Terrified

[EdwardAnd]

Hello everyone . I’m a 24 year old male .
I’ll try to keep this short but here we go

about 2 months ago my right side (arm and leg) felt weak , I went to pcp about 4 times they did neurological exam each time said I was strong . Ran extensive blood test every came back normal . Now as of about 2-3 weeks ago both my thumbs seem stiff and 2 dents on left thumb . It feels like I can barely lift my arms or hold em up for long. I get twitches in my body and limbs all over face and throat included . My left foot is weak and cramps on bottom of foot. I’ve also noticed I had to put more effort into my voice to talk and it gets a little hoarse and I’ve been stuttering more .

I was referred to a neurologist and we did a video visit he ordered a cervical spine mri which came back clean .

That’s what terrified me because what else is there to rule out before you get to Als with these symptoms . I asked him about Als during our video visit he said he doesn’t think Als because my age and because i complained about arm weakened as a 18 year old . Given my symptoms should I push for an emg ? ( sorry if I all over the place)

 

[lgelb]

What else could it be besides ALS? Hundreds of things, or nothing at all.

ALS does not present as you describe. There is no reason at all to jump to it. Stay off Google, because it has nothing to offer here.

Ask both the neurologist and your PCP about next steps, but remember anxiety, including lack of refreshing sleep [something to think about/work on] because you are anxious, feeds on itself and there may be truly nothing to treat except your concerns. You could also have complications of a virus (Covid or otherwise) that you did not know you had, which is pretty common at your age.

Fortunately, there is no reason for you to be here, but through your own observations, there are probably many opportunities for you to improve the way you feel.

Best,
Laurie