High CPK --- possibly myositis? Neuro says maybe.... - Myositis Message Board

manlyman · 11-07-2006, 09:30 AM

About four weeks ago I had a CPK of 1100 in the hospital. I work out a lot, lift heavy weights, etc. etc. Since then, my CPK has dropped down to 60 on its own simply with flushing with IV fluids and not working out.

Since then, I have had muscle aching. Not a lot of weakness, but my Deltoids and calves seem to ache like they need to be stretched. It doesn't stop me from doing anything I do in day to day life (I can still run, still do cardio, still rollerblade), but the aching is definitely noticeable and quite annoying. To describe it at best, I feel like I REALLY need a good stretching all the time, but when I stretch it doesn't get better.

As far as I know my CPK is back down to normal. I had an EMG which came back slightly abnormal but both neuro's believe that since the EMG was so mildly abnormal, it could be due to my heavy workouts of recent (weightlifting/cardio 4 times per week+).

Could this be a myositis or the beginning of it? No family history of muscle disease.

Regards,

MJ

michigani · 11-07-2006, 01:43 PM

MJ,

I'd consider it good news that your CK level goes back to normal. (Actually I think the normal range is 22-198 give or take a little). Mine is ALWAYS around 500. I have a slow-progression muscular dystrophy. Rapid progression MD can show CK levels of 10,000+ because of the rapidly dying muscle cells leaking CK into the blood. CK leaks into the blood whenever a muscle cell is damaged.

Any weightlifter or athlete can have spikes in their CK level after a workout. Keep an eye on it but don't lose sleep just yet. A healthy person will rebuild muscle cells that have been damaged.

You most probably know this but a myositis is a muscle inflammation, a myopathy is muscle deterioration. I'm not a doctor, just very informed because of my own condition. Best of luck,

Mark

manlyman · 11-07-2006, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark_B_61

MJ,

I'd consider it good news that your CK level goes back to normal. (Actually I think the normal range is 22-198 give or take a little). Mine is ALWAYS around 500. I have a slow-progression muscular dystrophy. Rapid progression MD can show CK levels of 10,000+ because of the rapidly dying muscle cells leaking CK into the blood. CK leaks into the blood whenever a muscle cell is damaged.

Any weightlifter or athlete can have spikes in their CK level after a workout. Keep an eye on it but don't lose sleep just yet. A healthy person will rebuild muscle cells that have been damaged.

You most probably know this but a myositis is a muscle inflammation, a myopathy is muscle deterioration. I'm not a doctor, just very informed because of my own condition. Best of luck,

Mark

Mark,

Thanks for the information. A quick background.

1) I am very anxious. I have been to 10 different combinations of neurologists/rheumatologists/MD's in the past four weeks. My muscle aches have me very concerned. Yes, my CPK has been steadily at normal levels, but I still am experiencing muscle aches. My one MD thinks the muscle aches could be anxiety: that I'm just making myself so anxious that its causing my body to ache. He wants me on anti-anxiety medicine, but it is so hard to believe that all of these muscle aches could be caused by something other than a disease.

2) My one neurologist thinks that I might have something, and wants to do a muscle biopsy, because the EMG came back slightly abnormal. The OTHER neurologist thinks that nothing is wrong, because I have no history of myopathy or dystrophy in my family, and I was healthy and had no muscle cramps until I stopped working out four weeks ago when I went into the hospital for the high CPK.

3) I am paranoid about dieing. I read about all of these dystrophies and myopathies and myositis' and get very scared. Today, my arms are fairly tight (not weak, I can do push ups and such just fine, they are just tight), and so are my legs.

I know that if I DO have something, most of it can be cured and/or helped. I know that my nerve conduction test came back fine (the EMG itself was slightly abnormal, and some of the docs think this could be because of the fact that I work out heavily and could have damaged some muscles, especially since the EMG came back MILDLY abnormal in muscles I regularly work out, such as my deltoid. The main complaint was increased polyphasia).

Anyway, most likely in the end of this all will be OK (god I hope so), but this paranoia throughout this has made me realize that even if I DO have a muscle disease, I also definitely have an anxiety disorder, which I need to get treated. But for now, these muscle aches cause me to remain concerned.

-MJ

summerbabes1984 · 11-09-2006, 10:22 PM

MJ-

Stop being paranoid because I am sure when you find out exactly what you have, their will be a cure and you will fine. Anxiety can make things worse, so you might have something wrong with you and with anxiety it makes things worse. Good luck.. I am sure you have some type of myositis, but hopefully you are getting a muscle biopsy to see exactly what it is.. Good luck and stop being so paranoid your not going to die.

Summerbabes1984

tschreib1 · 11-29-2006, 07:32 AM

I was diagnosed in May with Polymyositis after my CPK came back at 40,000. I had felt like I overdid a workout for a week (though I hadn't done anything physical) before going to the doctors. I had a muscle biopsy that wasn't 100% conclusive since they had put me on Prednisone BEFORE the biopsy and therefore the inflammation of my muscles had gone down. I've had one minor flare since then where my levels got back up to 1,000 but I did experience what you are taking about in my calves as well as my forearms though my CPK was normal at the time. Not to worry you...the doctors said that a normal person who is very physical can get their CPK up to as high as 1800. I would highly suggest having the biopsy, they can tell you if there is necrosis of the muscle fibers and if you are not on any type of steriod if there is inflammation as well.

Good luck!
Tina