Posts by Thomas Thompson12
20 posts shown.
Hi everyone, I was hoping some of the doctors on here might weigh in on my recent test results. For nearly four years now, I've been dealing with constant muscle twitching all over my body... besides that, when this first started, I noticed some atrophy affecting my entire right side. Even my tongue has these tiny indentations on the right side that have stayed since then. Naturally, as soon as I typed my symptoms into Google, ALS popped up immediately. However, about three years ago, I had an EMG performed by Dr. Šoštarko, who spent a full two hours going through everything. Here is what the report said:
M. Extensor digitorum brevis lat.dex: intermediate innervation pattern with individual wider action potentials, amplitudes 8-8 mV, high firing frequency.
M. Extensod digitorum brevis lat. sin: good intermediate innervation pattern with individual wider action potentials, amplitudes 7-8mV, higher firing frequency
M.gastrocnemius (caput mediale) dex. et sin.,m. flexor hallucis brevis lat dex., m.opponens pollicis lat. dex et.sin, m. Abductor dogoti V dex et sin: intermediate innervation pattern with individual slightly higher and wider action potentials, but normal firing frequency.
M. Tibialis anterior dex et. Sin,m quadriceps femoris lat dex et sin, m. Extensor digitorum communis lat dex,m. brachioradialis lat sin, m. biceps brachii lat dex, m. Deltoidus lat dex : interfering innervation pattern, action potentials show normal parameters.
Neurological exam: all arm reflexes are medium strength, RPT is brisk and symmetrical. Neurological findings are normal.
Neurographic findings are normal.
Conclusion: signs of mild chronic compensated peripheral motor neuron lesions found in both m. Extensor digitorum brevis. Formation of large motor unit potentials in both m. Gastrocnemius and flexor hallucis brevis, but without signs of peripheral motor neuron loss. No spontaneous activity such as fibrillations or fasciculations were detected.
My most recent results from five months ago look like this:
M. Extensor digitorum brevis lat.dex😛reduced intermediate innervation pattern with individual wider action potentials, one reaching an amplitude of 10mV, with high firing frequency.
M. Extensor digitorum brevis lat. sin: intermediate innervation pattern with individual wider action potentials, amplitudes 7-9mV, higher firing frequency
Flexor hallucis brevis lat dex et sin: reduced to almost intermediate innervation pattern with individual wider action potentials, amplitudes 6-8mV, higher firing frequency.
Gastrocnemius lat dex et sin, extensor digitorum communis lat dex et sin, opponens pollicis lat dex et sin; intermediate innervation pattern with individual slightly higher and wider action potentials, but normal firing frequency.
Other muscles are interfering. Neurography is normal again. Reflexes are the same as they were three years ago.
That slight change in my feet is worrying me... though there's still no sign of fibrillations or fasciculations. I actually asked the doctor to leave the needle in those foot muscles for a bit, and she didn't hear anything. I just don't know what could be causing all this. So far, I've checked my CK levels, minerals, B vitamins, and thyroid—everything came back fine. My lower back MRI was also perfect. But regardless, the right side of my body keeps shrinking—my right calf, the right thenar eminence, my right foot, and my right forearm. And on some
of those muscles, the EMG looks great. I've also noticed that even though my skin looks normal, I have these linear depressions on my right forearm around some veins that seem deep and swollen. When I lifted the skin between my thumb and index finger, I felt small, hard lumps around those depressions. What should I do??
The doctor tells me I shouldn't worry about anything like that—that it's nothing serious. But I'm still struggling, and it's hard to keep going without any actual diagnosis. The atrophy is very mild, but it's definitely visible. The doctor even measured it on my leg, but since the EMG doesn't show any changes, she claimed it’s just natural asymmetry...
Hey everyone! I could really use some advice here. My husband and I are thinking about ordering these armchairs from China. http://grshop.com/media/catalog/prod...on-chair-9.jpgWe found a seller on Alibaba, and they quoted us $919 total for all six chairs, including shipping to Cleveland—which seems like a pretty solid deal. But now I'm getting a bit nervous about customs and all those extra fees once the shipment actually hits the US... Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Would love to hear your experiences or any tips you might have...
