Random Update

Life's pretty boring over at the felone house... I had a fun weekend... went to see my buddy Kuehler's band "Vengeance is Mine" play on Friday night. Great show, they really rock...

Saturday watched the awesome college basketball games then went to the St. Louis Steamer's game (but spent a good 15 minutes in 14th and Clarks watching the last three minutes of the Illinois-Arizona game and the OT). What a finish! Probably two of the best tournament games I've ever watched. Oh yeah, Steamers won, good game for them also. After the game watched Sean of the Dead for the first time and nearly fell off the couch after laughing so hard.

Easter Sunday, went to church, got baptized (in front off the congregation) which was great, I missed it last time and probably should have done this about a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, I didn't see any family. Mom was working... My dad had people over, but he lives so darn far away now, I couldn't make it out there (1 and a half hours each way). So I went to see Robots with some friends. Decent movie, I'd give it 2 out of four thumbs up. Wait for the video.

Good times... Oh yeah, as for this long-winded post; for those of you who don't read real well, I've highlighted the important points!

Ok... so that's good news I guess

Ok, so thanks for the prayers... I went to the Doctor and found out that I probably have a disorder called: Benign Fasciculation Syndrome. This explains my symptoms to a tee... here is what it says over at this great site I found on the disorder

This condition represents a hyperexcitability of the neuromuscular system.

Common symptoms of BFS are frequent muscle twitches (fasciculations or fascics), generalized fatigue, "pins and needles" sensations, migrating numbness, muscle cramping and/or spasms in the affected areas (usually the feet and calves), muscle aches and stiffness exercise intolerance, headaches, and itchiness.

So this is good news, I probably don't have MS, or ALS, or any other life threatening illness. Thank the Lord!

The other thing I could have according to the doctor is Hypothyroidism, which can cause similar symptoms. That would be even better than BFS because that could explain a lot of other metabolic issues (why I've gained and lost 60 pounds several times as an adult) and is treatable.

So while I'm really happy , it could still be bit of a bummer if it is BFS, because there is no known cure, or known cause for that matter. Apparently this is just a disease (or syndrome) that makes your muscles feel goofy and twich, etc... Although I am encouraged by what I've read that it goes dormant for a while. I've had it so bad for the last few months that my muscles are always twitching, and they normally feel weak.

After I have my EMG test, I'll post what I find out. This test sounds a little scary:

During this test, you will be lying on an examination table, next to an EMG machine (which looks like a desktop or laptop computer). The test consists of two parts, though at times one may be done without the other. The first part is called Nerve Conduction Studies. In this part some brief electrical shocks are delivered to your arm or leg in an effort to determine how fast or slowly your nerves are conducting the electrical current and therefore in what state of health or disease they may be. You see, a nerve works something like an electrical wire. If you want to see if the wire is functioning properly, the easiest thing to do is to run electricity through it. If there are any problems along its length, you will know it by a failure of the current to go through. To do this, the doctor will attach small recording electrodes to the surface of one part of your limb, and will touch your skin at another point with a pair of electrodes delivering the shock. When this happens, you will feel a tingling sensation that may or may not be painful. Between the brief shocks you will not feel pain. As there are several nerves in each extremity which need to be tested, the procedure is repeated 3 or 4 times or more per extremity studied. The amount of current delivered is always kept at a safe level. Patients wearing pacemakers or other electrical devices need not worry since this current will rarely interfere with such devices. During the nerve conduction study, the doctor or the technician performing the study will occasionally be pausing to make calculations and measurements.

The second part of the test is called Needle Examination and as the name implies, involves some needle sticking. The needles used are thin, fine and about one and a quarter inches long. This part tests the muscle to see if there has been any damage to it as a result of the nerve problem or if the disease involves the muscle itself rather than the nerve. Usually 5 to 6 muscles are sampled in one extremity, but occasionally, if you have problems in more than one area, additional muscles may need to be studied. The needle is usually inserted in the relaxed muscle and moved inside gently in order to record the muscle activity. When this is done, you will be able to hear the sound of the muscle activity amplified by the EMG machine; it will sound something like radio static. The painful part of this section is when the needle is first inserted through the skin since all of the pain receptors are located in this area. Once inside the muscle, the sensation is usually perceived as discomfort or pressure rather than pain. During the needle exam, no electrical shocks are delivered. Also, since the needle probe is used here only as a recording device, no injections are given through the needle into the muscle. On the average, a muscle can be sampled in 2 to 5 minutes though this may vary with the type of problem being investigated.

I'm sure it's no big deal... although at first glance, getting electric shock and getting stuck by needles, doesn't sound fun :>

So thanks again for the prayers! I'll be posting more regularly soon!

Posting quicker than I expected

Hey all,

I got back to this sooner than expected... Anyway, here's what's up with me, and why I haven't been posting this week:

• I've been working a lot of late nights lately (getting better the last couple days)
  
• I spent all of last weekend (and I'm leaving my house in a moment to continue this) rehabbing my mother's bathrooms. We tore up half the subfloor in one of the bathrooms because of water damage and are in the process of installing tile. Fun huh? There goes my next couple of weekends. One down, two to go :(
• Got a little bit of a neurological / muscular problem going on that's freaking me out... I'm sure it's nothing, but I want to hear it from a doctor. I'll be going to a neurologist on the 14th so if you feel so inclined to say a prayer or two, it would be much appreciated.

No posts for a bit...

Hey all, just a head's up. I probably won't be blogging for the next week or two. I've got a lot going on at work and a few things going on personally that are going to keep me away for a bit.

I'll probably be back in the posting game in about two weeks.

Thanks for your readership and patience...