21m scared

[Audience]

Hello,

i'm new to this forum, hoping to get some advice.
Everything startet 3 weeks ago when a noticed a numbness in my feets when walking. The felt normal when touching them, but when walking i couldnt feel the ground properly.
After a few days these symptoms disappeared and cramps (mainly in my left upper leg) and fasciculations (spread all over the body) started.
I went to see a neurologist and we did all types of testing. My reflexes are okay, blood test good, EMG (which was only taken by 2 muscles of my leg) clean, NCV clean, MRI clean.
According to the dr i'm a pretty healthy person.
But cramps in my left leg are still there, fasciculations got less. Still, there is one observation that makes me anxious. I've noticed that there is a bit more skin on my left thigh, so i measured my circumference of thigh at the thickest part on both legs. Left: 21 inches, Right side: 21,7 inches.
What a strange coincidence.. By now, i didnt feel any weakness in my legs.
I'm really scared by now. What if the disease is just beginning and symptoms so subtle that doctors arent able to diagnose it? Maybe i'm just too freaked out after reading everything about als on the internet...
Thanks for your contributions...

 

[indigosd]

I am assuming "21m" means that you are a male age 21. EXTENSIVE Tests after 3 weeks of symptoms show NO ALS! Stop researching symptoms online! Maybe you just need to be on a Mulitple Vitamin and increase your potassium and magnesium or you need a hobby or exercise. "But cramps in my left leg are still there, fasciculations got less. Still, there is one observation that makes me anxious. I've noticed that there is a bit more skin on my left thigh, so i measured my circumference of thigh at the thickest part on both legs. Left: 21 inches, Right side: 21,7 inches." EVERYONE has differences in the size of their left side and right side of the body. Some women have huge differences in the size of their right breast and left breast. [disclaimer my are perfectly symetrical! lol] My Husband has ALS and I have never measured his body to see if there is a change from on side to the other and I am a Registered Nurse. It is the weekend, go out and dance for all the PALS that can't! You do NOT want this disease.

 

[Audience]

Yes, i'm male and 21 yeras old. I'm eating those mineral and vitamin pills now for 2 weeks.. its not getting better. maybe i'm mistaking my cramps. ppl with als wrote that they felt charlie horse cramps. mine are painful too, but i'm still able to move because not the whole muscle is affected (is getting hard and stiff) and my cramps last for 2-20 minutes. most of them appear on the bottom side of my left thigh, some in my left calve and arms. is this typical?

 

[BethU]

As Indigosd said, everybody's body differs from one side to the other.

What I assume you are looking for in measuring your legs is muscle atrophy. ALS is a progressive disease, and it goes in clearly defined stages. First, you get muscle weakness. REAL weakness, not "feeling weak." Say ... one day, you can't pick up your backpack, but if you take half the books out, you can. And thereafter, you can only carry half the books. That's muscle weakness.

When weakness appears, it is because muscles are dying. When muscle tissue dies, the body starts to clean out the dead tissue, and this appears as muscle atrophy. Atrophy is visible as scoops or depressions in your limbs where the muscle has disappeared. It is not something that has to be measured. This process usually takes at least a couple of years.

Measuring and comparing the overall size of your limbs tells you nothing about nothing. You can't have atrophy unless you've had weakness first. As you suspect, you're apparently just freaked out after reading everything on the Internet.

Congratulations on your clean bill of goods from the neuro. What other kind of reassurance do you need?

 

[Audience]

Okay, I see. So athropy is not something that takes a few months and reduces the size of your muscles equally, leaving a smaller overall size back. Someone told me that your mental monster is getting stronger to the same extent your fighting it. In my case.. the more i know about als the more my mind neglects all facts speaking against als (being pretty young, clean neurological tests, not having real impairments)
I really got to chill out a bit and take a deep breath..

 

[scootermax]

this calmed me down
Twitching Muscles, ALS and Beating Fear , Page 2 of 3 - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com
Tongue Twitching Reassurance It's Not Bulbar - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

goodluck mate!