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niteangel2

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Nov 28, 2007
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Learn about ALS
Country
US
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TX
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Azle
Glad I found this site - I've been lurking, but just joined yesterday. You are all so brave and I just think you are all amazing. I am a 38 year old female with 2 teenage sons. I have been having some troubling symptoms for a couple of weeks and have a dr appt tomorrow morning. I know he's going to dismiss my symptoms, but I need a referrel from him for a neurologist.

I was hoping you would help me with a couple of questions on ALS. I've looked around on the net, but can't come up with a specific answer. I see something different every place I go and don't know where else to look.

1. A couple of weeks ago I started having muscle twitches all over my body, but mostly in my feet and legs while sitting or lying down. They have slowed down quite a bit and I don't really have them nearly as much in my feet or legs, although sometimes I still feel a little 'vibration' feeling. In ALS, do twitches come and go or do they come and stay?

2. Is it possible to build muscle strength with ALS? I've been wearing myself out with worry and while I haven't done any exercises in years, I decided I needed to see if I was getting weaker. So, started with 10 'boy' push-ups a day and in a couple of weeks I'm up to 20. Started doing sit-ups and I'm up to about 50 a day.

I keep testing myself trying to figure out what I think, but it's hard to test when you don't know the answers to the test! I've read symptoms from can't raise toes (I can), can't stand on heels or balls of feet (I can), etc and it's making me nuts. I'm constantly looking at my tongue in the mirror and it just lays there - but I'm pretty sure I've strained it because it hurts now and I keep having stabbing pains in it.I haven't fallen/stumbled and I'm not dropping things, but about 2 days before the twitches started I woke up with a weak feeling on my left side which is there some days and gone others, but is still present.

I know I sound like a crazy person and I feel like one, but I can't get over being afraid that I have ALS and I'm not sure what to tell my doctor that is going to make him listen to me. Please forgive the long post - I'm so afraid. :(
 
Dont feel like you are crazy. ALS is scary, any illness is. Just tell your doctor that you are concerned about the muscle twitching and ask him for a referral. I would not say that you have been surfing the web reading about ALS and think you have it. THEN he will think you are crazy. Everyone starts out on this road of discovery somewhere. Some people here go on to find they have nothing more than BFS (look that one up) adn others do actually have some sort of illness, though often times, it isnt ALS.
So try to remain calm. It has only been 2wks and I doubt very much that you could expect to see any weakness within such a short space of time. Deep breath, go get your referral and remember that ALS is relatively rare.
 
mamaoftwo -

Thank you for your kind response. Yes, I keep trying to think it is rare, but after looking around I see that it isn't nearly rare enough. I thought it was really a disease that older men developed, but that just isn't the case at all, is it? :(

I'm happy to go tomorrow and will leave out that I've been 'surfing for answers'. :) I am going to give him all of my symptoms though and also request that my hormone levels be checked (had a partial hystorectomy at 24 because of cervical cancer) and also my vitamin B levels. From looking around, I see that those can also give these symptoms.

Thank you again.
 
When my husband first went to the neurologist I told him I thought my husband had als and he said he didn't but I knew. The twitching never stopped. He told me to stop reading and stay off the net but you need to do research . He said his als patients didn't complained of twitching. He never even checked him for muscle weakness
 
doctor visit

Well, dr visit went about as expected. I gave my symptoms and even said I was very concerned about MS or, God forbid, ALS. He gave me that 'over the glasses dr look' and said "A female in her 30's whose symptoms all came on in 2 days? No, you don't have MS and especially not ALS. Now why don't you tell what's stressing you out."

We went thru my normal daily life, including my alcoholic husband, losing my mom less than 2 yrs ago, and I started crying. No doubt that went a long ways in getting him to take me seriously.

So... No exam at all and an rx for anti-anxiety med and for Prozac. And an estimated start time of 6 mnths and then we'll reevaluate my needs.

Now I'm seriously confused - maybe he's right - maybe I'm just more off thsn usual.. Should I immediately get a 2nd opinion or wait a few months?
 
I'd take the meds have a good Christmas and wait until Feb to see another doc.
AL.
 
Don't borrow trouble

Hi am 48 have been diagnosed with als in june 07 but have had symptoms for acouple of years. Do yourself a big favour stay of the net because too much info at your stage is unnecessary worry.I would not even be on this website ,it is good ,but at your stage of the game all you need to do is go and be seen by qualified professionals and find out what your dealing with if anything.Dont buy trouble thinking you have ALS.Take care and I hope it turns out to be nothing to worry about...Kevin in Calgary
 
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