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sh18

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Learn about ALS
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I tend to go through hypochondriac phases: the last time I was afraid I had ALS was end of 2008.

This time I have a new symptom that started 2 weeks ago. I noticed it first when I was erasing dry erase board and I suddenly realized that this movement fatigued my arm more than it should.

I started paying more attention to it and it definitely developed in a form of weakness in my arm since then. The weakness seems to be in my shoulder more so than in my hand. My grip strength is the same but if I raise both of my arms and keep them raised I put more effort in my right arm to keep it horizontal. I think my bicep and tricep are just as strong.

I went to a GP 3 days after it happened and he did some basic neurological tests and noticed that my arm is weaker when he pushed in certain directions but played it down and said not to worry and that if it continues for another week to come back to see if we should get MRI of my shoulder...

I went to another GP a week later who pushed my arms in 2-3 different directions and said it is weaker and asked if I had injuries in my neck/shoulder. I did have injuries (I do martial arts) in the past but that week I felt fine and didn't even go to gym that week. So he said let's refer you to neurologist. He literally spent 2 minutes on me, which really annoyed me..

Now I have to wait till next Friday and it is stressing me out.:sad: I also noticed that when I chew my tongue get tired faster. Is it a possible symptom too?:-(
 
It's a long weekend, relax and enjoy it. Please do not worry about ALS until your neurologist tells yout that you have it. This is the LAST disease they will look for and the LAST you should think about.
 
I'm so sorry for your hypochondria. It must really get in your way of having a good life. That is truly a shame to waste so much time on minor things. Listen to your doctors.
 
The worst thing you can do, is think you have an illness. The best thing you can do, is have hope that it's nothing and speak to a specialist.
 
What symptoms do you have that make you think you have ALS? The stuff you posted about in 2008 wasn't ALS because you would be crippled, maybe dead, by now, so you can't count those. You say that you've had injuries to your shoulder and neck. What were those and what treatment did you get for them?
 
Trfogey,

I am not worried about symptoms from 2008, but about symptoms I have now.

The symptoms are as I described them: my right arm is weaker than the left one (more so in the shoulder itself), the grip seems the same and I think bicep and tricep are the same, but holding the arm up is harder than the other one (and doing some twisting movements with wrist seems a bit harder).

Also my tongue seems to get tired from eating sometimes.

Thank you everyone for your support.
 
The symptoms are as I described them: my right arm is weaker than the left one (more so in the shoulder itself), the grip seems the same and I think bicep and tricep are the same, but holding the arm up is harder than the other one (and doing some twisting movements with wrist seems a bit harder).

First, everyone has one arm that is weaker than the other. The fact that you have to go to such contortion to find weakness in your arm makes an even greater case that there is distinguishable weakness in either arm.

Also, in the overwhelming majority of cases of ALS onset in the upper extremities, the weakness begins in the hand, specifically the fingers or thumb. Your shoulder weakness is much more consistent with an injury, than with a progressive disease.

Also my tongue seems to get tired from eating sometimes.

ALS weakness does not come and go -- it comes and stays because ALS weakness is caused by paralysis, which is permanent.
 
Please listen to what trfogery has said (along with others).
 
sh18,
You do not have ALS.

I read one of your previous post, which you say you had a brain tumor, HIV, and something else.

Dude, NOBODY has that much bad luck.

This isn`t the disease your looking for, move along.
 
First, everyone has one arm that is weaker than the other. The fact that you have to go to such contortion to find weakness in your arm makes an even greater case that there is distinguishable weakness in either arm.

On this one I am pretty sure that it is weaker in the shoulder area by doing those tests.

Also, in the overwhelming majority of cases of ALS onset in the upper extremities, the weakness begins in the hand, specifically the fingers or thumb. Your shoulder weakness is much more consistent with an injury, than with a progressive disease.

This is very comforting, trfogey.:smile: I do feel like my tricep and bicep and grip strength is the same in both arms, it is just some movements (like lateral shoulder raise) show weakness in the right arm.

ALS weakness does not come and go -- it comes and stays because ALS weakness is caused by paralysis, which is permanent.

That was my understanding too, but wouldn't that also mean that my tongue could perform at 100% for shorter periods of times and then would just get tired faster?

Thank you for your feedback!

sh18,
You do not have ALS.

I read one of your previous post, which you say you had a brain tumor, HIV, and something else.

Dude, NOBODY has that much bad luck.

This isn`t the disease your looking for, move along.

Well, I suspected those in the past, yes. I don't deny it that I am hypochondriac.:roll:
 
Well there you have it. Nuff said.
 
That was my understanding too, but wouldn't that also mean that my tongue could perform at 100% for shorter periods of times and then would just get tired faster?

No, it means that your tongue would never perform at 100 percent of ability. It's very likely that there would be actions that your tongue could never do, compared to a normal tongue.

With ALS, it's not how your body feels, but how your body fails. ALS is a progressive degenerative neuromuscular disease, which means that, over time (and a short time at that), more and more nerves and the muscles that they control will fail -- permanently. It starts in one part of the body -- a hand, a foot, your mouth or tongue -- and spreads through the body from there.

If no muscles are failing, it's not ALS. If the muscle failures aren't spreading -- from the fingers up the arm, from the foot up the leg, or from the tongue to the rest of the mouth and throat -- it's not likely to be ALS. If your problems come and go, it's not ALS.

Good luck to you.
 
No, it means that your tongue would never perform at 100 percent of ability. It's very likely that there would be actions that your tongue could never do, compared to a normal tongue.

With ALS, it's not how your body feels, but how your body fails. ALS is a progressive degenerative neuromuscular disease, which means that, over time (and a short time at that), more and more nerves and the muscles that they control will fail -- permanently. It starts in one part of the body -- a hand, a foot, your mouth or tongue -- and spreads through the body from there.

If no muscles are failing, it's not ALS. If the muscle failures aren't spreading -- from the fingers up the arm, from the foot up the leg, or from the tongue to the rest of the mouth and throat -- it's not likely to be ALS. If your problems come and go, it's not ALS.

Good luck to you.

Thank you, trfogey.

Couple of more questions:
- right now I feel like when I have to use my shoulder (or twist my wrist with raised arm) and if I have to do it repeatedly for something I feel like I try to put more effort subconsciously and it even kinda makes my shoulder sore/fatigued. Is that similar to what weakness caused by ALS does? Or I am over-thinking?
- what else could cause this? I am worried that I don't really have pain in the shoulder or anything like that (which would point to an injury). I did have pain when I hurt myself weeks ago, but it was feeling fine when this started.

The first things that came to my mind were brain tumor and ALS...:-x
 
Couple of more questions:
- right now I feel like when I have to use my shoulder (or twist my wrist with raised arm) and if I have to do it repeatedly for something I feel like I try to put more effort subconsciously and it even kinda makes my shoulder sore/fatigued. Is that similar to what weakness caused by ALS does? Or I am over-thinking?

You're not overthinking. You're simply doing the hypochondriac thing -- trying to fit your symptoms into the list for the disease you've chosen to believe that you have. Also, known as trying to put square pegs into round holes.

- what else could cause this? I am worried that I don't really have pain in the shoulder or anything like that (which would point to an injury). I did have pain when I hurt myself weeks ago, but it was feeling fine when this started.

It's probably residual weakness from your lnjury. See your primary care physician for advice on how to rehabilitate your arm.

The first things that came to my mind were brain tumor and ALS...:-x

You need to broaden the range of medical reading that you do. Or at least start going to your PCP more often to get some help for your hypochondria.
 
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