Anxiousbutstillmostlycalm
Member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2018
- Messages
- 13
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- TLD
- State
- Thailand
- City
- Bangkok
Hello all, I'll keep this short in case I'm in the wrong website.
I've read the stickies here, my posting is fear driven because I'm not sure if my symptoms are relevant to ALS or not.
I'm 48, prior US military, male, in generally good health but have high blood pressure/elevated cholesterol that I take meds for as of February 2018. I currently live in Bangkok Thailand.
Twitching: I had a twitching experience in early 2016. Twitching all over the body including stomach for about 3-5 weeks. It resolved itself. Not sure if that's relevant here.
2018: 2nd week in January my right thumb started twitching. I hadn't experienced that previously. Within 2 weeks it moved to the left hand middle finger, and twitching on my right bicep, tricep and forum area began. It lasted for about 4 weeks. I got scared so straightened up my diet, eliminated all caffeine, and started exercising daily. For a few weeks I didn't have twitches.
In early March the twitching began again, same as before. Daily twitching in right thumb, bicep, forearm, tricep and otherwise spread throughout the body (both quads, back, etc.) I don't seem to have twitches below the knee in either leg. I play guitar daily and exercise (run, bike, calisthenics) daily, so didn't feel as much concern because I don't have other symptoms to speak of: no discernible weakness, voice issues, etc. I feel the twitches most at night, and rarely if ever during exercise. They do happen every night though and are I can notice them at rest during the day. However, what caught my attention was that in Mid-March my right thumb started to go beyond twitching. It moves occasionally through the day on its own, I suppose this would be a tremor? It has continued to do that for the last several weeks. It doesn't generally last long enough for me to try to control it, but I'm concerned that this might develop into or be a first sign or step of clinical weakness. I now have similar forearm twitches in my left arm to what I first experienced with the right arm 2 months ago. The pattern of movement concerns me, as I I may or may not have other twitches but the right arm movements are consistent daily and my left 3rd finger twitches now as does the left tricep sometimes as well. As I understand it ALS starts in one area and spreads. I don't have weakness yet but do feel that these twitches and movements are getting progressively stronger as time goes on.
I went to a Thai Neurologist at a local hospital April 2 to get looked at. He listened to what I told him and said it didn't sound like anything serious. He didn't physically examine me and I showed him my right tricep twitching. He basically told me he thought it wasn't anything serious, said to give it time and if I still felt like further investigations were warranted to come back and see him again. He prescribed Orphenadrine/Paracetamol, Rivotril, and Fluvoxamine. He said it's not likely to be Parkinson's as that manifests later generally and he showed a shaking hand motion that he said was typical of beginning symptoms. He also said that ALS was rare. He also told me to look up BFS on the internet. I don't think he took the situation seriously. I haven't been back yet but may return later this week. I ordered a magnesium/calcium supplement that I'll try this week just in case there's a deficiency in my healthy diet that I'm not aware of.
I'm not sure what action to take at this point. Something is obviously not right, and the thumb movements/tremors/ are most disturbing for me, as I've started feeling that losing control of the thumb movement could be a precursor to clinical weakness. It certainly does not get better each day. Should I wait until a foot drop or other obvious weakness manifests itself to have it looked at further?
I'd appreciate any input from the forum members; I'm scared and anxious like every other poster but trying to maintain calm. Thanks.
Mike
I've read the stickies here, my posting is fear driven because I'm not sure if my symptoms are relevant to ALS or not.
I'm 48, prior US military, male, in generally good health but have high blood pressure/elevated cholesterol that I take meds for as of February 2018. I currently live in Bangkok Thailand.
Twitching: I had a twitching experience in early 2016. Twitching all over the body including stomach for about 3-5 weeks. It resolved itself. Not sure if that's relevant here.
2018: 2nd week in January my right thumb started twitching. I hadn't experienced that previously. Within 2 weeks it moved to the left hand middle finger, and twitching on my right bicep, tricep and forum area began. It lasted for about 4 weeks. I got scared so straightened up my diet, eliminated all caffeine, and started exercising daily. For a few weeks I didn't have twitches.
In early March the twitching began again, same as before. Daily twitching in right thumb, bicep, forearm, tricep and otherwise spread throughout the body (both quads, back, etc.) I don't seem to have twitches below the knee in either leg. I play guitar daily and exercise (run, bike, calisthenics) daily, so didn't feel as much concern because I don't have other symptoms to speak of: no discernible weakness, voice issues, etc. I feel the twitches most at night, and rarely if ever during exercise. They do happen every night though and are I can notice them at rest during the day. However, what caught my attention was that in Mid-March my right thumb started to go beyond twitching. It moves occasionally through the day on its own, I suppose this would be a tremor? It has continued to do that for the last several weeks. It doesn't generally last long enough for me to try to control it, but I'm concerned that this might develop into or be a first sign or step of clinical weakness. I now have similar forearm twitches in my left arm to what I first experienced with the right arm 2 months ago. The pattern of movement concerns me, as I I may or may not have other twitches but the right arm movements are consistent daily and my left 3rd finger twitches now as does the left tricep sometimes as well. As I understand it ALS starts in one area and spreads. I don't have weakness yet but do feel that these twitches and movements are getting progressively stronger as time goes on.
I went to a Thai Neurologist at a local hospital April 2 to get looked at. He listened to what I told him and said it didn't sound like anything serious. He didn't physically examine me and I showed him my right tricep twitching. He basically told me he thought it wasn't anything serious, said to give it time and if I still felt like further investigations were warranted to come back and see him again. He prescribed Orphenadrine/Paracetamol, Rivotril, and Fluvoxamine. He said it's not likely to be Parkinson's as that manifests later generally and he showed a shaking hand motion that he said was typical of beginning symptoms. He also said that ALS was rare. He also told me to look up BFS on the internet. I don't think he took the situation seriously. I haven't been back yet but may return later this week. I ordered a magnesium/calcium supplement that I'll try this week just in case there's a deficiency in my healthy diet that I'm not aware of.
I'm not sure what action to take at this point. Something is obviously not right, and the thumb movements/tremors/ are most disturbing for me, as I've started feeling that losing control of the thumb movement could be a precursor to clinical weakness. It certainly does not get better each day. Should I wait until a foot drop or other obvious weakness manifests itself to have it looked at further?
I'd appreciate any input from the forum members; I'm scared and anxious like every other poster but trying to maintain calm. Thanks.
Mike