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flymisk

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I have been worried about ALS for sometime.. and I am a person with extreme anxiety.. when an idea of a disease enters my head it will be hard to take it out... the only difference with my ALS worries is that I am having the symptoms.. real symptoms.. I wrote a post here two months ago about hand muscle atrophy and I did EMG and it turned out fine.. The problem now suddenly within one week I am really having problems with swallowing food.. cant finish a burger.. liquids seems ok but sometimes hard when I start drinking. tongue is twitching 24/7.. speech is hard but no one noticed.. but I know it is hard because I start eating letters. Regarding the food eating difficulties I had a similar issue about a year ago and it just went away by itself... this time it is stronger not like before.

Can ALS bulbar onset starts this strong? my tongue is really twitching and yes it is visible twitches I can see it anytime of the day... it also has a sting feeling all over sometimes.
Can someone suggests a good ALS doctor to consult? I am tired of bad doctors in my country.. I will be going to the US soon (DC and NYC) if someone knows a name of a doctor or a medical center where they just know about ALS I will be glad.
thanks in advance.
 
It still sounds like more anxiety. Bulbar usually starts with problems drinking fluids. And the speech is a slurring of words noticed by others.
I think you need to seek help for the anxiety, it is a serious medical illness.
 
Excuse me for hijacking but I am curious. If I can barely swallow anything, can't swallow my own saliva, choke and aspirate on food and am losing lung function and facial muscles, would this be similar to bulbar palsy?
 
ALS Bulbar onset, sneaks in slowly but relentlessly.
It affects the tongue, the chewing muscles, your cheeks, your lips, your swallowing muscles.
It manifests in your tongue as muscle wasting which means the size or your tongue shrinks (literally). It becomes smaller, you can't protrude it out of your mouth, you can't touch your last upper molar with the tip of your tongue, it becomes impossible for you to whistle, you can not talk clearly as your speech becomes slurred, you droll a lot, etc.

Once you get to that point, there is not turning back with ALS.

So, it's not just "tongue twitching", there is more than meets the eye.

A well done EMG (by a good Neuro) of the Bulbar region would reveal active chronic denervation taking place there, in those areas which explains the symptoms of true Bulbar onset in ALS.

So, it's more complex than you may think or guess.

You said you had difficulty with food "last year but went away and now...came back".
With ALS, your problems DON'T just come and go...nope, they come and STAY and get worse over time.

So, I don't think you have ALS; let alone Bulbar onset for that matter.
Go and visit a good and reputable Neuro and let him do his/her job and stop diagnosing yourself, for you own peace of mind.


Regards,


NH
 
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I forgot to mention I have jaw pain when talking or eating.. and I can't whistle well...
 
the time where I had difficulty swallowing before it was different.. it was only difficulty swallowing, no tongue twitching, no jaw pain, no twitches all over my body.. nothing else.. it stayed for two weeks and gone.. this time it came after twitching in my whole body for three months...
 
I forgot to mention I have jaw pain when talking or eating.. and I can't whistle well...

Did you read what I posted?

ALS, Bulbar onset is much more complicated than you think or you may think.
You need an EMG of the Bulbar region performed by a Neuro and, upon that, you need to have active chronic denervation ongoing to confirm that you indeed have..."Bulbar onset".
I am not a Doctor neither a Neuro to diagnose you and neither are my friends here. We are just offering you advice. If you are so "worried" as you claim, why not go and be seen by an expert on the field of Neurological disorders?

I would bet that what you have is just stress and anxiety as Vickim pointed out.

P.S.: ALS doesn't present itself as body wide twitching.


Peace out.

NH
 
Thanks nighthawk, can you do one more favor and tell me something, up to what point anxiety can go? does anxiety make real symptoms even if u do not have the disease?
 
Thanks nighthawk, can you do one more favor and tell me something, up to what point anxiety can go? does anxiety make real symptoms even if u do not have the disease?

Anxiety is a mental health disorder. When people think of anxiety, they think of worrying and stress. They think of fears and a feeling as though something is going to go wrong. Anxiety is seen in thoughts and actions.

But anxiety has a tremendous physical component, and one of the key contributors to those physical sensations is long term stress. Stress can have a tremendous impact on your health, and one of the most common conditions is feeling ill.

Scientists believe that nausea, and some of the common feelings of illness, are the result of issues with serotonin and adrenaline, which go haywire when you're suffering from anxiety. It's likely that there is an evolutionary component, where during times of fear, your gut sends a message to your brain that you should be frightened using the feeling of nausea.


Some people experience more than just nausea as well. They may experience other symptoms that are similar to catching a cold or flu. They may feel like their glands are swollen, or their tongue is dry. They may feel lightheaded. They may even cough or experience severe stomach discomfort, like indigestion.


You see?

Anxiety is worse than you think and, in turn...it might make you "feel worse" than you really are.


Regards,



NH
 
You are welcome.
Now, stay off the Internet and enjoy your life.


NH
 
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