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Renny745

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Joined
Jul 2, 2018
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10
Reason
Learn about ALS
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00/0000
Country
US
State
NY
City
South Richmond Hill
Helol all , I've been reading on this forum for a while I've read the stickies I just feel so distraught.

My symptoms all started with a right elbow that would hurt deep inside the joint every time I would exert it like arm wrestling and stuff. Then about a month or so ago I felt like both my biceps had a punching/biting feeing in the muscle.

I've always been afraid of ALS and I'm pretty sure I have health anxiety or that I'm a hypochondriac. My stupid self started googling ALS symptoms. I went to my pcp but didn't mention als , the did a blood test and everything came back good besides a vitamin D deficiency of 13.

I decided to do some push-ups to check my strength and that same night my left arm pained a lot hand nimbleness and tingling down to my fingers, it subsisted the next day. About two days after constantly reading on google I got twitching all over my body , pain in both fore arms , pain at the back of my hands no leg symptoms.

I scheduled a neurologist app (note: He wasn't a neuromuscular) for June 13 and they did an EMG (needle on in my right bicep) and NCV on both of my arms , results were mild carpal tunnel and clean EMG. The neuro said I have anxiety and that I was too young and showed no signs of als ( he did a quick strength and reflex tests and they were all fine),

After about a week of still stressing ALS and reading I noticed my left leg would ache and twitch a lot on my left butt muscle. It would ache mostly in the night and radiate from my butt to my foot. Fast forward to today I am more conscious of my walk and I feel like I don't walk the same and that I need more effort to walk. My left leg aches and gets close to cramps especially in the night time, I can still walk on toes and heel.

What made me fall deeper into a sort of depression and more anxiety is a self reflection test on my knees. I sat down on my chair and hit my left and right knee muscle with the bottom of a glass bottle , my leg leg jumps quicker and higher than my right leg( which from what I read is a brisk reflex).After seeing this I cried and spiraled down into terrible state of mind.

I also would like to add hat I don't know if it's anxiety but I've felt as is my throat had a lump and hat my speech was slurring S , but what crazy is that I ponder on everything I say to see if I'll mess it up , so I don't know if it's real or not.

I still get aches in my elbows , wrists and some muscle pain in my arms and back on and off , but the leg is what worried me and caused me to finally post on here.

I'm so sorry for the long story , I know half of you wouldn't even read it . I'm just so upset I don't know what to do. Any opinions and what I'm going through I'm really scared and upset, I admit to being a hypochondriac because I've stressed other health situations before but the brisk reflex along with other symptoms have me going crazy.
 
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No reason at all to be worried about ALS.


Anxiety, yes.
 
Atsugi,

I would like to say it somewhat an honor to speak to you , I've been reading on this forum a lot and you've helped so many people. I don't want to be the "but what about guy" but I feel like I can't walk as far any more or walk the same , there are a a lot of sensations on my left leg like aches,pains and twitching . I just find it worrying that the "brisk" reflex would appear in the leg with those symptoms.

Again thanks for your time , I'm not looking for ALS , I'm just worried sick.
 
Note-

You simply can not test your own reflexes. Self testing of any sort is not accurate. First off, a medical professional is trained to do these properly, knows what pathology certain responses indicate and are not just looking at the site of testing but holistically. Second, if you are testing yourself, you are anticipating response. Your experience is not objective and means absolutely nothing as you have no idea what your baseline is either. Added to this, anxiety can definitely cause brisker reflexes and exaggerated startle response.

Please make sure to read the https://www.alsforums.com/forum/do-...-common-concerns-about-possible-symptoms.html post pinned at the top of the "Do I Have ALS?" subforum. It's got all the answers to your questions about sensations and possible issues.

~F
 
ShiftKicker,

Thank you , I looked at the post. Do you think these symptoms can be caused by my over reaction/ anxiety. My leg was fine before I started stressing about the biting bicep feeling. Now that feeling on the most part has gone away and now I'm stuck with a crampy like leg, with aches and pains.
 
