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roverelf

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All:

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read/respond to my post. I am a worrier by nature, and I am hoping for a little reassurance from those in the forum.

First, I am a 48 year-old male, who was diagnoed with an unknown neuropathy about five years ago. I had (and still have) many fasics all over my body. I have had three EMGs (arms/legs), two when when my symptoms started, and one just last year by a new neuro (moved to a different city). All three EMGs said pretty much the same thing, and the neuros told me that "something" was going on, similar to post-polio symptoms, but that "you don't have ALS." My mind sometimes seems to find other "reasons" to question the diagnosis. I have been managing my symptoms for a few years until somethin new cropped up.

So over the past month or so, I have been clearing my throat constantly. Also seem to have extra saliva sometimes, wiping the corners of my mouth a lot. So I search Dr. Google, and what appears but ALS! So off to the neuro again, with my new fears. I give him my "dignosis," and he performs the standard in-house clinicla neuro exam. Says no way I have ALS. I have no weakness, spasticity, etc. None.

So my simple question is this:

Seeing that my throat clearing is still prominent, and I still worry, would the doctor have clearly seen something, anything, on the neuro exam that would have pointed toward ALS? In other words, would the absence of any other other neurologic symptoms (no weakness, atrophy in mouth, tongue, etc.), should I move on? For what it's worth, below is the document to the study that I found showing throat clearing as a presenting symptom.

Again, thank you all in advance for your time and comments.

John
 

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You're clearing your throat at this time of the year (Spring) . . . and postnasal drip from allergies or maybe a cold isn't the first thing that comes to mind . . . ALS is? To say you're a worrier is a gross understatement. Geesh, if your car stalls do you overhaul the engine immediately or do you look at the gas gauge for the more obvious, probable thing?

You were evaluated by a neuro who told you that you don't have to worry about ALS and prior to that, you were diagnosed with a non-ALS condition. It sounds like a done deal to me.

Go buy some cold and/or allergy medicine and see if that works before you diagnose yourself with anything else.

P.S. I read the article you posted and it has quite a bit of out-dated material (undoubtedly obtained from general neuro books) . . . just so you know.
 
Thanks Wright. Agreed, I am a grossly understated worrier. I do my own mechanical work, though :)

Have been throught the post-nasal drip/allergy thing, still having throat issues. Ever since my abnormal EMG findings, and having been assured by neuros no ALS, I always find something from Dr. Google to contradict. I also know I am fortunate to have no bad diagnosis (or any real diagnosis for that matter), hence I, like many others, exhaust available resources to find out what is going on. It snowballs sometimes to the point it overwhelms.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, the interweb provides boatloads of information to fools like me that try to self-diagnose. Some good, some not-so-good. In some ways, I wish this "information" was not so easy to find.

I will finish by saying "thanks" for taking the time to reply. As neurotic as it seems, simple re-assurance is very comforting.

John
 
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