Hi. My 37 yaer old husband may have ALS...the doctor will not rule it out due to twitching of muscles. Tests are all negatives for other diseases except CPK always returns elevated. Resently, the twitching stopped for 7 weeks. Now Friday he began twitching all over and has SEVERE cramping all over the arms, legs, stomache as well....funny I thought we may be out of the woods. In ALS...could that happen? I mean twitching stops for 7 weeks then all of a sudden BAM ..twitching and bad cramps? (P.S. He has had cramping here and there occasionally , but in the seven weeks of no twitches minor cramping, if any)

ashtonn,

I've been twitching for 5 months now.I was freaking out thinking I had ALS too. I went to the neurologist and had an emg. It was clean, no positive giant wave patterns.I was diagnosed with benign fasciculation syndrome. Has your husband had an emg? Having this test will rule out ALS. I don't believe your husband has ALS..in ALS the symtoms don't come and go. There's a board here called rare disorders. Myself and others have talked about "benign fasciculation syndrome"~bascially it's a nervous system condition. For unknown reasons our systems become hyper and our muscles twitch. They have no cure for it..except to treat the symptoms with anti-anxiety med's that curtail the twitching for 4-5 hours.

With this syndrome some people have twitching for years, others it completely stops.

From what I've learned over the past 5 months is that twitching can be caused by a number of things such as..thyroid, vitamin deficiencies,fibromyalgia, MS, spinal problems, medications, anxiety and quite a list of other possibilites.

I twitch all over. Sometimes it goes away but always seems to creep back. "BFS" is diagnosed alot more than ALS. ALS is so very rare and your husband seems young to have it. I'm 39 twitch and cramp.

Like I said mine has stopped before and started again. People with "BFS" have symptoms that wax and wane like your husbands.

Please go to the rare disorders board here.

Also does your husband experience weakness? Some people with "bfs" perceive weakness but when they have an emg it will show no deterioration of the muscle. So it's not ALS.

Renee http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif
PS~even though I don't have ALS... My mind still worries sometimes. Like the neurologist told me, it may never go away but it's treatable and things could be alot..ALOT worse.

Hang in there!