I have no idea what's going on with me...

[BradB99]

So just to start this whole thing off, I am 16 years old. I know what you're thinking "this stuff doesn't really happen in 16 year olds." Well, whether it does happen a lot or not, I am really being anxious about this whole thing and I need to know if it is ALS or maybe just I am missing some nutrient.

So my whole thing started about 6 months ago when I got a twitch in my left leg that happened maybe once a day for a few weeks. Well then it started going insane.. And by insane I mean it went from one or two twitches a day to 10.. 15.. 30.. maybe even more a day. Not long after the twitching, the soreness started. I had loads of soreness in my upper back and in my right leg (behind the knee) After I had this it moved into some random "needle like pains" that were everywhere! I know, ALS doesn't usually cause pain, but I want to know if I could possibly have ALS and the pain came from worrying about having something bad. I am one of those people that worries about something for hours straight and thinks about it every time that I am not doing something. So, these needle pains didn't last long and since they mostly went away I have maybe had them once or twice a month. Around the same time that my pain went away, I noticed that I was having some serious "brain fog" so basically it takes me like 5 - 10 seconds to think about something that I would normally know instantly. This is also about the time when the weakness kicked in. This weakness came and went and didn't really affect the way I did things, was just more annoying than anything. The weakness was mostly in the lower area of my arms and in my calf muscles (this was about 3 months ago) since this whole thing going down with my random weakness, I have had pain EVERYWHERE! I mean EVERYWHERE. The pains are just about everything like soreness, needles, muscle pains, headaches, heart burn, stomach pain, etc etc. So for the last few months, that is what I have been having along with some new things that just started happening this week. This week I have had slurred speech. I don't know how often ALS patients have it, but it happens to me roughly once or twice a day and it is mainly me mixing words together.

About the twitching, I read on the BFS forums that ALS twitching gradually moves around the body. For instance it will move slowly up the leg to the knee to the abdomen etc. My twitching is all over the place. I mean one second I will be twitching in my leg, the next second my head will be twitching then it may move to my arm or something. One other thing I've noticed is that since I have been taking these vitamins, I have not been twitching when I sneeze or cough. There was a point where I would sneeze and my whole abdomen would be twitching like crazy! Another thing, my right calf always feels cramped after about 10 mins of walking while my left one feels fine and doesn't bug me at all. I don't know if it is just because I am walking weird or something..

So these are the things I've been having along with my story. Please comment what you think it could be and what you would recommend trying. I already have a doctors appointment set up, but I just want to be ready for it and know what I should being up and what is not related to anything at all.

Thanks for the response,
Brad

 

[Nikki J]

Not ALS! For a million reasons. Nothing sounds like it. Pain, all over twitches, " weakness" or speech issues that come and go. aLS does not come and go
What should you do? Step away from the computer. Keep the doctor's appointment. Tell the doctor what you are feeling and listen to the response.follow through on their recommendations. Forget about ALS. Really this is not it. Let the doctor figure it out
Good luck

 

[BradB99]

Thanks, Nikki! I appreciate your quick response and really it is going to help me in school now that I am not thinking about this 24/7!

 

[BradB99]

Recent problems

So i was told a while ago while I was on here that it wasn't ALS. You can view my previous thread here: https://www.alsforums.com/forum/do-...-have-no-idea-what-s-going-me.html#post335147 Well now my problem is dropping things and feeling extremely weak. Dropping things has been happening a lot more often lately. I will go get clothes out of my drawer and drop it. I'll be eating and drop my knife once or twice. I'll be on my phone and I'll drop it. Someone hands me something, I drop it. It seems I only have been dropping small things and big things such as cups have not been a problem. Now the weakness doesn't seems so bad some days and horrible other days. I'll be walking around school with my backpack on and I get so weak that I actually have to lift it off my shoulders and carry it around. I've noticed just over the last week or so I have had a harder time lifting things over my head multiple times. Doesn't matter what weight it is. If I am doing stuff at the gym and lifting 30 lbs dumbbells over my head I feel weak. If I life 5 lbs over my head I feel weak and have to stop instantly. I have also had the flu previous to this so I don't know if that is causing any of this or if it is just me worrying about it. I still have my doctors appointment, but it is not for another month as they could not get me in early with all of the flu and cold going around.
Tell me what you think I could try and maybe if this is not at all related to this, what it could be if you have any experience with any other similar conditions. (Fibro, BFS, etc.)
Also, I have been waking up and feeling weak as soon as I get up. Mostly in my shoulders.

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Atsugi]

Brad, again, for a million reasons--not ALS. You describe a lot of feelings, include feeling weak. ALS feels nothing at all.

What you've described can be a million meaningless maladies that probably don't really mean anything in the long run. Keep the doctor's appointment, if for no other reason than to get some advice on healthy growing up. I suspect that you're worried and getting poor sleep, eating crap like Coke and not getting proper nutrition or rest. In short, you're in school.

We're not doctors, so we can't diagnose you, but we do know ALS really well, and you don't have it--not in a million years. Enjoy life, it gets better from here and it gets really good in your 20s.

 

[Nuts]

Ditto what Atsugi said. Seriously, stop thinking about ALS.

You've now heard it three times--please don't expect anyone else here to say something different (at least no anyone who has or cares for someone who has ALS).

Best of luck.

 

[skipper66]

Brad,
I am so sorry you are having issues. But, you absolutely DO NOT HAVE ALS SYMPTOMS. We know that for sure from what you describng. The flu most definitely could cause some of your issues. We are not Dr's and are not going to tell you rather you have Fibro, BFS, etc. This is not a diagnostic forum. We are not Dr's and aren't going to give that kind of advice out. Talk to your parents if you are only 16. They are responsible for you. They should be responsible and take you to the proper doctor's if you truly are having issues. You are being extremely disrespectful to keep coming back on here with more questions. You asked several weeks ago and we politely answered you. Now it's time you leave. Please do so and don't ask another question. We had enough. Good luck to you in finding your answers from a doctor. Who has a degree which we don't. Thank you!