Did anyone's symptoms start with tremor one hand?

[AllyNZ]

I have had a tremor in my right hand for approx 2 years. It was dx as an intentional shake, no big deal. About 8 months ago I started to have issues with my hands, now they feel almost completely numb, I still have movement but it's rigid and stiff. I can't ' grasp' very well, and almost no fine motors skills with my fingers. Hope this makes sense. Recently I had an episode of drop foot for 2days then came better. My GP has referred me to a neurologist which I hope to see this week. There is Huntingsons in my family but distantly. Past 4 weeks I can no longer work the hours I was totally used too as I'm exhausted ( had a low thyroid count briefly) but the tiredness was unreal.

My tremour in my right hand had disappeared in the past month .. Others noticed I wasn't shaking, my left is starting to tremble now ..

It's my doctor who suggested this dx amongst others things of course but I do fit the symptoms ...

Obviously, the past 12 days since I was told it looks to be something serious ( I had told myself it was carpel tunnel) my life has turned upside down .. I've Probably missed listing some symptoms. Hope this all makes sense.

 

[Atsugi]

Thanks for including good details, my Kiwi friend.

Your post made perfect sense until I read "...but I do fit the symptoms..." NO, you don't. Maybe your GP saw something else you didn't mention, but what you wrote is not ALS.

First, consider the fact that it's been two years. If ALS started attacking you two years ago, the odds are you would be seriously disabled or dead by now. Your foot drop got better after two days. ALS never gets better; it always gets worse. Finally, your exhaustion. The beginning of ALS doesn't make a person exhausted.

This how it works: One by one, ALS destroys the motor nerves in the brain. Those nerves normally send the 'go' signal from the brain to a muscle, telling it to contract. But since ALS destroyed that nerve, its muscle doesn't get the signal and just lays limp, useless, paralyzed--forever. Then ALS moves to the next motor nerve in the brain. Note that there is no feeling associated with this. The muscle isn't tired--it hasn't done any work. The muscle doesn't feel anything--it just doesn't go.

 

[Nikki J]

Hi Ally
Do you have any other neurological issues in your family besides the HD on the same side of the family?

Transient foot drop and numbness as an early symptom don't sound like ALS

I have tremor and had it before. The general consensus among the doctors is that is unrelated except one doctor wonders if it is somehow related to my genetic defect because he knows another patient with the same defect who has tremor too. ( he does not say it is definitely related just wonders). That is why I asked about your family history though. Do you know if the HD relatives were confirmed to have an HD genetic defect?

 

[AllyNZ]

Thanks for the replies ��

The tremor in my hand is unrelated we think, can AlS start slowly or does it just start and you lose control of nerves and muscles at once? My brain doesn't remember I have is my little fingers .. I'm always knocking them.

I agree on everything you have both said and with the foot drop was weird, I thought it was muscle related and only told my GP in passing but he was concerned. He's concerned enough that he thinks going through the public system to see a nurerologist is too long (about 8 weeks) so I'm paying to see a private one THEN-get put into public system.

My legs are slow, left leg sometimes drags slightly or more stops working through the motion, my foot slipped off the brake the other day but felt numb.

My worker mentioned the other day I've slowed down a lot ( which I knew) .. I'm sweating after 10 mins activity ..( not like me)

 

[AllyNZ]

my grandma had Parkinson's.. Sorry forgot to add

 

[Atsugi]

By contrast, my wife (RIP) felt great. She was athletic and actually planned to do cartwheels at the YMCA for Christmas. Then she got the diagnosis. But she felt energetic and super even after her leg and arm were paralyzed.

 

[AllyNZ]

Mike, I'm also very active. My job is energetic plus I play hockey ( not very well tho, numb hands make it challenging)

 

[Nikki J]

Numbness, multiple limbs affected and sweating after activity do not sound like the start of ALS. The classic start is failure of some body part to do its task ( fingers to button a shirt, ankle to hold one up, failure of calf muscle to raise a heel) without any accompanying odd sensation. It is a little hard to explain but even though the brain tries really hard to send a signal for the relevant action to happen there is no feeling of effort in the immediate area because the signal is not getting through. Later in the disease with multiple muscles having failed there is intense effort of the remaining ones but this does not happen at the beginning. Good luck in finding an answer. Let us know what the neuro says

 

[AllyNZ]

My take on the sweating is my muscles are been pushed to their limits .. Then my muscles 'ache' then stop working. I have to stop doing the task. I know this sounds nuts

 

[AllyNZ]

That's encouraging Nicki! Thanks. It's the loss of my ability to do fine motor things that is worring me.. And the grip .. Absolutely most likely not ALS, I agree now. I'll keep you updated ��

 

[affected]

If you are going to pay, make sure you see a neuromuscular specialist not a general neurologist.

It really does not sound like ALS at all.

You don't describe what you can't do, just lack of fine motor skills. However, all the other things you describe in more detail just aren't ALS. All the symptoms need to fit, not just one, and there are many causes for a loss of fine motor skills in the hands, so jumping to ALS is presumptive.

I hope you get an answer, as I can tell that you are distressed at not being able to do things you were doing until recently and that definitely needs attention.