Single Fiber EMG. I'm I out the woods?
 

I don't even know what a single fiber EMG is, but away. I've been having some difficulty swallowing, speaking, and breathing. I went to a neurologist at Vanderbilt University on Monday. She preformed some basic strength and reflex test, all which came back normal, before starting the EMG testing. She only did my Neck region (Extremely painful), because she said that where my symptoms are. The test lasted about an hour, then I was told to wait in the waiting room. After about 20 minutes, she called me back, and told me it was clean, and that I didn't have Myasthenia Gravis. MG? I was there thinking ALS, and she wasn't apparently. She apologized for not being able to diagnose me, and I went on my way. Anyway, I have a few question about this.*

1. Does a Clean EMG for MG, also mean a clean EMG for ALS, or is that looking at different things on the EMG?*

2. Does being tested in the neck cover Bulbar ALS onset, or do I need to get other areas in that region tested (e.g., Tongue, under the chin..etc)*

In addition too the above mentioned problems, I am also experiencing joint pain everywhere, and, of course, twitching. Is this something to take into account?*

Thanks for your time.

You might also post on our New Members forum listing your symptoms, and any tests you have had already.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum88.html

Have you just started going to drs for diagnosis of your symptoms?
Don't get focussed on any single dx until you have been through many tests, you might have to ask each dr for clarification or what they are thinking it might be..

I've been going to the doctors for about two months. I've had and EMG done in all four lims, and my neck. All test were clean. I don't know what's going on, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't ALS.

12Tribe,
There is no way to make sure it isn't either, unfortunately, . . . the EMG test results are good news though.

Although its often called a diagnosis, it really isn't . . . its an end of what medical science can currently tell . . . the prognosis is instead fit to the symptoms.

Yours sounds like a Larynx problem, I would suggest an ENT type doctor. An ALS 'diagnosis' at this point may be less likely - the content of your remarks, however, does not rule out the possibility.

Yeah. I actually went to a ENT. He said it was Reflux. He sent me to a radiologist, that preformed a Barium swallow test. He said I have decreased motility in my throat. The problem wasn't going down, it was coming back up. He said that it was due to the reflux, but I don't know. My ENT doesn't believe its neurological, and didn't think it was a big deal.

If you have no speech issues, then you probably are barking up the ALS tree to early, . . . (congratulations)!

A second ENT opinion might be a good idea, though I am not a medical doctor, from the web:

http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/...reflux-disease

good luck.