Concerned 32 year old male looking for support

[IPG1983]

Hello to you all,

I am a new member to this forum, however I have been reading some topics on here for about a week now seeking answers. You are all so supportive so I thought I would register and tell my story to possibly get some answers and help with my anxiety.

My symptoms started about 5 years ago when I could honestly feel what felt like a perfectly symmetrical divide down the center of my body, where my left side felt completely normal and my right side felt "different" and cold. My anxiety started to take over and I started twitching all over my body and my right hand became tight. I checked the internet and immediately convinced myself I had Parkinson's disease. I went to my DR and he didn't seem concerned and told me it was anxiety but referred me to a neurologist to reassure me. The neurologist didn't perform any tests with a device, but he checked my reflexes, and when he tapped my left knee it felt fine, but when he tapped my right knee, my reflex was fine but it sent the strangest sensation through my leg which is hard to describe. Almost like a tingling feeling. He ended up telling me that everyone's body is different and that it's just my anxiety and the physiological make up of my body. I accepted that.

Years have gone by with this weird feeling in my right leg but no weakness or anything, until recently.

3 months ago, I had an x ray at my dentist which showed some (what I now know) as gland stones. This sent my anxiety through the roof thinking I had mouth or throat cancer....I saw a ENT specialist who scoped my throat and told me I had some swelling and put me on some medication for GERD. My anxiety by this time had consumed me and I developed a rash, got really tired, saw random bruises, so I thought I had leukemia, and blood work done which came back fine. This should be where my story ends but my anxiety will not allow myself to believe I am healthy. I have always had fear of that strange feeling on the right side of my body.

This leads me to my recent concerns.....it's been three months of steady stress and lack of sleeping but now my right leg is feeling very strange again. I will wake up from a nights sleep with a pulled muscle in my calf and my leg feels heavy. I am catching my leg on stairs and it feels like I am dragging it along sometimes. It even keeps me up at night due to twitching in my thigh and a heavy feeling in my calf, almost like a restless leg. My ankle joint is hurting constantly and my achilles muscle always feels tight.

In addition to my leg problem, my right hand is tight, and arm feels heavy and my forearm muscle feels like its pulled. I am also having trouble chewing my food as my jaw muscles get sore and swallowing food takes a few attempts.

I am also experiencing difficulty pronouncing certain words and my tongue is twitching and I feel like I have a lot more saliva in my mouth.

I am convinced in my head I have ALS and the fear of not being around for my daughter is consuming my thoughts and affecting my family life with my wife and parents as I am not myself.

I am scheduled to see a therapist and am going to schedule a visit with my DR again, but I would love to hear from someone on this forum about their thoughts/concerns of my story. My major concern out of all the ones that I listed is my heavy foot and weak calf so if anyone wants to elaborate on this, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

I forgot to mention that I recently went to a massage therapist to help try and relax my leg and she told me that my muscle tone in my right leg is much different than my left which only caused me more stress.

Sorry for the lengthy introduction to my story, thanks for listening.

Greg.

 

[IPG1983]

I would also like to add that if I am somewhere and my right leg unexpectedly touches something, my leg twitches really fast and it feels like I jump out of my chair. Thanks.

 

[Atsugi]

Hi Greg. You did not describe ALS. At all.

You're doing the right thing by having your doctor treat your health anxiety.

I know you have more questions: people with severe anxiety are not easily satisfied. But, frankly, we only deal with ALS on this website. You'll need to take your concerns elsewhere.

 

[IPG1983]

Atsugi,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. I really appreciate it.

I may post a follow up reply after my DR's appointment in case someone else is experiencing something similar to what I am.

Take care.

 

[IPG1983]

Hello again,

I am struggling with a few issues which I may not have explained well in my original post. Any feedback is appreciated. If you still feel this is not related to ALS I will be on my way.

- Over the past few years I have been experiencing a sore right calf, and a feeling of restless leg sometimes making it difficult to sleep. I would wake up with a pulled muscle but never thought too much of it.
- It has progressively gotten worse and now I do not have nearly as much strength in my right calf as my left and it is noticeable smaller in size and firmness. Atrophy??
- I have woken up everyone morning at 3am over the last few weeks with discomfort in my right leg and a localized twitch in my right thigh at rest. My ankle and calf are sore and crack and snap a lot which is new. MY toes and foot are tingly and my toes are hard to extend and sore.
- Throughout the day the pain and stiffness is gone but I feel like I am compensating to walk normal and my leg feels weaker than my left. The discomfort in my calf always comes back in the evening and certainly each morning.

Should I be concerned? I am going to ask my Dr. for an EMG.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Atsugi]

Certainly see your doctor, but not about ALS. Perhaps you should read the stick post stuck to the top of this subforum titled "Read Before Posting." You'll learn a lot about ALS there.