Hello, I am a 22 year old male and lately I have been really tired with muscle weakness and losing weight. This has been going on for 4 months now and I have dropped about 15 pounds. I did drop goodies out of my diet for lent but still doesnt seem right with the weight. My muscles have been very weak lately and don't have much endurance in them. Been through various tests from x-rays and blood work and all came back normal. I have been constipated as well which I hear is a symptom of MD. I have been an athlete my whole life and never had these problems, although i do have a background of gastro problems. Neither of my parents have the disease and as far as my grandparents, they don't either. I know its a inherited disease but was wondering if getting this disease can somehow still be in the DNA. I know its highly unlikely but I am just worried and trying to count things out on whats wrong. My calf muscles have also been very large my whole life but don't know if that has anything to do with this either. Just asking for advice because I have been to the doctors enough and don't want to bug him about MD if it's not necessary.
I do have a lot of the symptoms for hypoglycemia and haven't been tested for it so it could be the culprit. I gave up goodies for lent which could be making things worse for my sugar levels. Thanks for the advice and I will have to look into it.
If you really want to know if it's MD, you should go to the doctor and get a DNA test. Yes, usually MD is inherited, but there are also random genetic mutations. Both my father, who passed in October of 2011 from MD complications, and my son have MD.
The most common indicators for one type of MD is large calf muscles, (even when my son was two people would come up and comment on how "strong" his calf muscles looked) tip-toe walking, frequent falling, (which you would start experiencing more and more right about your age) a wide gait when walking or hyper-extending the legs and foot, breathing difficulties, (later down the road) digestion and bowel movement problems, (later down the road as well, due to inactivity) and generalized weak muscles.
If these symptoms fit what you are currently experiencing, you should definitely get it checked out, but honestly before my son even walked I knew he had MD. It's one of those diseases that starts wearing you down from the day your born and continues to get worse the older you get. This is a horrible disease, and I hope you find out what you do have.
This could be a really long answer but I'll try to keep it very brief. I have MD. Diagnosed at 41, now I am 51. I've spent 10 years reading and learning all i can.
Some MDs are inherited recessive. That means that 2 healthy, unaffected people can have a child with MD. Look up Recessive Inheritance.
Some MDs are inherited dominant. This can skip one, two or even 10 generations. look up Dominant Inheritance.
The earliest symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy are usually trouble running, climbing stairs and trouble getting out of chairs or low sofas. Often, people that are diagnosed as adults say that they were always the slowest kid in school. Fatigue usually comes later. And most MDs are slow....it takes years to get really bad.
There are many tests to help diagnose MD. EMG, Muscle Biopsy and DNA Blood tests. Not all tests are 100% accurate and not all MDs have a test. EMG and biopsy can certainly indicate muscle disease.
There are a few MDs that are rapid and affect people that were always quick, strong and healthy. ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease would be one of these). That usually hits older people maybe 35-60 but not always.
I wish you the best of luck with your diagnoses. Hopefully it's something that can be treated.
