Hi Gerry,
Your story sounds very similar to mine. I would recommend going to the neurologist first. If the neurologist determines that you have MD, then go to a cardiologist. I say that because going to a neuro first should cut down on the number of tests the cardiologist will run. Below is my story that I put on mda.org.
I am a 34 year old male and in December 2010 I was diagnosed with a mild case of Becker Muscular Dystrophy. Here is my story. Four years ago I had an EKG as part of a physical for my work and the EKG had an abnormal reading. I then went to my family physician and he performed an EKG and had the same result. He then referred me to a cardiologist. Following my visit with the cardiologist, I had an EKG, stress test, and echocardiogram. The only thing they could find was that I had a slightly weak heart muscle (Ejection Fraction of 45%). Based on that result, I had a heart catherization to make sure that the weak heart was the only problem. That test also just showed a weak heart muscle. The cardiologist then put me on Coreg and Lisinopril to keep the heart muscle from getting weaker. I have been taking those meds ever since. Up until I was diagnosed with BMD in December, the cardiologist was not sure what caused the weak heart muscle.
Here is the other part of my story. I was a year round soccer player from the age of 5 until I had to quit competitive play when I was 22. I had to quit because I was not able to run more 15 or 20 feet without losing strength in my quadriceps and falling down. One of the saddest and frustrating times of my life was when I realized that something was going wrong with my legs. Despite the problems I was having with my legs, I continued to do things that involved less running. I continued to be in the marching band until I was 24, playing racquetball, working out, playing basketball, mountain biking, knocking around the soccer ball, etc. From when I was 22 years old in 1998 to December 2010, I never knew what was wrong. I had knee surgery in 2003 because my vastus medialis (VMO) muscle was weak and causing my kneecap to slip out of track. Over the past 13 years, I have been to orthopedic physical therapy four times for both my legs. And still nobody knew what was causing me to not be able to run. So in 2010, my wife was doing some research on-line and discovered that I may have a muscular dystrophy because of the weak heart muscle, underdeveloped VMO, and enlarged calves. In 2010, I went and saw a neurologist who put me through some tests, an electromyography (EMG), and finally a blood test to determine the type of MD I may have. The blood test revealed that I had a mild case of Becker Muscular Dystrophy. The nuerologist said he had never seen a mild case of Becker MD before. I then went to my cardiologist who was happy to know what has caused me to have a weak heart muscle. He too said, that he hadn't seen a case like before. I should be thankful that I only have a mild case. But at the same time, I can't to get over the fact that I can't run anymore. Recently, I went up to the soccer fields to take sme shots on the goal, which has been the extent of my soccer playing since I was 22. But I soon relized that my legs had gotten worse. I couldn't take a shot on goal without falling down. This was depressing because a year ago I could take shots fine. Soccer was my passion and to not be able to play anymore has really gotten me down. But as long as I can other activities I love, I should be greatful.
-Robert
