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Hi guys, my names Christian I'm a 21 year old male. No family history of als. About 1 year ago I felt a vague feeling of weakness in my right hand (mainly my thumb), and I began twitching constantly. For 3 months I was convinced I had this disease but in August of 16 I had an emg done and it was clean so I was able to put it in the back of my head. The feeling of weakness never went away however and I still twitch often. a week ago I noticed that my right thumb joint will feel like it's locking. It doesn't truly lock but it will feel really stiff if I use it alot and then that stiffness will go away after about 3 seconds. Also i notice that this feeling of stifness only occurs in the evening. In the morning my thumb feels much more normaI. I'm just nervous Because I've read that people develop symptoms for years before they get a diagnoasis, especially the young patients. However I think I still have strength in my right thumb. Yesterday I was able to lift a 24 pack of soda by just grasping it with my thumb on one side and my fingers on the other. Even my dad looked at me and said "and you still think you have it?" But I do. I have always had health anxiety. I have another neuro apt tomorrow not because I was appointed to it but just for piece of mind. So I guess my question is, if this was als and I started feeling symptoms a year ago, would it have progressed into something other people could see by now? And is thumb stiffness and a locking feeling a common first symptom? I know als at my age is really rare but I appreciate any piece of mind I can get thank you all.
 
Not gonna answer any of that. If you had done any research at all, or even skimmed our "Read Before Posting," you would know that nothing in your post, nothing that you describe, has anything to do with ALS.

You can't get peace of mind if you have health anxiety. You have to get that fixed or else you're in for a lifetime wasted by delusions.

Go in peace. There's no ALS in your future.
 
Thank you I appreciate the response. And I am starting the see a therapist for my anxiety starting next week.
 
Okay so I went to my neuro and he thinks it could be arthritis which is odd for someone my age I think. Thumb locking and hand and arm weakness feels worse than ever. Feels like my thumbs are almost useless especially the right one. Getting a weird sensation in my right hand from time to time. Itso like my whole thumb wI'll stiffen up and not work for a second and then movement will come back. I'm just so scared I feel as if als is inevitable at this point since it has been a year since the onset of symptoms. No atrophy yet but I feel it will start soon. Right hand is also extremely sore for some reason.
 
Christian-

This is not the place for you. You appear to be convinced you have ALS and no one can tell you any better- including your doctor. You state that arthritis is unusual for someone of your age (which is untrue- it absolutely happens, even to children), but you won't accept that ALS is also the same, or even MORE unusual (like, virtually impossible).

Please take some advice and stop with the search for an ALS diagnosis on this forum. Work with your doctor to find the real reason for your symptoms. Also, take care of the anxiety and fixation on a terminal disease by working with a counselor. Your fear of ALS is likely causing some of your symptoms and muddying the waters with regards to getting a proper diagnosis for what you actually have. No one here doubts you have a health issue but it is not ALS.

Best
 
Christian

Arthritis can strike at any age, it is very prevalent in my family and one of my cousins suffered from severe arthritis from her early teens. If that's what they think you have, get yourself a referral to a rheumatologist and get it checked out properly. There are lots of very effective treatments for it nowadays.

Good luck

Wendy
 
I just have a hard time believing that what I'm feeling is arthritis. I have no pain and arthritis usually comes with pain. I just feel like this is the only disease that matches my symptom progression from the year long twitching to the now worsened weakness in my thumb. And the thumb locking is what scares me most.
 
Christian-

You appear to be in a panic spiral. You are not listening to the folks here, even though you've been given reassurance and advice on following up with your symptoms with a doctor. You have no idea what arthritis entails, and you are using your lack of knowledge to support your theory that you have ALS.

Please continue to seek proper medical help for your symptoms. If you want to argue with someone about why you think you don't have arthritis, but actually have ALS, visit with a doctor. Set out your logic with them and ask them to help you figure out how to move on and get proper treatment.
 
Christian
The thumb locking can occur in arthritis as it interferes with the mechanical operation of the joints. It's such an easy thing to get diagnosed or ruled out it's a combination of x rays and blood tests with clinical examination of the joints. So you can't loose by getting it checked out. If your neurologist doesn't think it's neurological it probably isn't so it's worth exploring all avenues to get a solution.

I would have been hugely relieved and jumped at the option that my problems were arthritis not als, so your reaction feels very unusual. You need to build some trust in your doctors

Good luck

Wendy
 
Christian - No matter how much you anticipate something "coming soon," we still aren't convinced you have anything remotely resembling ALS. Hope you can get help for your anxiety.
 
Okay so I had my ortho apt today and doc took x-rays and said everything lookedone fine. No arthritis. Do now I'm really worried because my hand (thumb specifically) still feels weak. Twitching is getting worse and right leg weakness feels worse than ever. Have another neuro apt on Wednesday.
 
Okay all so below I attached 2 pics that rally worry me. One is of my left hand holding something amd my thumb looks completely normal in it. The other is my right holding the same object and it looks so awkward and bent weird and it did not start doing that until recently. I fear that it has began doing this because some of the muscles that support the thumb joint have stopped working and is using other muscles to compensate. I have a neuro apt tomorrow but that feels like an eternity away. Also for the past year of my symptoms I had no cramps but last night for the first time in bed my left foot cramped when I flexed it so now I'm especially worried.
 

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Your dominant hand will naturally hold things differently than your non-dominant hand. Try throwing a baseball with your non-dominant arm and watch.
 
Okay so had my neuro apt and he said he doesn't see anything to warrant als as a possibility however after the apt I noticed a pretty big dent in my my thumb near the jointerview which I belive is atrophy so now im very worried. I've attached a photo does this look like atrophy to anyone else?
 

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It's doesn't look like my experience of atrophy in my thumb. When I get atrophy I don't get dents the whole area seems to flatten / smooth out and the skin becomes loose.
I am lower motor neurone dominant though so it might be different for others.

Wendy
 
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