Hi there,
My issues started about three years ago after I tried some herbal parasite cleanse involving certain plant oils and bitter salts. By the next day, I had this swelling under my arm and pain radiating up into my neck—my lymph nodes were acting up, too. I went through a whole battery of tests, and everything came back fine. During an ultrasound, the doctor noticed a tiny enlargement in the nodes on the painful side, but he didn't officially note it since it wasn't considered "reactive"... or so he explained. At the time, I was under massive stress and spiraled into thinking I might have lymphoma. A few weeks later, my whole body started twitching, and the muscle in my right palm just below the thumb seemed to shrink slightly. That’s when the real panic set in—I started Googling ALS. That same week, I felt fasciculations in my tongue; when I looked in the mirror, I could see sporadic twitching and some indentations that weren't there before. I became hyper-aware of my body, and within a few weeks, I noticed my right foot was changing shape and looking more bony. I eventually went in for an EMG of my arms and legs with Dr. Marija Šoštarko. She didn't find any pathological changes. My reflexes are normal—maybe a bit lively at the knees, but symmetrical. Nerve conduction is great, and the myographic findings only suggested a mild, compensated L5 lesion. Fast forward three years, and I'm still dealing with the same things. A couple of weeks ago, I saw Dr. Šoštarko again, and she did notice some asymmetry between my left and right calves. She measured it (0.50 cm), and I showed her my right palm and my tongue—which feels weaker on the right side now—but none of it is flagged as a clinical problem. Reflexes remain the same, and the EMG results are similar to three years ago, showing bilateral L5:S1 lesions, but nerve conduction is still excellent.
The atrophy is still quite mild, and the doctor says I'm strong because I can breeze through all the physical tests she gives me.
She tells me there’s nothing to worry about. Over the last three years, I've had blood work done and everything is steady—calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, B12, folic acid, thyroid hormones... the only thing that dipped slightly below range was my serum copper. I just went back to get everything re-tested; everything looks okay so far, though I'm still waiting on the copper levels.
I’m really looking for some advice on what to do next... this is honestly ruining my life, and I just can't find peace.
I asked Dr. Šoštarko if there was any chance this could be something like progressive muscular atrophy—since it's also a motor neuron disease—and she said no... but I still can't shake the anxiety. She’s wonderful, truly dedicated, and above all, a kind person; I can tell she genuinely feels for me, even if she can't provide a definitive answer.
I'm 29 years old
David King72 said:Check out Mister Mot in the Muslim building, and there are also two shops in the downtown mall, though I can't remember their names—maybe one is NASA?
Thanks so much! 🙂 The numbers over at NASA just aren't adding up, so we'll probably skip that spot... 😢
Anyone else willing to help me find my way around?
Hey ladies!
My fiancé and I are heading out to California next week to visit family for our engagement announcement—and since we haven't had any luck finding an ivory wing-tip collar shirt here in Indianapolis... I was wondering if you could suggest some shops we should hit up while we're in San Francisco?
Please help!! 🙂
Hi everyone!
I'm 26, and I've been dealing with intense anxiety for a few months now because of some symptoms I'm experiencing.
Back in April, I noticed a soft lump under my armpit and on the same side of my neck. An Abdominal Ultrasound didn't show anything unusual—there was a slightly swollen lymph node on my neck about 7mm, but the doctor just mentioned it in passing. Around that same time, I started having body aches where my lymph nodes are located, along with night sweats. The sweating has let up, and while the lumps are still there, the pain has stopped. Then, about four months ago in July, I felt a depression in my right forearm, noticed the muscle near my thumb looked smaller, and a few days later, I started seeing muscle twitching. Of course, after typing that into (that dreaded) Google, ALS popped up immediately. Since then, I've been incredibly unsettled, bouncing between hospitals and private clinics for tests.
I first went in for an emng about 10 days after feeling that indentation.
emng
emng
Just the day before yesterday, I saw Dr. Marija Šoštarko, who gave me a thorough exam and performed an emng on both my arms and legs. This follow-up exam and emng happened four months after my very first checkup.
emng 2
emng 2
emng 2
The doctor reassured me that my issue isn't ALS at all.
When I feel those indentations, I notice that the skin feels somewhat atrophied in those spots, and there are small, hard lumps nearby. That hasn't happened before... Does anyone have any idea what else this could be, if it's not neurological?
Sorry for the long post—I know people might think I'm just being dramatic or a hypochondriac, but these symptoms are honestly bothering me 24/7, and I haven't received a diagnosis yet... (p.s. I'm even noticing tiny grooves forming on my tongue)
Help! This constant uncertainty is driving me crazy.
Hi everyone!
I had some blood work done the other day and I'm feeling a little anxious about the results. Any advice would be appreciated...
