17yo too young?

[Rasmus99]

Hello, I've been thinking about asking for advice here for a while, so here goes. I'm a 17yo male, I've been having twitching all around my body for about 15 months now, and I recently noticed that I can't press my right thumb against my palm as hard as the left one, and it starts cramping if I try (I'm right handed) My right leg also get tired faster than than the left leg, and I get out of breath easily (I'm not very athletic to begin with). I had an EMG of my legs about 2 months after the twitching started, and the doctor said it was normal. I've read that getting ALS at 17 is very rare, but I suppose "what are the odds?" is what everybody thinks.

 

[skipper66]

First, off you went a doctor. If he even remotely thought there was a chance you had ALS he would have mentioned it to you or your parents. Twitching could be anything such as your nerves. You don't have ALS. I know that much. What is exactly going on with you. I don't know because I'm not a doctor. Anxiety can cause both the breathing and the anxiety issues. Please listen to me and follow up with your doctor to find our what is going on. We don't have the time, education, or knowledge to tell you anything except that it's not ALS. Please don't ask anymore questions. It is not ALS! Please kindly log off and make a follow up appointment with your own doctor. Don't google your symptoms either. Go to a doctor so you don't get misleading information that leads you to sites like this that you don't need to be on. Enjoy your life. Kim

 

[Rasmus99]

Very well, thank you, Kim.

 

[Rasmus99]

I'm sorry, I know you told me to not ask any more questions, but I have a new concern. In the last couple of days I've had somewhat painful cramping in my right forearm. Sometimes it happens randomly when the hand is relaxed, sometimes when I'm doing something like writing, turning a lock, driving etc. A couple of weeks ago I read an article about a guy with ALS whose first symptom was that when he tried to reach something out of the center console of his car, his forearm would cramp. Just reading this ALS related article made me very anxious again, and now that I have a similar symptom as him it bothers me even more. Do you think there's more cause for concern now? I've heard that twitching alone isn't that big of a deal, but what about twitching and cramping together?

 

[Rasmus99]

Actually now that I think about it, it's been cramping for at least a week, but it seems to have gotten worse in the last couple of days.

 

[scaredwifetx]

You don't have ALS so shouldn't be posting any questions here. You need to be talking to your parents, doctor or someone you trust...not surfing on this forum.

If you took time to read the posts here instead of posting inappropriate questions...you might understand that this is not a place anyone should want to be.

Please leave here, get help or advise from a loved one and LIVE a long life. Maybe you could use your energy to raise awareness in order to find a cure for ALS.

 

[Rasmus99]

Ok, if you say so then I'll stop posting here. You seem very certain, so I'll take your word for it. Thanks.

 

[Rasmus99]

About two weeks later the cramping still persists, which is making me quite anxious as I've read that prolonged cramping in a single muscle group is a bad sign. Some days it's almost gone, some days it gets quite painful and irritating, and the muscles of my palm, thumb and bicep & tricep have also started cramping occasionally. I also get some cramping in my left forearm and both thighs and calves, but about 90% of it is in the right forearm or around it. I would like to ask, are there any typical characteristics to cramping caused by UMN damage? Is it significant that the cramping gets better at times? I've talked to my parents about this, as I have whenever I've been particularly worried. They don't seem to be very worried, but they can't think of an explanation for the cramps either. If you still think that I've got nothing to worry about, then I promise this will be my last post here.

 

[JimInVA]

I'm 62... and I get cramping, too. I was cooking dinner for my wife (who is going to die from ALS but DOESN'T have cramping) and my hands began to cramp. Perhaps it was from all of the potatoes that I was peeling (I made some monster mashed potatoes)... or perhaps it was just from the stress of wanting this to be a particularly good dinner (my daughter and her boyfriend were over for my wife's birthday dinner). Regardless, it was darn right painful. I'd have to pull my thumb back with my other hand to get it to straighten out and quit cramping. And, recently, I've begun to have my legs and feet cramp at night. I think it may be the change from AC to heat... or just some body change... but its not fun!... as I'm sure you know. I've been told that its all about body chemistry. Fortunately, I'm of the age that makes gin and tonic a "doable thing"! They say tonic water helps with cramps. Personally, I think it is the gin that helps. Regardless, cramps or not, I don't have ALS. I hope you find a solution to what ails you. I really do. Also please know that I don't condone or encourage underage drinking.

My best to you...

 

[lgelb]

"Some days it's almost gone."
Axiomatic, you don't have ALS. No clinical weakness, normal EMG, nothing but symptoms we all get. This is the wrong place for you.
Find/do some classical stretch vids on YouTube and likely your symptoms will improve. All the best.

--Laurie

 

[Rasmus99]

Okay, thanks to both of you!

 

[Rasmus99]

Ok so I've now noticed that I can get a very strong knee jerk reflex just by gently tapping my knees with the tips of my fingers. Obviously I'm no doctor, but it looks exactly what you find if you type "brisk reflexes" into YouTube. My father could also get the same reaction from them by tapping my knees gently with a wooden stick. He says I shouldn't worry about ALS because it's been almost a year and a half and no significant progress has happened, but I can't explain this reflex thing. If I remember correctly they were also like that about 11 months ago when I first visited a doctor for this, and she didn't mention anything about them, but she did order the EMG after the visit "just in case". Still, I can't be sure if they were quite this brisk.Can anxiety cause brisk reflexes? Does it have to be long term, or can just being in an anxious mood for a moment make them brisk? Thanks.
Ps. I feel awful asking you more of these "silly" questions after you've so confidently told me that I have no need to worry, but I feel like this is an important detail.

 

[Nikki J]

Yes, no , yes. And you can not check your own reflexes. If your dad is not a doctor neither of you are qualified to assess this and it is meaningless anyway. You need to get help for your anxiety. Worrying about ALS is ruining your life and it is baseless. Block this site on the computer

 

[Rasmus99]

Yes, I've understood that you can't reliably check your own reflexes, but the fact that just tapping it gently with the handle of a hammer produces a similar reaction as what doctors or YouTube call "very brisk" just makes me extremely nervous. In almost every story I've read the patient goes to the doctor for the first time, and the doctor gets super serious when he notices brisk reflexes. But thank you Nikki, I feel like such a dummy worrying about this every time you reply to me, since none of you seem even slightly concerned.

 

[scaredwifetx]

Since you have been open with your dad I ask one thing of you. Please tell your dad to read the posts here and get you an appointment with a counselor. YOU DO NOT HAVE ALS. There are a lot of things a 17 year old should be doing but posting on a forum for a terminal illness is not one of them.

Anxiety is real and it can cause a lot of physical symptoms. I know because the past year I have had a lot of physical issues. I knew and accepted that losing my mother and watching my husband go through ALS...was to much for me.
I went on meds and starting talking to my best friend. I am doing a lot better and do not have anymore symptoms.

You can be helped but its up to you to deal with what is really wrong. You have an entire life ahead of you. At some point you will have to admit that you don't have ALS and just think of all that time wasted.

I wish you a bright future now please stay away from here.