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Marzipan

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Learn about ALS
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Houston
Hi. I stumbled upon your forum doing exactly what I shouldn't have been doing - searching the internet to diagnose my symptoms. I am a 42 year old female who started having symptoms I have never before. I was walking and all of a sudden I had weakness in my right leg like I couldn't make it work. Then the feeling traveled to my right arm. I felt I didn't have much control over them and they were numb. I couldn't even write properly. I immediately took two aspirins as I thought I was having a stroke or TIA. Once the normal feeling came back and the anxiety disappeared I felt normal. The whole thing lasted about 30 minutes. I went to a neurologist with stroke or tia in already in my mind. She ordered an MRI which I'm scheduled for on Friday. Since that episode, I have been having trouble speaking and the episodes are now happening every day for brief periods of time. I feel like when I'm speaking, I really have to form the words to make myself sound normal. My voice is weaker during these episodes. I have had no trouble swallowing but my mouth doesn't feel normal. My jaw seems "tight" and I have numbness/tingling now on both sides of my body. The neurologist tested my reflexes which were good. I'm just terrified that there is something terribly wrong with me. Does anything think I need to ask for an EMG in addition to the MRI? Do ALS lesions show up in an MRI? Again, intially I was thinking Stroke or MS but when I had the speech problems I immediately went to ALS. One thing the blood work showed up was that I was extremely deficient in Vitamin D. I thank you for your time. :confused:
 
No, your symptoms don't sound anything like ALS so don't worry about that. Wait for your diagnosis. Good luck!
 
Doesn't sound like ALS to me but I'm a salesman not a doctor
 
hi,your symptoms came on sudden probably due to something acute like a stroke,tia or ms attack............als does not present that way.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. My bestfriend's mother passed away 2 years ago with ALS and seeing what she went through made a lasting impression on me. I'm paranoid about the disease. In reading some of the threads, you folks are a very nice and mostly courageous. Thanks for helping out.
 
As others have said ALS does not present suddenly in multiple regions of the nervous system, so you can be assured that you are very unlikely to have ALS. However, you need to reconsider your response to these episodes. Sudden numbness and difficulty moving is a medical emergency and is not something to be treated with a couple of aspirins. Get yourself to an emergency room pronto when one of these attacks is happening. The next one you treat with aspirin might just kill or cripple you.
 
I agree with trfogey, sudden onset of paralysis even if it stops after a time is a medical emergency , especially if it's a TIA. It's dangerous to try and treat that kind of thing yourself. Atypical migraines can also cause this type of sudden onset paralysis, which can lead to strokes! I am glad you saw a neurologist pronto.
ALS does not show up on MRI as lesions, it does not show up at all.
Atypical migraine can cause dysphasia and aphasia. Oh and you can have migranous symptoms without a headache ( occasionally) if your symptoms come on again or worsen, don't take the risk and get to ER.
 
Thanks again. I should have gone to the ER right away. That was stupid on my part. I work at a hospital where the episode occurred and was more concerned about my co-workers seeing me in that state. Very, very, very stupid. If I had gone when it happened, I would probably have some kind of diagnosis by now. I think waiting for answers is the hardest part. At least for me. It's all I can think about.
 
Try and calm yourself. Stress can really put you in a tail spin. Do you know any relaxation techniques?
 
I agree. I have been in a tail spin for days. To be honest, I have worked myself into a frenzy and can't even eat much. It's terrible being such a coward. I would WELCOME some relaxation techniques! Many thanks.
 
Fresh air, a good tune on your iPod, and a pretty place to walk. That's my calm place. :)
Aly
 
This type of sudden onset are very COMMON in TIA (mini-stroke) and should NEVER be treated with aspirin. 80% of strokes are clots--but the other 20% are BLEEDS. it's chest pain that they always suggest the 81mg aspirin for.

Mini-strokes are a warning sign of an impending stroke. Always. it's not a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when". They are a medical emergency. you should have gone straight to the ER and they would have done an immediate CT of your head.

Depending on where in the brain they occur, they can affect speech, paralysis or difficulty in understanding what is being said. They have a multitude of causes--high blood pressure being only one.

In mini-strokes, usually a small clot finally finds its way past the area and moves on. There are of course other possibilities. Working in a hospital, it was just plain silly to not get help.

Symptoms in a mini-stroke can last anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours.

I had several before I had a stroke. They are nothing to mess around with. Don't waste your time posting here--go to an ER and be evaluated. There is a simple blood test that can detect potential clots--but it's not a test routinely ordered in a blood work up. It's a special test.

I'm amazed your doctor didn't tell you to go straight to an ER. I guarantee you that if you'd have been at home and called 911, they'd have suggested transport to an ER.

Your symptoms could of course be other things--but ALS isn't one of them. It just doesn't start that quick and in that many areas.

I was a medic for 20 years, and I've had a stroke and several mini-strokes. The signs you presented are classic textbook presentations. The ER put me on plavix immediately once they determined that I had no active bleed with the mini-stroke.
 
You had much too quick of symptoms for ALS. Also, numbness does not normally follow suit with ALS. TIA or small stroke sounds more likely. Numbness also could be a result of your low Vitamin D. Any definicieny in any vitamin for the body can lead to all symptoms you described "weakness, tightness, numbnesss..etc.) You woulnd't have this quick of response either for your mouth or throat/voice...that is probably just more anxiety than anything. Wait for the MRI result and then go from there. If your reflexes are fine, and your dr. doesn't suspect anything Neuro you don't need to have EMG. Good luck on your test.
 
i agree. no als. stroke or mini stroke sounds more like what is happening. if this has been happening to you everyday- you should go to the ER NOW. you work in the healthcare field- you know the importance of getting medical attention pronto with something like this. PLEASE take care of this before one of these symptoms doesnt go away and you have permanent paralysis or slurred speech, or worse!
 
It amazes me that people that work in the health field are the ones that usually don't do what they know they should. (Believe me, I'm NO exception)

For years, I would have to be dragged to an ER. One thing I'd like to add: If you're at all concerned with going to the ER at the hospital you work at because of some fear regarding them not letting you keep your job--find another one to visit :)

Strokes are happening more frequently in a younger population. Those folks with TIAs are the lucky ones that can often head off a full-blown stroke.

Of course, there can be other causes--but not at least you know you shouldn't be worried about it being ALS--remember, ALS won't come and go with sudden onset of symptoms like that.

My mini-strokes were clots--the stroke that killed my dad was from a bleed--please take it seriously when I say don't self-medicate--unless your doc told you to take the aspirin.

Good luck to you!
 
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