My WBC is right at the upper limit (9.7)
Red blood cell count is also up (5.08)
As are my hemoglobin and hematocrit levels
Platelets look fine (178)
The white cell differential percentages all seem normal.
But my iron is slightly elevated—even though it was perfectly normal just a month and a half ago (22)
Now it’s sitting at 33!
I've had this nagging cough for about three months now—sometimes it clears up for a few days, but then it comes back—and honestly, that's really my only symptom!
When I did labs a month ago, my RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets were all normal (4.57)
About two weeks ago, I started taking a prenatal vitamin and some Omega-3s, and then I added royal jelly yesterday... Could any of those supplements be causing this?
I'd love some help here!
So, I went in for blood work today—paid the lab upfront. I made sure to emphasize that I wanted a peripheral blood smear... but looking at the results, it feels like they just did a standard CBC, differential, and platelet count from the smear (there's a note about platelets at the bottom)
It’s frustrating—no matter where I call to ask specifically for a peripheral smear, they just keep talking about the CBC...
Even though everything is technically within the normal range, my white blood cell count has been steadily climbing over the last three months—I've had blood drawn five times now—and it's getting pretty close to the upper limit (9.5)
In the CBC, my lymphocytes are mostly slightly low, while the neutrophils are a bit high... which was also the case today.
My ESR is actually below the typical female reference range—the lower limit is 4, but mine came back at 2.
Otherwise, the CBC is entirely within the normal limits.
I've been dealing with this cough for about a month and a half now, though it isn't constant—just these sudden bouts throughout the day. My chest X-ray showed my lungs and heart are in great shape. No fever at all, either—the highest I hit was 36.9 a few days ago. I am feeling some pain under my armpits, in my neck, and behind my knees—but the ultrasound didn't show any enlarged lymph nodes. Apparently, there are a couple in my neck around 6mm, but the doctor says everything looks fine...
I'm honestly quite worried that something isn't right, which is why I specifically requested a "peripheral blood smear," yet here we are with nothing! Does it make a difference that I went to a local community clinic? I wonder if that kind of testing is only done at a major hospital... or what the catch is...
Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on a doctor or perhaps a private clinic in Washington, D.C. I’ve had all sorts of ultrasounds done—really everything you can think of—but the doctors aren't finding anything out of the ordinary. Still, my left armpit is swelling up, there's a tiny little lymph node in my neck (around 6-7mm), and lately, my left breast has been hurting too... it doesn't seem related to my cycle at all since my period ended a while ago. I’m honestly at a loss for who to turn to next for an exam. I feel pretty desperate, and honestly, I'm scared of the worst.
Dear Doctor,
I went back today for an ultrasound of my neck, armpits, abdomen, and groin. My doctor says he doesn't see any enlarged lymph nodes, but after I insisted he take another look at the swelling on my neck—he claims it’s just a tiny node, maybe 6-7 mm, which doesn't worry him at all since he thinks it's been there forever... but I know better, because it definitely wasn't there two weeks ago, and I can actually feel it getting bigger. It's one of those situations where we just don't see eye to eye. He mentioned my spleen looks normal on the scan (is an abdominal ultrasound really reliable enough to confirm that?) and said it's a good sign, especially since I've been spiraling about lymphoma due to these night sweats and now this lump... On Friday, I'm heading in for a chest X-ray because this cough just won't quit. Should I be worried about that low lymphocyte count from my previous post? Honestly, I'm terrified of anything malignant, and I can't shake this fear of lymphoma because of how much this node has grown over the last three weeks. The doctor insists everything looks perfectly normal on the ultrasound and that if it were something serious, he'd see it... but I'm still a nervous wreck. I just want to put this anxiety to rest and clear any doubt once and for all. Is there a specific test that can 100% rule out lymphoma? Once that's settled, I think I'll finally see a therapist... because this health anxiety is starting to get the best of me.
Thank you so much for your help and guidance!
Back again!
After all that digging around... I finally went for blood work
Here are the results:
I won't type out everything—I'm actually pretty steady, aside from a slight thrombocytopenia at 134... and looking back at my last CBC from two weeks ago—my white cell count ticked up, though it’s still technically within the normal range. It was 7.6 before, and now it's at 8.3.
CBC:
Neutrophils 73 (44-72)
Bands 4 (0-2)
Lymphocytes 15 (20-46)
Monocytes 7 (2-12)
Eosinophils 1 (0-7)
ESR 3 (4-24)
CRP 0.7 (
Iron, TIBC, and UIBC are all looking normal.
