31 years old, ALS symptoms

[davedavedave]

Hi guys,

I am getting increasingly worried regarding my symptoms and i would like some advice. I will keep this thread updated for others consideration regardless of my diagnosis. It may help to convince others they do not have ALS!

So I'm 31 years old and in pretty good shape. I was a gym guy for a few years there. In November i noticed my left arm in the gym was weaker than my right, i could still press 30kgs with my left but it would tire out quicker than my right arm with the same weight. A few months of working around this and then i went on holiday to Phillipines and various other places.

One day while swimming in February i got really sharp pain in my left shoulder and i literally couldn't lift my arm; i had to swim back to the boat with one arm lol. For weeks i had this and i just thought i hurt my AC joint so i rested while travelling and sun bathing.

Upon returning home in March i got a stinger in my neck which had the usual sharp nerve pains and numb pinky and wedding finger. 1 week later i felt a bit better and i went to the gym and noticed my left arm, and grip in my hand was really weak. I could barely lift 6 kgs with it. This weakness has persisted to today. My left hand also cramps if i try and squeeze to test my strength. Since March my weakness hasn't gotten worse in my left hand, it has stayed the same. I can use it and lift things but nothing heavier than a glass of water.

It seems to have spread as now i cannot move my thumb in various angles and i have no strength in my thumb at all. Other symptoms i have are muscle twitches in my left upper arm which has spread to my lower arm. This has also spread to my right arm very recently, but no weakness yet.
Other than the pain i had back in February and the pain from the stinger in my neck i have 0 pain. I can lift my arm in full motion without pain, although my neck is stiff when i look up to the ceiling.

My legs are unaffected, as yet.

I have had a blood test and its fine, my MRI of my upper body shows nothing wrong with my neck or shoulder. I had a nerve conduction test which showed the nerves on my left arm are really weak and i have minor entrapment on my right elbow. The Dr didn't go into anymore detail than that and i am being referred to a neurologist as we speak (my mri results app was yesterday) .

My orpho mentioned neuralgic amyotrophy/brachial neuritis
(parsonage turner syndrome), but if this was the case then why is my right arm twitching all of a sudden?

I have to be honest i am terrified.

My next steps are to meet my GP to get some anti-anxiety medication to help with my feelings and possibly ask for a second opinion on my MRI. The worst part is waiting for an appointment and not knowing.

What do you guys think?

 

[Atsugi]

I really thought hard about this several times but I always come up with the same result.


Vacation was great. You pinched some nerves in your back. You've been physically compensating for the resultant weakness, and so screwed up some of your other muscles and nerves.


It'll take awhile to fix, maybe all year. But you definitely need to ask your GP if perhaps some anti-anxiety and / or muscle relaxers and anti-inflamatory meds could help this.



Good luck.

 

[lgelb]

Brachial neuritis is a possibility and it can manifest bilaterally. I don't know what the conduction test showed, nor if you had a full EMG. If you can post the reports, that would help.

But even if that's what you have, it's a much better thing to have than ALS.

Of the steps you mentioned, seeing a neuro would be at the top of my list.

Best,
Laurie

 

[davedavedave]

My right arm is getting worse in regards to the muscle twitches and now has a dull ache in it just like my left arm.

5-6 weeks until i get a Neurologist appoint...NHS is hopeless. Been 5 months since I've had these symptoms and nobody within the NHS seems to care so far.