lionthunder
New member
- Joined
- May 15, 2012
- Messages
- 7
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- FL
- City
- Valrico
Hello. I am 22 years old and I am nearly certain I have ALS. I know the statistics, but that alone is apparently not enough to put me at ease. If it were, I wouldn't have come here. I am hoping someone on here will talk some sense into me. Here goes:
Three weeks ago while I was arranging books I noticed a strange sensation of weakness in my forearms. I examined my hands closely, and tried gripping tightly, which I could barely do. I was concerned for a little while, but I dismissed it as stress due to upcoming exams. And it went away.
Then a week later I noticed the same sensation again (trembling arms, weak grip). I thought the same as before, but this time it didn't go away. As the weekend came on and I had to go to work, I became more anxious after reading the symptoms of ALS online. I started sensing similar sensations in my legs: A sort of trembling infirmity whenever I knelt down, like they were about to give or something, and I had more of the same in my arms. Then as the night went on the sensations seemed to diminish, so once again I dismissed it.
Then the next day the symptoms returned, only this time they didn't go away. I had a feeling like I was losing my grip on things more easily, and my legs began feeling even weaker. I was so shaken that I had to call off work early. At that point I had convinced myself that I had ALS. For the next several days until my doctor's visit, I experienced odd fluctuations in strength perception: some days I would wake up feeling weak, and then I would improve as the day went on. Other days (usually the following) would be the opposite, I'd wake up feeling fine and then would gradually feel the weakness coming on again. It would always be the same places: arms and upper legs. At one point I went to the gym and did one set of moderate weight on each major muscle. I had little to no difficulty and felt better afterward, only to feel weak again later. Twitching in various areas also became worse. I began to feel twitching all over my body, mostly in my limbs. The night before the appointment my feet and lower legs were twitching so much they were practically having seizures. From then I noticed my shins and calves having weakness too.
Saw the doctor, who of course told me that ALS was highly unlikely and suspected either a psychological cause or a deficiency and ordered blood-work.
My symptoms would continue to fluctuate, until finally one day I felt like I had reached a plateau where I had gone nearly an entire day without any major symptoms. Then the next morning I woke up and everything felt worse. My calves were sore, my quads were sore, and so were my arms and forearms.
Now I feel as though the weakness has changed: where once it was a mere trembling sensation, now it is more like a true fatigue. I tried exercising again, and was able to pull the same weight, but afterward felt even more sore, far more so than what I'd usually experience after working out.
At this point it is three weeks since this all began. I'm still waiting anxiously for the results of the bloodwork and praying that there's an abnormailty found so it can end there. I can still walk normally, run, go up steps, and ride my bicycle without difficulty, but I feel as though I am tiring faster. It is hard to tell since I was a little out of shape to begin with. My fingers and hands still seem fully motional and able to perform dextrous tasks like tying shoes, opening bottles, turning keys, buttoning, and solving a puzzle cube, but I am getting a paranoid sensation that my fingers seem stiffer than they used to be. Tasks that require very delicate motions like handling papers or unwrapping candies seem to require a bit more attention and slower motion (can't tell for sure though). Even as I am typing this one-handed, which I can usually do easily, I feel like I'm missing keys more frequently. I can feel the extensor muscles in my forearms tiring after using my fingers for just a little bit. Twitching actually seems to have diminished from earlier but it still continues, whenever my muscles are at rest, usually in my legs. I have suffered no loss of control, for the most part, just this increasing fatigue in all of my limbs.
I've tried long and hard to find some deficiency, some other condition that these symptoms could be attibuted to, but none seem to fit the bill. ALS seems to be the only one that fits, and needless to say I am very frightened. So does this sound like it, or is this simply the worst case of hypochondria you've ever heard?
Three weeks ago while I was arranging books I noticed a strange sensation of weakness in my forearms. I examined my hands closely, and tried gripping tightly, which I could barely do. I was concerned for a little while, but I dismissed it as stress due to upcoming exams. And it went away.
Then a week later I noticed the same sensation again (trembling arms, weak grip). I thought the same as before, but this time it didn't go away. As the weekend came on and I had to go to work, I became more anxious after reading the symptoms of ALS online. I started sensing similar sensations in my legs: A sort of trembling infirmity whenever I knelt down, like they were about to give or something, and I had more of the same in my arms. Then as the night went on the sensations seemed to diminish, so once again I dismissed it.
Then the next day the symptoms returned, only this time they didn't go away. I had a feeling like I was losing my grip on things more easily, and my legs began feeling even weaker. I was so shaken that I had to call off work early. At that point I had convinced myself that I had ALS. For the next several days until my doctor's visit, I experienced odd fluctuations in strength perception: some days I would wake up feeling weak, and then I would improve as the day went on. Other days (usually the following) would be the opposite, I'd wake up feeling fine and then would gradually feel the weakness coming on again. It would always be the same places: arms and upper legs. At one point I went to the gym and did one set of moderate weight on each major muscle. I had little to no difficulty and felt better afterward, only to feel weak again later. Twitching in various areas also became worse. I began to feel twitching all over my body, mostly in my limbs. The night before the appointment my feet and lower legs were twitching so much they were practically having seizures. From then I noticed my shins and calves having weakness too.
Saw the doctor, who of course told me that ALS was highly unlikely and suspected either a psychological cause or a deficiency and ordered blood-work.
My symptoms would continue to fluctuate, until finally one day I felt like I had reached a plateau where I had gone nearly an entire day without any major symptoms. Then the next morning I woke up and everything felt worse. My calves were sore, my quads were sore, and so were my arms and forearms.
Now I feel as though the weakness has changed: where once it was a mere trembling sensation, now it is more like a true fatigue. I tried exercising again, and was able to pull the same weight, but afterward felt even more sore, far more so than what I'd usually experience after working out.
At this point it is three weeks since this all began. I'm still waiting anxiously for the results of the bloodwork and praying that there's an abnormailty found so it can end there. I can still walk normally, run, go up steps, and ride my bicycle without difficulty, but I feel as though I am tiring faster. It is hard to tell since I was a little out of shape to begin with. My fingers and hands still seem fully motional and able to perform dextrous tasks like tying shoes, opening bottles, turning keys, buttoning, and solving a puzzle cube, but I am getting a paranoid sensation that my fingers seem stiffer than they used to be. Tasks that require very delicate motions like handling papers or unwrapping candies seem to require a bit more attention and slower motion (can't tell for sure though). Even as I am typing this one-handed, which I can usually do easily, I feel like I'm missing keys more frequently. I can feel the extensor muscles in my forearms tiring after using my fingers for just a little bit. Twitching actually seems to have diminished from earlier but it still continues, whenever my muscles are at rest, usually in my legs. I have suffered no loss of control, for the most part, just this increasing fatigue in all of my limbs.
I've tried long and hard to find some deficiency, some other condition that these symptoms could be attibuted to, but none seem to fit the bill. ALS seems to be the only one that fits, and needless to say I am very frightened. So does this sound like it, or is this simply the worst case of hypochondria you've ever heard?
