phhope
Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2013
- Messages
- 11
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- Texas
- City
- College Station
Hello to everyone.
This is my first post on this forum.
I have been following posts on this forum over the past two months and just let me say that I have each of you in my prayers daily.
I've been quite worried and concerned over the past few months with some symptoms that I have been experiencing.
In the fall of 2011, my right foot became inflammed along with my right calf. My right toe was what was most pronounced. Somewhat painful but nothing I couldn't live with. However, it just didn't feel right. I had blood work done and made a visit to my MD. Blood work was clean and he said that as we get older we begin to experience different feelings in our muscles and joints. I had just turned 40, so I assumed it came with age. Then I began to feel the inflammation in my right hand in March of 2012 but that subsided somewhat. During this same time, my joints were becoming quite stiff and it would take awhile to get everything straightened out when I would get up from sitting or laying down.
In June of 2012, all of a sudden one day, I began experiencing the strangest sensation all over my left limb. It was kind of painful but more numb and tingly. Very annoying but nothing I couldn't live with. I had this feeling for 3-4 days and then it left. I would come and go during the summer and throughout the fall of 2012. During the fall of 2012, I began to develop some weakness in my left limb in comparison to my right limb. I could still lift things and do things with my left arm but I would favor my right arm more, I'm right handed anyway. One thing that came up during this same time that has nothing to do with the weakness of the limb is that I developed these small silver scaly rashes on my right toes and lower limbs. My MD said it was either exzema or psoriasis. He prescribed me with a steroid cream and it helped quite a bit but that is something I still have that comes and goes. I thought all of these feelings and stiffness in my body along with the rashes could be trumped up to psoriatic arthritis which I've learned is quite rare.
Things have really taken a drastic change since early January of 2013. The pain and weakness in my left limb became much more noticeable in my left limb. I noticed atrophy in my left forearm. I know there is atrophy there because my watch started to become lose on my left wrist. I decided to look the symptoms up on-line and ALS popped up quite often. I visited my MD in early February and he didn't seem concerned. He did a simple strength test with my arms and hands and didn't see a need to refer to me to a nuero. I do have alot of anxiety with concerns about my health and he seemed more concerned about this than any of the symptoms I described.
Since then, I've tried to stay off of the computer but it's hard when your feeling weird things. Over the past two months there have been times when my neck has been stiff, but that is off and on. The joints in my fingers are stiff, although I can still do all of the things with my hands that I always have. There have been days where I thought my voice was going hoarse or where I thought I was having a difficult time with my speech, but that has been off and on and I sometimes believe those two things might be more in my head.
The one glimmer of hope that I have had is that I hadn't experienced any muscle twitches and then all of a sudden, two days ago, they started in my right calf. They are very, very noticeable and are non stop. It's very bizarre to watch them. I have full strength in my right calf. This is the symptom that has really stressed me out.
So now I am at the point of scheduling another appt with my MD so I can get a referral to a nuero. My question to others in this forum is did any of you experience challenges with getting a referral to a nuero? Have any of you experienced the psoriatic arthritis symptoms along with symptoms of ALS? With ALS, do the twitches start suddenly and continue?
I've been diagnosed with nothing but I am preparing myself for the worst. I'm doing my best not to worry and trying to enjoy each day with my family. I thank God each day for being able to walk, talk, and breathe. I can do all of these things and want to do as much as I can if I lose these abilities one day. I'm not worried about dying, just feel sad that I might be in a position with my health that will pose a liability to my family. These are head issues that I have to learn to deal and cope with.
My apologies for any questions that might seem ignorant. Thank you to anyone for taking the time to read my rant. Again, each of you are in my daily prayers. ;-)
This is my first post on this forum.
I have been following posts on this forum over the past two months and just let me say that I have each of you in my prayers daily.
I've been quite worried and concerned over the past few months with some symptoms that I have been experiencing.
In the fall of 2011, my right foot became inflammed along with my right calf. My right toe was what was most pronounced. Somewhat painful but nothing I couldn't live with. However, it just didn't feel right. I had blood work done and made a visit to my MD. Blood work was clean and he said that as we get older we begin to experience different feelings in our muscles and joints. I had just turned 40, so I assumed it came with age. Then I began to feel the inflammation in my right hand in March of 2012 but that subsided somewhat. During this same time, my joints were becoming quite stiff and it would take awhile to get everything straightened out when I would get up from sitting or laying down.
In June of 2012, all of a sudden one day, I began experiencing the strangest sensation all over my left limb. It was kind of painful but more numb and tingly. Very annoying but nothing I couldn't live with. I had this feeling for 3-4 days and then it left. I would come and go during the summer and throughout the fall of 2012. During the fall of 2012, I began to develop some weakness in my left limb in comparison to my right limb. I could still lift things and do things with my left arm but I would favor my right arm more, I'm right handed anyway. One thing that came up during this same time that has nothing to do with the weakness of the limb is that I developed these small silver scaly rashes on my right toes and lower limbs. My MD said it was either exzema or psoriasis. He prescribed me with a steroid cream and it helped quite a bit but that is something I still have that comes and goes. I thought all of these feelings and stiffness in my body along with the rashes could be trumped up to psoriatic arthritis which I've learned is quite rare.
Things have really taken a drastic change since early January of 2013. The pain and weakness in my left limb became much more noticeable in my left limb. I noticed atrophy in my left forearm. I know there is atrophy there because my watch started to become lose on my left wrist. I decided to look the symptoms up on-line and ALS popped up quite often. I visited my MD in early February and he didn't seem concerned. He did a simple strength test with my arms and hands and didn't see a need to refer to me to a nuero. I do have alot of anxiety with concerns about my health and he seemed more concerned about this than any of the symptoms I described.
Since then, I've tried to stay off of the computer but it's hard when your feeling weird things. Over the past two months there have been times when my neck has been stiff, but that is off and on. The joints in my fingers are stiff, although I can still do all of the things with my hands that I always have. There have been days where I thought my voice was going hoarse or where I thought I was having a difficult time with my speech, but that has been off and on and I sometimes believe those two things might be more in my head.
The one glimmer of hope that I have had is that I hadn't experienced any muscle twitches and then all of a sudden, two days ago, they started in my right calf. They are very, very noticeable and are non stop. It's very bizarre to watch them. I have full strength in my right calf. This is the symptom that has really stressed me out.
So now I am at the point of scheduling another appt with my MD so I can get a referral to a nuero. My question to others in this forum is did any of you experience challenges with getting a referral to a nuero? Have any of you experienced the psoriatic arthritis symptoms along with symptoms of ALS? With ALS, do the twitches start suddenly and continue?
I've been diagnosed with nothing but I am preparing myself for the worst. I'm doing my best not to worry and trying to enjoy each day with my family. I thank God each day for being able to walk, talk, and breathe. I can do all of these things and want to do as much as I can if I lose these abilities one day. I'm not worried about dying, just feel sad that I might be in a position with my health that will pose a liability to my family. These are head issues that I have to learn to deal and cope with.
My apologies for any questions that might seem ignorant. Thank you to anyone for taking the time to read my rant. Again, each of you are in my daily prayers. ;-)
