Scared and need your help

[Riggz10]

Thank you all for taking this time to read my post. My symptoms started a little over a month ago. I was getting off the train and getting into my car to drive home. I noticed that my right forearm was in tender pain. It felt dead to the world and it only felt good when I rested it on my stomach as if I had a splint on. I thought it was nothing (just overuse from throwing the ball so much as a softball coach). I went to the doctor and he tested me and said that I probably pinched a nerve or have tennis elbow. I took that with a grain of salt and started icing my arm. A week later I started having pains in my legs which I thought was due to all the walking I was doing at the Disney Parks. That pain kinda went away so I thought I was back to square one with just an arm injury. Fast forward a month till now and I still have the arm pain, both of my legs in the calf region is weak, at softball practice I find myself being weirdly clumsy and uncoordinated, have trouble writing, and overall am just not feeling the same. Can anxiety be doing this to me? Or are these pains real? I went to another doctor the other day who told me my blood work came back and that I don't have lyme or lupus? Should I be worried about ALS? I hear that it is very common for it to start in one place and that is what happened to me - in my forearm. I do not think I'm twitching at all but all these pains aren't going away. Thank you for reading - please advise.

 

[Vincent]

Pain is a good thing. ALS being a purely motor neuron disease, pain is not an early symptom. Read the sticky at the top of the forum, all your answers are there.
Vincent

 

[ECpara]

Nothing you describe is ALS. Read the stickies as advised, by doing so you will be assured that you don't have anything even close to ALS. Sounds like a lingering injury IMHO. Good luck.

 

[Riggz10]

I know but my hands have become weaker I'd say and I'm starting to notice the twitching. I've read the Sticky but ut the twitching and loss of coordination is what is really scaring me. And the fact that all people say that it starts in one spot and then moves. Which happened to me - from forearm - a week later in legs. Any more input would be greatly appreciated. I'm going a lil nuts here and my anxiety is through the roof. Special thanks to all out there who read this and are having similar symptoms. My prayers are with you all.

 

[Nikki J]

From arm to legs in one week is NOT the way ALS spreads even the aggressive forms

 

[Riggz10]

Thank you for your quick reply Nikki. If you don't mind me asking - how exactly would you say it spreads? in terms of time?

 

[BlueandGold]

Pain is not a symptom. You say your hands are weaker. Do they feel weak or are they actually weaker? Can you not button your clothes, clip your fingernails, tie your shoes, etc.? Please believe me when I say with this disease you do not "feel" weak, you ARE weak and there is no room for speculation about it.

Be well.

Vince

 

[skipper66]

You appear not to be listening to a word we are telling you. You evidently aren't reading the stickies or you would stop posting your questions. You don't have ALS symptoms at all. Pain is not a symptom of ALS. We are not going to give you specifics on how it spreads and the time frame it takes etc. You simply do not have it. You totally lost my interest when you wrote that your anxiety is going throuugh the roof. That statement told me right then and there that you have no reason to be here. That just gave you your answer. I may come off as being uncaring but I suffer from anxiety myself so I know as well as anybody that it's not a fun thing to have. I just went to the doctor yesterday because I was having chest pain and also left arm pain. They even ran a EKG. My heart checked out perfect. I was according to them having a anxiety attack. Stress and anxiety can cause major havoc to the body. You might check with a counselor or psychiatrist. It can't hurt. But, please sign off here because we honestly can't help you. It's not ALS.

 

[Riggz10]

Shortness of breath

So I had the EMG last week on my arms and the Neuro told me that I had nothing to worry about. Today I am getting my legs done and obviously I ma nervous because I have the daily cramps in both my calves and shins. She put me on Xanax last week which really calmed me down .... until this morning. I woke up on my back with a severe shortness of breath. I have really felt more at ease over the past few days and then I wake up with this and gets me all scared again. The past few days I have been yawning throughout the day with an overall tired feeling but i decided to believe my doctor that everything was fine. But is it? I know shortness in breath is a symptom but I feel like everything is happening really fast to me. Thank you for taking the time to read this and all input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Atsugi]

We can't give you any more input. You're in the care of a doctor and you don't have ALS. So you should stop posting.

RIGGZ, the people who are responding to you are some of the busiest people in the world, going sleepless in an attempt to bring their terminally ill loved ones some comfort. You shouldn't be asking for their help.

 

[ECpara]

Shortness of breath is NOT a symptom of ALS onset. Folks who have had ALS for years and are losing the ability to breathe, along with losing everything else (like my poor husband) have shortness of breath. Please stop. Listen to your doctor. You are fine.