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newyork

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New York
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Brooklyn
DISCLAIMER- by no means am I saying I have als. I dont want to insult anyone with als by exaggerating my symptoms and thinking they are als. I pray for each and every one of you every day.

I am 21 years old. In February i was diagnosed with cancer (lymphoma) and I finished 4 months of chemo, and 3 weeks of radiation on 8/13/14. I am waiting to be in remission in October but i am done with treatment.

As a week ago I have been having twitches in my legs, more on my right than my left but twitches in the knee and in the calf. Right leg feels heavier than left. I dont walk with a limp but I feel some muscle weakness on the back calf of the leg. Also my thumb and wrist on the right hand has been feeling a little stiff and a detect some weakness in the elbow area.

NONE of these symptoms were present during chemo so I know its not from chemo.
NONE of these symptoms were present during radiation because only my neck was being radiated.

I have been clinically diagnosed with mild depression, and severe anxiety and I am currently taking effexor 75mg and clonazepam .5mg twice a day.

I know benzo withdrawl causes muscle twitches but I been from feb-may i took xanax, from may-august I took avitan and from august to present I been on clonazepam. Sometimes I take it twice a day sometimes I take it once a day, sometimes i dont take it because I feel I dont need it.

Is it possible for the arm and the leg on the same side to have weakness at the same time? How fast does als progress?

PET scan clean- 7/14/14
MRI clean- 8/9/14

Should I get an EMG?

I have a neurologist appt soon in early sept and I can ask for an EMG test.

What do you guys think? should i take the EMG? Are there any other symptoms I should look for.

9200 out of 320 million get lymphoma a year, and I got it at 21, so I feel susceptible to any disease now regardless of stats and numbers.

btw I do suffer from immense health anxiety but this isnt over the ice bucket challenge I knew about ALS way before.

THANK YOU so much for reading and any advice is greatly appericated
 
21 years old >>> this would be a world record age if it were ALS
lymphoma >>> sorry to hear this
twitches >>> lots of things cause twitches, especially anxiety
Right leg feels heavier than left >>> not a symptom of ALS
feel some muscle weakness >>> not the kind of weakness of ALS
stiff and a detect some weakness in the elbow area. >>> stiffness can be anything
mild depression, and severe anxiety >>> sounds like it
clonazepam >>> Possible source of weak feeling
sometimes i dont take it >>> tell your doctor
Should I get an EMG? >>> there's no indication for an EMG
same side to have weakness at the same time? >>> never heard of ALS striking this way
How fast does als progress? >>> very different for everybody
What do you guys think? >>> ANXIETY
should i take the EMG? >>> NO
Are there any other symptoms I should look for. >>> NO
I feel susceptible to any disease >>> more anxiety
 
What he said.
 
the right thumb feels cripples like its bent and the knee feels like it aches all the time. I don't think if this was als it would progress this fast.
 
NY, you have your answer. Look elsewhere, you do not belong here.
 
>clonazepam .5mg twice a day.

and watch out for addictive drugs like this !
 
I am sorry GregK. I didnt mean to insult anyone.
 
We politely answered your questions. We don't think you have ALS. That's all we can tell you at this point. Take up any other medical questions with a doctor. That is what they are paid for. This forum is for support for people who have ALS and their loved one's. We are not a medical site. Please look elsewhere .
 
Again, I apologize. Sometimes my anxiety gets the worse of me. You are all in my prayers.
 
Yes, you said the magic word anxiety. Now we say Goodbye and Happy Trails. Happy for you that you don't have ALS. My father unfortunately does. I need support on here. Please seek yours elsewhere. They are other internet sites for anxiety, stress, depression, etc.
 
I don't think anxiety can cause stiffness and twitching and weakness. I'll ask my doctor for emg and see what he thinks
 
>I'll ask my doctor for emg and see what he thinks

perhaps just asking what he thinks would be a good starting point. asking a gp/pcp for an emg is sort of like asking the gas station guy what's wrong with my Ferrari ...
 
Skipper, as you wrote, ("This forum is for support for people who have ALS and their loved one's.") as hard as it is to remember sometimes this "Do I have ALS" section is for those who have questions concerning ALS. Sometimes it isn't easy...
 
Max I don't get your analogy. Why can't I ask my
Neuro for a emg. If it's clean that's it. Why is that a problem?
 
I think what Max is saying is that you should go to a neurophysiologist/neurologist that specialises in MND. It is possible for many GP's to perform EMG's, but many are not specifically educated in interpreting the results, let alone do they know much about MND.

But, it is good that you turn to your doctor, because you have had all your questions answered on this forum, and there is no point in continuing in this thread as of now.

Good luck!
 
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