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catatau5

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Apr 20, 2018
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NY
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NEW YORK
Hi, I'm male, 22 yrs old, and I very worried about these symtomps. I know that ALS is rare, specially in people of my age, but I dont think there is other disease that can mimic these symptons that i'm feeling.

- since dec/2017: post nasal drip - i'm feeling that my breath is low. When I run, play football, I get tired very fast. Its like my lungs get burn. In the beggining of 2018 I have two episodes of shortness of breath when I lie on my back. I almost go to emergency because that. Besides, since then, my throat always full of white phelgram. In a week, about 3 months ago, these white phelgram thickened and i have severe hoarseness and cough for like a 6-7 days. I still sleep on my back down, but I have not had any cases of shortness of breath.

- since dec/2017 (at least): tongue atrophy - I notice a tongue atrophy on left side of my tongue. Is like a deformity in the flank. I dont if its really a atrophy becouse I dont remember since when I have this. I know I have it at least since dec 2017. Besides, sometimes I feel my tongue tired, I have slurred speach sometimes, people dont understant what i'm say. I have to make a effort to speach the word correctly. I have cases. On some occasions my tongue has fasciculated, in a week in april my tongue fasciculated very hard for like 3 days in a row. Sometimes I fell numbness too.

- fev/march 2018 - intense numbness on the right side of my body (leg and arm) (Obs: i know this is not a symptom) - Basically, I was feel a intense numbnesse on my intire right leg and in the area innervated by the ulnar nerve (ie, pinky and ring toe). This was very intense like as if I felt the hand and foot of another person. Besides, the numbness have afeccted the left side of my face and left side of neck. This lasted about 3 weeks.

- since when numbness is gone - leg issues - My right leg is not okay since the numbness is over, specially the quadriceps area. It started like a pain, fatigue, even when I was sit. In some ocassion I has limp. The pain sometimes hit the area near the knee, sometimes the area near of the gluteus. Now the leg looks strange even in a simple walk, as if it weighs a ton. my gait has not changed visibly but walking is very strange to me
This is not sometimes. This is all the time, even on a short walk.

-since when numbness is gone - left side neck weakness -
I used to feel a lot of pain and discomfort on that side of the neck when I'm sitting and this only relieves when I drop my neck to either side or back up under my hand. Now I do not feel any more pain but there is still some discomfort and I feel as if my head is trembling slightly when I sit and try to maintain an upright posture. It is as if the head does not have enough support to hold

- april 2018 - right hand issues - it started with a fasciculation on my thenar eminence that still until today. Sometimes little, sometimes very, but I always have fasciculations.
When I make the pincer movement with my thumb and forefinger the fasciculation is very viseble, its like
contracting, receiving an electric shock. When i open my hand and move my big toe in low velocity in direction of my pinky does not tremble but when
but when I make the way back at low speed my big toe trembles a lot. When I put my hand down with my palm down and rise my big toe up and then hit it to the table the toe stil continues to move up and down like a bouncing ball.
Sometimes this does not happen but sometimes this "Involuntary" movement of the big toe is so strong that it looks like a hammer beating and does not stop until I make another movement. This usually occurs when fasciculation is more powerful.

since when may/jun 2016 - left shoulder pain and weakness -
My left shoulder start to pain very much especially after I wake up. The pain is more concentrated in the back portion of the muscle near the back. in fact the pain is so strong that it radiates to the back, until near the region of the lung. I notice the left shoulder is more weaker than the right shoulder. Exemple: If i hold the same weight with the both arms rised up, the left shoulder start to pain a LOT and shake but the right shoulder no.

since when the numbness is gone but more oftne now -
spasm on the eyelid - in march/april I had many spasms in my lower eyelid. This lasted like weeks. Now i have it on my upper eyelid. This happens when I blink.

jul 2018 - more right hand issues . right foot issues . forearm fasciculation . - This month i realized that my index finger and specially my pinky finger is curling. All my finger tremble in resting position. Some up and down others to one side and the other. Very subtly, but it occurs. Besides I dont feel secure holding important things with this hand, i always think i will drop something (but i dont have droped yet). Besides i realize some problems with my right foot too. It started with small movements of abductions and adductions with the index finger from the foot. Now i have strange feels in sole of the foot specially when I close my fingers. Its like the muscles of sole of my foot stretch or cramp. Some days ago i started to feel fasciculations on the right forearm close to the elbow and in the middle too.

I dont remember since when - right gluteous fasciculation

Other symptoms that have affected me since the beginning of the year that are not related to als:
- three episodes of sleep paralysis
- severe pain in the right testicle that preceded the numbness thing (lasted like 1 month)
- difficulty urinating on five or six occasions (as if the sphincter did not open)
- severe worsening of my irritative bowel syndrome (jan 2018)

I did not see a doctor yet because my family will not take me until I have a blatant signal that something is wrong with me as an intense weakness, they think I am hypochondriac (I really have obsession but the symptoms are visible to me). But the diagnosis seems pretty clear to me, I'm getting worse, more concentrated fasciculations, muscle weaknesses. I want to hope that it is not ALS, so I would like opinions about it, do you think it could be something other than ALS?
 
Mod note- past thread: https://www.alsforums.com/forum/do-i-have-als-als/41371-i-m-really-worried.html

Several members of this forum recommended you visit with a doctor the last time you posted back in April. This forum does not take the place of a proper medical examination. Your symptoms still do not fit the pattern of ALS. That is not to say it isn't something else- but that is something only a doctor can help you with.
 
You state that you don't think anything but ALS fits your issues and that you think your diagnosis is pretty clear. The truth is, ALS in no way presents as you describe, you will not find a single disease that fits all these issues, at least some of these issues relate to the mind rather than the body, and you will never know what treatment could help you if you don't see a doctor. Since you are 22, I would think you can go on your own, whether your family is involved or not.

Looking closely at your hydration, nutrition, stress and sleep could pay great dividends in helping you feel better while you await an appointment.

Best,
Laurie
 
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