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My symptoms started December '08, when I awoke to having my arm going completely numb, blurred vision, and a drunk-like feeling while speaking. It went away in a matter of minutes. I went to the hospital to make sure that I didn't have a stroke.

Then over the course of the next 5 months, my symptoms included: facial and neck tingling, foot pain, hand pain & tingling, shooting pain in rib cage, twitching in my calves and arms, geographic tongue, and extreme fatigue. All of these were checked by my primary care doctor, a neurologist, and an ENT. An MRI and an EMG on my arms came back negative.
With the exception of the geographic tongue, and occasional neck tingling, all symptoms suddenly stopped and did not reappear until twenty months later, with the foot pain returning.

During the time that I was feeling pretty good but still had geo tongue, my PCM diagnosed me having an IgA deficiency and migraines. Then in August '10, I started suffering from constant nausea and irregular BMs which led to a endoscopy and a h. pylori diagnosis.

Right around the time of the h. pylori, my other symptoms returned - extreme fatigue, twitching, foot & hand pain, and hand tremors. After finishing my h. pylori meds, I was diagnosed with cdiff and was on medication for another three months for that.

In December, I started feeling twitches in my face and sometimes it felt like I was talking weird; however, my wife said everything looked fine and that I was talking normally. I had good days and bad days with my facial twitching. Sometimes it felt like I could not pucker my lips and whistle, but I could. Sometimes it felt like I was drooling out of one side of my mouth, but I wasn't.

Now all of my problems with my face seem to have subsided, with the occasional twitching coming from my left lower jaw underneath my ear. My hands and wrists hurt most of the time (more when being used), and I have joint popping in my left ankle and both hands (when I make a fist, I can hear the joints popping); I also have occasional pain in the bottom of my foot. The good news is that my energy level is now consistently high.

I have been seen by my doctor, a rheumatologist, an allergist, three neurologists since last August. An MRI in November came back normal. All of the doctors think that I have fibromyalgia and have put me on Lyrica.

They have assured me that I do not have ALS or MS; however, I wonder why I'm still left with the twitching and pain.

I am a 38-y.o. male who is generally active (basketball, motorcycle riding). Can someone please reassure me that my symptoms do not sound anything like ALS? Is the Fibro diagnosis correct, or should I request an EMG (even though my most recent neuro didn't think it was necessary)?
 
ibis1973,

What kind of reassurance do you expect us to give you that your doctors haven't already given you?
 
If you have been told by qualified Doctors that you don't have ALS, how can we satisfy your mind? I'm also 38, however I do have this disease. Get a second or third opinion, or see an ALS specialist.

Be thankful you don't have it, and thank God for being able to eat, talk, walk, scratch an itch, take a shower, hug your children and family...Trust me the list goes on.

Enjoy your life...Never take a day for granted.
 
Your symptoms sound absolutely nothing like ALS to me, either. Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain. People with fibromyalgia have a heightened pain response system in simple layman's terms.

What feels like 'joint' pain is really pain in the muscles. The twitches are inconsequential--we all twitch--some more than others. Much o what you describe sounds sensory--sensory issues aren't associated with ALS either, thankfully.

It could definitely be fibro--though that does usually cause fatigue as well. What areas have been MRId? Just the brain or was the spine done, too? The symptoms coming and going again suggest against ALS--but MS symptoms can come and go--sometimes with months between them. It can also take a while for the plaques to show up on MRI. Again--I'm not a neuro and haven't seen you--so I'm just 'guessing' with that one.

A clear EMG also means no ALS--especially when you were having symptoms when it was done. When our body is under stress with any physical problem--it can cause other things to worsen--including fibro symptoms.

A diagnosis of fibro requires pain above and below the waist for a period of at least 3 months and 11 of 18 tender points being positive. The tender points are near joints--the pain associated with it is generally near joints.

There are things they can be doing--more blood tests--perhaps testing for lyme disease, etc. But--seriously, ALS isn't described in any of your symptoms.

Hope you get some answers.
 
You don't have ALS.
But you are worried. So get an EMG and NCV from another neurologist to rule out ALS.
The EMG/NCV study is the Gold Standard.
 
Thank You for your answers and advice, it really helps me hear it from someone other than doctors whome seem uninterested and just want to get paid!:roll:
 
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