preacherman
Distinguished member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2016
- Messages
- 109
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 04/2016
- Country
- US
- State
- IA
- City
- Thornburg
Getting any kind of a diagnosis, particularly when it may relate to a very elusive end, can be very frustrating.Not that my opinion matters in the least, but what about seeing a psychiatrist? With 2 GPs and 2 Physio's who are saying "nerves" maybe it's time to start looking at why? Just a thought.
Angie
The first real Neuro I went to with my symptoms ordered an MRI and a few other tests and when he found nothing he basically dismissed me stating that it was 'Abulia'..... if anyone doesn't know what that means they should look it up.......
It's a treat.... basically means 'a total lack of motivation'......
I sometimes got lost for words and he said that, basically, I was just to tired (lazy) to finish my statement.
He gave me Prozac and sent me home.
I am not saying that someone does not need to explore options such as a Psychiatrist, but please... symptoms such as a loss of range of motion in the thumb....... anxiety?
Side note... I find that ALS does 'feel'....
I 'feel' tired, I 'feel' fatigued, I 'feel' weak... two years post diagnosis and I can still do everything I could once do only in a much smaller scale or capacity.
Examples: I 'can' stand on my tiptoes...but it 'hurts' and I can't do it long. I can even stand on the toes of one foot.... just to see if I can.... then wish I hadn't; but I 'can'.
I 'can' lift a 40 pound bag of pellets... but I wished I hadn't because it 'hurts' and gives me muscle cramps... then makes me 'feel' 'weak' and queasy for 3 days.
I 'can' shovel snow for a half hour.... but I wished I hadn't because it 'hurts' and gives me muscle cramps... then I pay for days with 'weakness', 'fatigue (muscle fatigue)', pain.
I 'can' button my shirt and tie my shoes... it's sometimes hard because my fingers are stiff, and it takes effort to make them do what I want sometimes... and they 'feel' weak and tired... but they 'do' what I want... they don't 'fail'. (yet..... I try to be careful of my words so that they don't come back to bite me...)
ALS travels many different courses and has many different faces.
Even on this board I see many many variations.... even many different ends...
Some people are very fast movers. first a digit quits, then the limb, etc... then they are gone in less than a year.
Some people have been diagnosed for three years and they can still walk. Perhaps very slowly, and not very far.... but they still can.
Some people can still function pretty good at most things but they just can't breath.... or eat.... or talk.
My very first symptom that I can recall, pre diagnosis, was that I couldn't throw a horseshoe as far as I should have been able to... silly, I know, but.....
Most of the symptoms that I finally went to a doctor about in the first place were basically things like balance, brain fog, fatigue, overall 'weakness'... my GP suspected a mini stroke so that was what they were looking for.
My first 'real' 'physical' symptom that I complained about was basically a 'sore' ankle. Two years later I 'can' still walk on this ankle... though if I walk on it any length of time without an AFO it 'hurts' and gets 'weak' and starts to turn under... but I still 'can' 'do' it.