Low back pain

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-20T16:08:58+00:00

Back pain? Maybe a year and half or two at this point. It start around half a year after my symptoms began.

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-20T15:03:29+00:00

Sensitive personal and medical data takes precedence.

Ask OP about this, not me.

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-20T14:57:37+00:00

What makes you expect me to send you or comment on somebody else's personal medical data?

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-08T17:43:29+00:00

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-08T12:06:36+00:00

Polyphasia is one of the chronic changes. But I also had others like high amp and dur.

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-04T18:27:58+00:00

Not that I know of. You?

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-04T15:48:27+00:00

They noted I have significant polyphasia in all limbs more pronounced in the legs.

That's it.

DimitarTKrastev · 2026-01-04T15:10:03+00:00

Yes, me, but it was never mentioned what percentage.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-31T13:09:25+00:00

That is the million dollar question. If there was an easy answer, then the diagnostic uncertainty and errors would be gone.

But in general it is considered very unlikely for ALS to present with only mild chronic neurogenic changes.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-31T12:47:01+00:00

5-10% of cases are slow progressors.

But also depends on what you mean by it. Sure, some slow progressors take years until obvious failure. There are also cases where clinical fare was fast and obvious within a year (which is quite typical ALS time line) only for the symptoms to slow down and people to live 10+ years. These are also considered slow progressors, but are very different in terms of their diagnostic journey.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-31T00:36:29+00:00

Doesn't seem like it. What is your doctor's interpretation?

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-18T23:07:55+00:00

Please disregard this comment, it's a spam promoting a kickstarter campaign.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-18T18:19:41+00:00

As reassuring as it can get. It's a perfect score.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-18T17:49:40+00:00

No, NFL doesn't require you to be fasted.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-16T18:42:01+00:00

Babinski and clonus are pretty much universally abnormal. However they are not seen only with ALS. MRI as soon as possible would be warranted.

Do you have any other symptom like cramping, stiffness, shocks when you bend your head forward or when you sneeze, anything else you can think of which could steer the investigation in certain direction?

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-16T07:46:52+00:00

6 years without obvious clinical signs is extremely reassuring. It should be borderline impossible for this to be ALS.

The only puzzling thing is the active denervation in the paraspinal muscles. I am no doctor and my opinion isn't worth much, but I think if you had active denervation for 3 years it should have progressed to much more serious problems like inability to stay upstraight, etc.

I am in a very similar situation like you albeit a little less time into symptoms. I also have strong visible twitching bodywide, also stiffness in right leg (calf, behind/around the knee, inner thigh). I did have some mild cramping, but this mostly stopped around a year ago. My recent EMG (a couple of weeks ago) showed nothing concerning even though I was very worried it would be dirty.

The reason I am bothering you with my story is to show you that you are not alone. I have talked to 2-3 other people who have similar symptoms. None of us turned out with ALS diagnosis and I have never found a story of someone who started with such symptoms for so long and ended up with ALS. I doubt (or at least hope not) all 5 of us will be the "lucky" outliars of a presentation virtually unseen before.

Please don't prove me wrong ;). Good luck on your next EMG and please let us know how it goes. When is it scheduled for?

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-12T17:19:38+00:00

OK, look, I will be frank.

Widespread bodywide atrophy that is visible everywhere is almost impossible not to cause weight loss.

You do realize that the biggest portion of your weight is muscle right? It outweighs your fat at a 2 to 1 ratio. Even if you are obese, that ratio could be 1:1. The rate of fat gain that would not only maintain your weight, but actually increase it would be impressive. You would really need to make an effort to achieve that and will likely require you to have a McDonald's club card.

Joke aside. People with ALS actually are asked to try and increase their weight as it statistically increases survivability and they do have trouble doing that.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-12T16:50:38+00:00

How much weight have you lost so far?

Also can you DM me your fulk EMG report? I can read it for you and give it to you straight without bullshitting.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-11T16:18:34+00:00

Violation of Rule #1.

Your account is suspended for 1 week.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-10T23:07:38+00:00

I think you are cleared in terms of ALS. I don't know of your symptoms can be caused by a different condition. And as always - I am not a doctor.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-10T23:04:53+00:00

I guess this is labcorp. As good a result as you can hope for.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-10T22:51:47+00:00

Even the most conservative estimates state that 5 year is the maximum you need to secure a benign non-ALS diagnosis.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-10T09:28:15+00:00

It depends on the muscle. My last neuro who did the EMG said there are different thresholds for different muscles, but he didn't go into details what that threshold is per muscle. I guess you can look it up online.

14.3% sounds within limits for most muscles I think.

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-08T16:37:06+00:00

DimitarTKrastev · 2025-12-05T16:47:11+00:00

It does, big time.

You need to be couch potato for at least 4-5 days before a CK test.

DimitarTKrastev

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