I was wondering if anyone else has experienced similiar symptoms or has any guesses on what I might have. I am a 36 year old male who is out of shape and I normally am an avid bicycle rider. I rode 100 miles a week for the last 3 years. Last year, I suffered 4 falls from my bike because I was learning how to use clipless pedals and landed on my left side every time. I didn't have any visible injuries other than mild scrapes. I am 6 foot 6 and weigh 290 pounds. I also suffer from hypertension.

My primary physician ordered an EMG that had abnormal results that are documented below. I saw a different neurologist instead of the one who gave me the EMG because I could get in faster and he said that I didn't have any signs of ALS, MD or MS after giving me an examination. I have made an appointment on 4/15 to see the neurologist who gave me the EMG and I'm going to ask him what he thinks is going on.

Symptoms
General fatigue (I get winded when I walk up 2 flights of steps)
Painful left ankle
Strength is normal in all muscles however my leg muscles become fatigued quickly.
I become much more fatigued when I stand in one place then when I walk.
Feet become numb when I exercise.
My fatigue is quickly relieved by sitting or laying down.
Continuous twitching on the side of my foot after I start using the muscles
Various twitches throughout my body (I think this is probably normal because they don't happen very often, I'm hyper-aware of everything that resembles a twitch, I'm stressed out from worrying and I haven't been getting much sleep because I'm on the internet freaking myself out.
Occasional numbness in both feet
I can feel my pulse in my feet and leg when I just sit in a chair.


Tests
Chest xray - normal
Stress echo test - normal
Nuclear stress test - normal
Sleep study - mild sleep apnea
Standard blood tests - Glucose intolerant but no diabetes
Lumbar MRI - normal
Lumbar xray - slightly bulging disc at L4 (chiropracter thinks I have an old fracture at L5 which is irritating the nerve.
EMG - Acute and chronic denervation in L5 and C1 nerve roots on left side,postive waves and fibrillations found in gastrocnemius, TA and EDB (Neurologist said that the abnormal EMG results do not look like they are being caused by ALS)

Any comments would be appreciated. I am driving myself crazy.

Hey :wave: RT8624,AFTER REVEIWING YOUR INFO. I WENT AND SPOKE TO MY HUSBAND ABOUT YOUR SYSTOMS. AND NOTE HE'S NOT A DOCOTOR, BUT VERY MUCH A HEALTH NUT AND IS A BODY BUILDER. SOUNDS LIKE MAJOR MUSCLE PROBLEMS IN YOUR LEGS FROM OVER USAGE OR ARTRIE. I HAVE A BAD BACK AND ARTRIE PROBLEMS HAVE HAD A BLOOD CLOT REMOVED FROM RIGHT GROIN UPPER LEG. AND SOMETIMES MY FEET DO THE SAME THING. GO HAVE A DOPPLER TEST DONE ON YOUR FEET. THERE'S A MAIN ARTRIE THAT GOES DOWN INTO YOUR FEET THAT TAKES BLOOD DOWN AND FLOWS BACK UP. NOT TRYING TO SCARE OR STRESS YOU ANYMORE THAN YOU ALREADY ARE. STRESS CAN DO MORE HARM THAN ANYTHING. YOU NOW ARE WITH A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE, SO TALK IT OUT. ALL YOUR TEST SOUND GREAT. MY HUSBAND SAYS TO HIM YOU ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. RIDING A BIKE A 100 MILES A WEEK, WOW!

Thanks for the reply. I was lifting weights during the winter and put on a lot of upper body strength but that was when my shortness of breath started. I quit lifting and the shortness of breath got better. I think that I have als because a lot of the symptoms are similiar but some of the other symptoms don't seem to match because I recover quickly by resting and the numbness in my feet.

RT

Have you ever had any doppler studies done on the arteries and veins in your legs? That might be an option, especially if you have HTN, glucose intolerance, and a BMI of 35ish. Does anyone in your family have diabetes?

I'm not suggesting this is the problem, just a thought, but possibly could be venous or arterial insufficiency due to the above mentioned conditions. Or it might be a peripheral neuropathy that is associated with the pre-diabetic condition; (you know that glucose intolerance is basically pre-diabetes, yes?).

I'd tend to agree with the chiropractor. Though that doesn't give answers to the fatigue. But, the fatigue might be related to the other stuff above. Your symptoms don't really sound completely like ALS.

Regardless, hope you get things figured out so you can feel better and keep exercising! I LOVED cycling on my road bike until I had a back injury and chronic back pain. Miss it terribly.

I haven't had any doppler studies done yet. I am aware that glucose intolerant means pre-diabetic and I was making some life style changes when the shortness of breath first occurred.

I saw the neurologist who did the EMG and he gave me an examination. He thinks that my sciatic nerve could be pinched somewhere or that I have tarsal tunnel because I have really flat feet. He wants me to wait 3 months and come back and see him. He also wants me to stay off my bike which is really hard for me because this is a great time of year to ride. He also thinks that I should see a phyciatrist because I am obsessing about my syptoms.

Thanks for the reply!!

There is a problem called McArdle's Disease that you may like to check out further. Suggest this possibility to your doctor or neurologist. Fairly sure the psychiatrist will not be able to help you get to the bottom of the problem, but he/she may help to alleviate any anxiety you are having.