weird symptoms

[alex78]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and the reason why I'm here is quite obvious. Before I start to describe the last 10 weeks of my life I want to apologize for my rather bad English, especially my medical vocabulary is not very good.

In June 2009 I went to a pneumonology doctor as I feared to have asthma (I had a cold for three times during the last 9 months and generally had problems with breathing). The doctor also made an allergy test (positive on dust mites). From this time on I uses an asthma spray twice a day although my lung factors were ok, but the doc wanted to see if things get better.

Just a couple of days later I began to feel numbness in my fingers, feet, head (very rarely), arms and legs. These symptoms developed over time, it started in the fingers and feet and became worse when I took a longer walk, for example. Wasn't really distinct and the location changed permanently, and my family doctor just said it was due to too much stress at work.
After three weeks (middle of July) the numbness changed more and more into pain. Currently I feel hardly any numbness any more but the pain is still there. Mainly affected are my hands (muscle of the thumb, fingers), the upper arms as well as shoulder and neck. Sometimes I also encounter pain in the legs, but not very frequently. The location of the pain also changes permanently, but the pain in the hands is the most frequent one. The right part of the body is more affected then the left one.
Beyond the pain it seems to me that my right hand doesn't work 100% correct any more. For example, if I read a book or a paper, the right hand seems to shiver a bit, which really bothers me. Also when I grab for things or write short messages on the cell phone it seems to me that the coordination is a bit disturbed.

I was at a neuro in middle of July, he just examined me clinically (everything OK) and checked me for lyme disease. Was negative. Three weeks ago I had an MRI, which was also negative. He then told me, that all really harmful diseases were excluded, and that I shouldn't think about my pain and have a good summer time.

What do you think? Does this sound like ALS? Unfortunately, from the first day of my numbness I used Dr.Google a bit too often and therefore I'm quite anxious that I'm severely sick.

Thanks for any answers, Alex

 

[polisaryo]

This is not how ALS works.

Too much stress and anxiety can cause a great variety of symptoms. Do not underestimate the affects of anxiety.

You mentioned a visit to neuro. If your physical examination is ok and you don't have any permanent disability it's extremely unlikely that you have ALS.

Best wishes

 

[Jennifer51]

You have seen a neuro who says everything is alright. your symptoms dont sound like als to me, but I am not a doctor...als creeps up on you. Be happy and rejoice that it seems likely that you dont have this dreadful disease

 

[alex78]

Hi everyone,

I'm back, once more asking for your opinion. I'll see my neuro next Wednesday but I'm really scared, again.

Since my last post I broke my left middle foot (August 2009) and therefore had to spend 8 weeks at home (home, sweet home-office )... In early January I didn't encounter any problems anymore, and I didn't concern about ALS any longer.

Since February the odd feeling in my right arm returns more and more. Thinks like dressing, brushing teeth don't bother me at all, but it seems to me as if I had lost power, especially in my shoulder. From time to time I have the sensation of tension in my shoulder, my family doctor thinks that it results from a general tension in the back.

But now to the topic that frightens me the most: my legs. End of February I realized a strange sensation in my legs when walking. Neither pain nor weekness, just an odd feeling. This has dramatically worsened in the last couple of weeks: the first couple of steps I take are ok, but when I'm going for a longer walk (e.g. to work) then I feel tension-pain (a bit like a cramp but by far not as painful) especially in the back side of my right thigh, but also in the hollow of the knee, the calf and also in the feet and in the connection between the pelvis and the thigh. The last two weekends I had some bad pain in the back of the thigh after driving around by car for about 2 hours each. When I'm at work and just go for the restroom then I hardly notice anything. Furthermore I feel as if my legs are weaker than before and sometimes I also encounter fasciculations (mainly in the upper right arm and the right leg).

Does this sound like the onset of ALS to you? What really drives me crazy is the fact that the legs just run riot after a particular amount of time.

Thanks a lot, Alex

 

[alex78]

Short additional info on my post as I don't know how to edit it: the pain I've described is never in all of the described areas. It moves around from the lower thigh upwards or downwards to the foot. The left leg is also concerned, but not as severe as the right one.

My family doctor thinks that the pain is due to my work at an office and has prescripted me some pain tablets. I take them for 4 days now but nothing has changed, that's why I'm back to this forum...