ALS at 18 possible?

[TylerJB]

Hello. I received an EMG around 8 months ago when I was 17 and the neurologist said I have no signs of ALS. He actually said to me after a simple evaluation "You don't have ALS and people this young don't get it." At that time I was having a lot of horrible symptoms such as jaw getting tired during chewing, general weakness, fatigued speech, and burping after swallowing. Some of these symptoms have returned. I fear I have bulbar ALS since I burp after swallowing. I should note I also have severe anxiety/hypochondria and a past of panic attacks. Also it feels like my lips are twitching but I can't tell. I have had recurrences of thinking I have ALS on and off since 10th grade.

 

[kmendsley]

For you to fear it this long, and for the dr. to tell you exactly what they did" You don't have ALS"...you are in the clear. You don't have any signs of Bulbar ALS or any other ALS. Fatigue, jaw tiredness, and burping after swallowing have nothing to do with ALS when you have no other symptoms. Go live your life...enjoy being young and pick up a hobby other than hypochondria and anxiety to help see the beauty of your long life ahead of you.

 

[trfogey]

Is it possible to have ALS at 18? Yes. Do you have ALS from what you have described? No. Slow down while you're eating, chew your food thoroughly, and avoid greasy and spicy foods and carbonated beverages.

Finally, find something to keep that creative imagination of yours too busy to have time to look up very rare diseases on the Internet. Paint pictures, compose music, write poetry -- all much more productive uses of your time than writing silly posts on message boards.

Good luck to you.

 

[LizT]

ALS is not off and on. Its on and on and on....
Burping after you swallow is not a symptom of ALS! It means youre swallowing a lot of air when you eat/drink.
Of course its possible to develop it at such a young age, but it is so very rare- and this is a very rare disease.
The fact that you have anxiety issues and hypochondria is most likely your answer. Anxiety can make your body do all sorts of crazy things and if you are fixated on the idea of ALS, your mind can start to mimic some of the symptoms.

My advise... work very hard at resolving this anxiety issue, whether that means med, therapy or both. get fixated on your recovery from THAT and then see if you still are having issues. However, the issues you are having now are not indictive of ALS.

Please dont waste your youth on worrying about ALS-

Just saw you live in Waupun. I live in Beaver Dam. Howdy neighbor.

 

[TylerJB]

ALS is not off and on. Its on and on and on....
Burping after you swallow is not a symptom of ALS! It means youre swallowing a lot of air when you eat/drink.
Of course its possible to develop it at such a young age, but it is so very rare- and this is a very rare disease.
The fact that you have anxiety issues and hypochondria is most likely your answer. Anxiety can make your body do all sorts of crazy things and if you are fixated on the idea of ALS, your mind can start to mimic some of the symptoms.

My advise... work very hard at resolving this anxiety issue, whether that means med, therapy or both. get fixated on your recovery from THAT and then see if you still are having issues. However, the issues you are having now are not indictive of ALS.

Please dont waste your youth on worrying about ALS-

Just saw you live in Waupun. I live in Beaver Dam. Howdy neighbor.

Thanks for the advice that really cleared that up. And I am surprised someone on this website lives so close! Howdy to you as well! Hope your relative with ALS is doing better and I will pray for them.

 

[Al]

You don't need to post the same post 4 hours later. Makes the moderators mad and we don't want that. BTW you don't have ALS.

AL

 

[TylerJB]

You don't need to post the same post 4 hours later. Makes the moderators mad and we don't want that. BTW you don't have ALS.

AL

Yeah I know it was a mistake. I clicked submit post twice by accident. Sorry.