Happyseeker
Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2017
- Messages
- 14
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- Dc
- City
- Washington
Hello I am mid 40s yo male with a background in the medical field. I would like to ask anyone if their symptoms started like mine and any recourse I would have pending.
4 months ago my legs started be tired and heavy proximal but wide fluctuations. I am a very anxious person and als fears came in years ago but were alleviated. This came back and wide body diffuse fasciculations happened and I took this as a benign finding. I have very unusual tremors at night that is more like a vibration sensation, all over my body that sometimes would resolve with neck posturing but not always. I chalked this upto cervical spine issues that I know I’ve had.
Recently, however, I started to slur speech with articulation. Not always but sometimes. L instead of s or s instead of th etc and it happens rarely but very noticeable to me and much more than I would expect normally. This put me in a massive fear mode and anxiety for als/pls and have been a huge tax on my wife and family. I still held hope for anxiety related issues but scheduled emg
Emg showed no obvious findings but I asked doc to do tongue and he did. This was normal also (although this was only muscle in bulbar area that he did) and this relieved me and much of my anxiety. No hyperreflexes except in knee mildly hyperreflexic.
A few days later as celebration my parents took me out and while eating a crab cake I had food stuck repeatedly. Then French fries and this hasn’t gotten better despite anxiety relief. Like others here I need a sip of water to take it down. I don’t know why dysphagia started after clean emg. The bulbar symptoms are what bother me the most. Since they don’t seem to be better.
If you would be so kind to answer a couple of questions for me.
1. Did anyone start this way?
2. In light of normal emg by local doc, (mri of brain done last year was normal, Lyme and acetylcholine testing normal) should I seek another emg opinion at als clinic of sorts?
I have been destroying my life and family and they don’t believe me as they attribute it to anxiety which I know exacerbated it. I plan on going on medication for anxiety relief to see if this helps also.
Please help if you can and thanks again
4 months ago my legs started be tired and heavy proximal but wide fluctuations. I am a very anxious person and als fears came in years ago but were alleviated. This came back and wide body diffuse fasciculations happened and I took this as a benign finding. I have very unusual tremors at night that is more like a vibration sensation, all over my body that sometimes would resolve with neck posturing but not always. I chalked this upto cervical spine issues that I know I’ve had.
Recently, however, I started to slur speech with articulation. Not always but sometimes. L instead of s or s instead of th etc and it happens rarely but very noticeable to me and much more than I would expect normally. This put me in a massive fear mode and anxiety for als/pls and have been a huge tax on my wife and family. I still held hope for anxiety related issues but scheduled emg
Emg showed no obvious findings but I asked doc to do tongue and he did. This was normal also (although this was only muscle in bulbar area that he did) and this relieved me and much of my anxiety. No hyperreflexes except in knee mildly hyperreflexic.
A few days later as celebration my parents took me out and while eating a crab cake I had food stuck repeatedly. Then French fries and this hasn’t gotten better despite anxiety relief. Like others here I need a sip of water to take it down. I don’t know why dysphagia started after clean emg. The bulbar symptoms are what bother me the most. Since they don’t seem to be better.
If you would be so kind to answer a couple of questions for me.
1. Did anyone start this way?
2. In light of normal emg by local doc, (mri of brain done last year was normal, Lyme and acetylcholine testing normal) should I seek another emg opinion at als clinic of sorts?
I have been destroying my life and family and they don’t believe me as they attribute it to anxiety which I know exacerbated it. I plan on going on medication for anxiety relief to see if this helps also.
Please help if you can and thanks again