off of the ledge) but the gold standard is the lack of physical neuro changes.

Now if I could just stop this calf twitching...

 

[SuffolkBunny]

just a side issue, does anyone know what they test with that tuning fork?