Mod note: please review posting rules Renny and Discovering. This is not a forum for comparing symptoms If you wish to discuss your symptoms between yourselves utilize visitor messages

Thank you
 
Sorry about that Nikki , thanks.
 
You have had a clean EMG. I can tell you nobody on this site has a clean EMG except for caregivers. ALS has no sensory symptoms or pain. All of your symptoms are sensory, so no ALS. What you have is something similar to when you brought the dreaded letter home saying someone in your class has HEAD LICE. The first thing your mom did was start scratching her head. Everybody gets checked for HEAD LICE. Everybody checks out no HEAD LICE. Still you scratch. Nobody on your block has HEAD LICE. Scratch, scratch, scratch...
You're probably scratching now just reading about HEAD LICE. You have become hypervigilant to every twitch, tingle or twinge that you can think of nothing else. Get help with health anxiety before you ruin what is promising to be a really nice summer.
Vincent
 
Thank you Vincent,

I was recently on vacation in Florida and couldn't stop thinking about this , I could imagine how fun it would have been with a clear head. Thank you for your input it really helps.
 
Renny,

I say this with the utmost respect and would say the same thing if you were my child. You don't have ALS. Therefore, you no longer need to post on this site. Stop yourself from reading.

If you have health anxiety, reading will only create new symptoms and it will fuel your anxiety. I had anxiety when I was your age and it manifested in many physical symptoms. The more nervous I got, the worse the pain, migraines, and other symptoms became.

Do yourself a big favor. Let someone treat your anxiety and stay off this site. You don't have ALS.
 
Thanks Kim,

I appreciate your response and it makes me feel better, every time I feel better mentally there would always be a physical symptom that would throw me back on this forum and into a spiral. Yesterday I read your post and told myself I would not both youguys and waste your time. My leg then felt very weak and after standing on it for 15 min I felt like I had to sit /lay down, this all started with a twitching butt muscle then radiating pain , now it feels like my right leg feels somewhat the same. I am going to try to push through it and see if it gets better seeing as all my worries about *** started with arm muscles feelings and now my focus is on my legs . Thanks again
 
Renny- Time to stop posting now you've had so much feedback and reassurance from the members here. I am so glad you are able to see the link between worrying about symptoms and an increased awareness of sensations in your body. If you continue to have your moods and days influenced by these concerns, best go see a doctor to discuss further what your next steps should be so it doesn't continue to control your life and bring you to forums for ALS.

Continued posting will result in thread closure.

all the best
 
Thank you all so much , I appreciate your time and reassurances. God bless you all , as I've been advised I will stop posting on this forum. Have a good Fourth of July.
 
Hi, Renny745 - No one on this site is a physician. Not even me. I don't believe anyone is qualified to give you a definitive answer to your problem. However, I think it's safe for us to say, "All similar symptoms are NOT necessarily ALS symptoms." Many things can cause joint and/muscle pain. Sometimes herbs or medicines can cause such symptoms as well as low B and other vitamins, minerals, lack of hydration, electrolytes, infections, too little calcium, and chemical exposure among other things. Sometimes, discovering what the problem is requires a process of elimination.

If your neurologist performed electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS). which came out clear, and spinal X-rays to rule out compressed nerves, and your blood tests for the above were fine, you might consider seeing a rheumatologist. There are various similar symptoms depending on the type and, if I understand correctly, are treatable.

If you felt discomfort BEFORE you thought about it being ALS, and before you began your search for the ALS as the cause, it's probably being caused by something. Some of the above you can test out yourself in the way you live. You might consider trying to be calm, get adequate rest, eat healthy, and remember to breathe. It's easy to hold one's breath when anxious. Fresh air is healthy.

Good luck and may all be well. May blessings abound.
 
Beauty4everyone,

You are new to the forum, before you write...

"No one on this site is a physician. Not even me. I don't believe anyone is
qualified to give you a definitive answer to your problem."

(But then... you sure did.)

There are members of this forum who are physicians.

And... there are members who are extremely knowledgeable concerning ALS.

So, before you reply in 4 or 5 paragraphs explaining procedures, your opinion,
spiritual writings and not being a doctor... take some time to learn about the
forum.
 
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