So sorry to bother- Bulbar ALS? Please help

[nervousmommy]

Hello, I am so sorry to bother you guys. I have read all the stickies but feel I need to ask some questions anyway. I am nearly 35, a woman, and the mother of two small children. I have health anxiety.

Recently (since about 2 weeks ago) I've started having some weird mouth/throat symptoms. It started with this weird twitchy feeling in my throat, almost like my heartbeat was in my throat, as well as a lump. The heartbeat feeling went away for the most part, but I still intermittently feel like I have a lump in my throat. I sometimes feel like my voice is weak and that I have trouble annunciating, but no one else has noticed. I have a hoarse voice in the mornings sometimes. Sometimes it is tough to swallow dry food, and 2 days ago, it felt like a wad of crackers wouldn't go down, which was scary. I have no problems with liquids thus far. It feels like food gets stuck up along my gums way more than it used to as well, and like I am biting my cheeks and tongue more. My throat and neck muscles often feel fatigued and week. I never have all of these symptoms at once, it kind of bounces around, sometimes a lump, sometimes my voice is weird, sometimes my throat feels weak. At any rate, it is terrifying, and it feels like every single symptom of Bulbar ALS has hit me all at once.

I am hesitant to go back to the doctor, because I just went in for something else and ended up with an MRI (no problems there) and a neuro exam, which was also fine. I don't want to waste anymore taxpayer money just for health anxiety, but my symptoms are terrifying me. I keep crying all the time. I am driving my husband and mother insane.

 

[Atsugi]

Your symptoms remind me of many things, including depression and pseudobulbar affect. These can occur in conjunction with ALS, but also with stroke and many dementias. However, your symptoms do not sound like ALS to me.

Let your doctor know because this could be easily fixed with a pill or even just therapy.

Crying all the time and anxiety can be disabling. Definitely worth spending taxpayers money on it.

 

[nervousmommy]

Thanks so much for your response. I don't cry for no reason, but because I am scared and anxious.

I do have periods where I feel fine during the day that come and go, with no symptoms. I also, admittedly, feel better after I take a xanax or have had a glass of wine, although if I drink any wine I feel 1000 times worse the next day, so I'm not drinking at all. Is this possible with ALS?

Again, I feel like a total jerk for posting here, and, short of any actual doctor suggesting this could be a possibility, I won't post again. I saw others posting here with similar anxiety issues when I first started worrying and thought it was so awful to bother people with the actual disease, and yet here I am, anxieties having spiraled out of control, posting myself. It is just that my symptoms seem suddenly so pronounced. I don't even think I would be worrying about it, but about a month and a half ago, I had this feeling of weakness and twitchiness in my thigh, which led me to google, which led me to ALS, through which I learned of Bulbar ALS, and now I can't stop thinking about these weird sensations in my mouth and throat (my leg is now fine, pretty much).

 

[nervousmommy]

And does anyone know the likelihood of getting the Bulbar variant in one's 30's?

 

[MaxEidswick]

>And does anyone know the likelihood of getting the Bulbar variant in one's 30's?

Anything is possible but the odds are heavily in your favor ...

>Crying all the time and anxiety can be disabling. Definitely worth spending taxpayers money on it.

I strongly agree with Mike -- address the anxiety, see your pcp and be candid about your concerns. if you are still worried, get a referral to a proper MND/ALS clinic.

Good luck --- and show this thread to both your husband and mother so they understand ...

kind regards,

Max

 

[nervousmommy]

So while sitting here, worrying about this, I missed my daughter jumping off the diving board for the first time this season at her swimming lesson. It was kind of an eye opener. I am not enjoying my family because of my runaway anxieties. All of my symptoms can be explained by anxiety, as they have been before. The only reason I am fixating on this is because it is the worst case scenario. I read about it and then within a week developed the "symptoms." Is there a way to close this thread? I don't want to delete it because I think maybe my experience might benefit some other soul with horrible anxiety issues.

I did make an appt. with my doctor, but to talk about how I am feeling and this horrid resurgence of health anxiety I am experiencing.

Thanks to you that responded. I really appreciate it.