stymied
Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2014
- Messages
- 14
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- MA
- City
- Boston
Here is a timeline of what I've been experiencing.
Sept 7th: moderate to severe pain and cramping in shoulders and upper back that went on for 3 or 4 days. The night of September 7th, while in bed, is when I worst noticed occasional twitching in various parts of the body -legs, back arms. The twitching has spread further every day and has increased in intensity.
Early October: a weird buzzing feeling while stand still that start at the knee and went upward in intervals of roughly 5 seconds. Buzz...buzz....buzz... My front part of my right leg goes numb. GP determines this to not be true numbness. The buzzing lasts about a week. The numb patch shrinks to about the size of a silver dollar just above the knee. It might not be "true numbness" but when I run something over it, there is clearly a different sensation that feels like numbness to me.
Mid October: a lot of discomfort in my forearms and hands. Not sure it was cramping , but it prompted me to continuously massage my arms and crack my knuckles. This happens on and off to present day.
Early November: My legs get in on the action and now are by far most bothersome. They feel week and fatigued first thing in the morning. Left feels weaker than the right. Since I've been examining my legs, I feel as though the muscle just above the knee on my left leg has receded a bit from the knee and has a visible "dent." I still do my job which is somewhat labor intensive but there is a noticeable difference in the ease at which I do it. At night, my left leg has a vibrating sensation. Not a visible tremor, more like my leg is resting on a cellphone that's vibrating.
Nov 25th: had an appointment with a neuro who conducted a strength test by hand and said I felt very strong at all points. I did take that as good news, but she really had no previous tests to compare it to. She said my reflexes were all fine within normal range. The only thing I took note of was a lack of any response to the Babinski. Walked on heels, balls of feet, etc. I obviously expressed my concerns and she said "I don't think you have ALS." But she did set me up for an EMG and said she'd be testing 4 areas. That's in 2 weeks.
Over the last 2 days, I've been doing a weak cough a lot after eating and/or drinking fluids. I've also felt twitching in my neck that i can't tell if its my neck or my throat. Tongue strength seems strong but looks a little less smooth than it once did. Haven't noticed any speech problems but do hear this low grade gargling sound in my lower throat while drinking.
Outside of the left leg, everything I'm experiencing seems bilateral and widespread. When my hands feels weird , its both hands, twitching is everywhere. I am not a hypochondriac and I had little to no stress in my life when this all started. Blood work hasnt shown anything unusual.
I wanted to know what you guys think of all this. I really appreciate and thank anybody who takes the time to read and respond to this. Like most people exhibiting strange symptoms, i am beside myself with worry. Thank you.
Sept 7th: moderate to severe pain and cramping in shoulders and upper back that went on for 3 or 4 days. The night of September 7th, while in bed, is when I worst noticed occasional twitching in various parts of the body -legs, back arms. The twitching has spread further every day and has increased in intensity.
Early October: a weird buzzing feeling while stand still that start at the knee and went upward in intervals of roughly 5 seconds. Buzz...buzz....buzz... My front part of my right leg goes numb. GP determines this to not be true numbness. The buzzing lasts about a week. The numb patch shrinks to about the size of a silver dollar just above the knee. It might not be "true numbness" but when I run something over it, there is clearly a different sensation that feels like numbness to me.
Mid October: a lot of discomfort in my forearms and hands. Not sure it was cramping , but it prompted me to continuously massage my arms and crack my knuckles. This happens on and off to present day.
Early November: My legs get in on the action and now are by far most bothersome. They feel week and fatigued first thing in the morning. Left feels weaker than the right. Since I've been examining my legs, I feel as though the muscle just above the knee on my left leg has receded a bit from the knee and has a visible "dent." I still do my job which is somewhat labor intensive but there is a noticeable difference in the ease at which I do it. At night, my left leg has a vibrating sensation. Not a visible tremor, more like my leg is resting on a cellphone that's vibrating.
Nov 25th: had an appointment with a neuro who conducted a strength test by hand and said I felt very strong at all points. I did take that as good news, but she really had no previous tests to compare it to. She said my reflexes were all fine within normal range. The only thing I took note of was a lack of any response to the Babinski. Walked on heels, balls of feet, etc. I obviously expressed my concerns and she said "I don't think you have ALS." But she did set me up for an EMG and said she'd be testing 4 areas. That's in 2 weeks.
Over the last 2 days, I've been doing a weak cough a lot after eating and/or drinking fluids. I've also felt twitching in my neck that i can't tell if its my neck or my throat. Tongue strength seems strong but looks a little less smooth than it once did. Haven't noticed any speech problems but do hear this low grade gargling sound in my lower throat while drinking.
Outside of the left leg, everything I'm experiencing seems bilateral and widespread. When my hands feels weird , its both hands, twitching is everywhere. I am not a hypochondriac and I had little to no stress in my life when this all started. Blood work hasnt shown anything unusual.
I wanted to know what you guys think of all this. I really appreciate and thank anybody who takes the time to read and respond to this. Like most people exhibiting strange symptoms, i am beside myself with worry. Thank you.