Does this look alright, or should I be worried? I have a slightly swollen lymph node in my neck, and an inflamed sweat gland under my armpit that's been bothering me for about two and a half weeks now...
Hi everyone!
Last week, I noticed a painful, soft swelling under my left arm—along with a tiny, barely noticeable bump on the left side of my neck... nothing discolored or anything. I went in for some tests right away: ultrasounds of my armpit, neck, and breasts, but everything came back totally clear—no swollen lymph nodes or anything unusual found. Even when the doctors try to feel for them, they can't find any enlarged nodes in my neck or armpit area at all. They mentioned it might just be some inflammation in the sweat glands, though looking at photos online, mine doesn't look red at all... just a soft, tender swelling. Should I still be worried after all these tests? 🙂I had blood work done the same day I felt the swelling (just a CBC, not a full panel) and everything looks great!
Best to you all! 🙂
Hey everyone! I’m looking to order some B-complex vitamins in their active form—I can't seem to find what I need in our local pharmacies here in the States—so I was thinking about just grabbing them from the UK via Amazon. This would be my first time ordering supplements or vitamins online, so I was wondering if anyone knows about any restrictions regarding customs or import bans... I mean, it's just a B vitamin, but still... The specific product is Homocystex Plus by Seeking Health
Thanks in advance!
Bringing this thread back to life 😁
So, the other day I was feeling like I might have a bladder infection, so I went to see my doctor.
She sent me for a full urinalysis. It turns out everything looks fine except for the microscopic sediment exam—white blood cells were at 3-5 (ref. 0-2) and squamous epithelial cells were also 3-5 (ref. 0-2). My doctor looked at the results and said there's no bladder infection, but those leukocytes and epithelial cells are still nagging at me... especially since the symptoms are definitely there—discomfort when urinating and a bit of pressure in my lower abdomen...
Any advice?
If you’re someone who takes multivitamins, there’s really no need to worry—the doses are just too low to cause any kind of vitamin toxicity... I actually took Accutane for a few days once and had a terrible reaction to it. Now I’m dealing with all these symptoms that feel like vitamin A poisoning—since Accutane is basically a massive dose of vitamin A—though maybe it isn't even hypervitaminosis, just something worse... It turns out I’m incredibly sensitive to that medication and ended up with some awful side effects... so now I'm trying to eliminate things one by one to figure out what exactly went wrong in my system.
I think that healer gets their "status" from using some kind of device... but honestly, I don't buy into that stuff... I just want a solid, old-fashioned blood test. I'll pay whatever it takes.
Hey everyone... I’m hoping someone might have some insight here... is this actually a thing you can do? My doctor told me it wasn't possible—but I know these types of tests exist, and I even read somewhere about a mom who had her child's vitamin and mineral levels pulled directly from their blood... she was writing in English, so I assume she was based in the States. I didn't mention that I'm more than willing to make the trip to New York City if there isn't anything like this available near my neck of the woods... please, if anyone knows anything at all—even just a tiny bit of info—I would be so incredibly grateful...
First off, sorry if there’s already a thread like this... I couldn't seem to find one.
Does anyone know where I can get my vitamin and mineral levels checked through actual blood work? I really don't want to mess around with any of those handheld devices—I've heard the readings are wildly inaccurate and honestly just total garbage... if you'll excuse the language.
I'm based in Indianapolis, so if there's a private clinic chain—maybe something like Mayo Clinic or similar—that offers this, please let me know! It's pretty urgent because I've been dealing with some major health issues, yet all my previous tests have come back perfectly "normal." There's a strong chance I might have some Vitamin A toxicity, which is why I need a full panel of vitamins and minerals...
Thanks in advance!
How does low estradiol actually show up? I'm looking at some labs from last year—everything looks fine on paper (FT3, FT4, FTESTO, PROLACTIN, ANDROS, TSH, DHEAS, FSH)—but the E2 is sitting below the reference range... I've been dealing with acne and unwanted hair growth lately—could that specific estradiol level be the culprit? I mean, obviously my androgen levels are normal enough... 🤷
I get that same pain—it’s just brutal for the first day... then comes the nausea and everything else. But honestly, I always make sure to have some Advil on me, thank God, because it really does the trick!😍otherwise, I'm really at a loss as to what else would help...
If you're looking for some great musicians, I can't recommend "Trend Group" enough—they're fantastic. Here's a link to their site so you can check out their sound for yourselves... cheers!
Trend Group