possible ALS/please help!!

[mjarosz7]

Hello Everyone - I am new to this site and need some advise from anyone who is willing to help. Let me give you a little background of my initial sypmtoms and where I'm at today. It all started back on July 24, 2004 I go real sick with a upper respiratory infection. A few days into it I started getting real dizzy and a few months later was diagnosed with Vestibular Neuroits. In Nov. 04, I started noticing my muscles moving. Well it continued and I still have body wide faciculations to the day. The severity comes and goes. Well after reading what can cause these I gotten frighten and made an appointment with a neuro. In Feb 05 he done an EMG and Nerve Study on my arm and it was normal and he diagnosed me with BFS. Since then I have developed a tightness in my throat that comes and goes. I've had this for probably about a year now. I've also got a second opinion from another neurologist with the same dianosis, BFS. I have been back to see them both and they tell me the same thing. Well this last week my throat feeling got really bothersome, so I called my ENT and he ordered a Barium Swallowing test. The results were that I had a henia and that my esophogus was not felt to have completing normal contractions. This really is freaking me out that this is more serious. My doctor and neurologist both said that this really had nothing to do with ALS and it was probably stress related. Can anyone give me any insight or concerns on my story and results from my swallowing exam. The advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[patricia1]

It doesnt sound like ALS to me >So why look for trouble Pat

[quadbliss]

I agree with Pat. Relax:) .

Mike

[Meg1]

You probably don't know this but you have used, in the title to this post, a technical ALS term which is misleading. When an ALS diagnosis is rendered under the El Escorial criteria a patient is said to have "possible ALS," "probable ALS" or "definite ALS." (Some doctors still use a category called "suspected ALS" but I believe the criteria have been updated to eliminate this category.) At any rate, since you don't have a diagnosis of "possible ALS" you'll probably want to use a different title if you post your question anywhere else.

You can read more about diagnosis criteria here:

http://www.aafp.org/afp/990315ap/1489.html