BethU
Extremely helpful member
- Joined
- May 11, 2008
- Messages
- 2,646
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 05/2008
- Country
- US
- State
- California
- City
- Los Angeles
Hi, all ...
Hoping somebody can help me sort symptoms out. I've never had ALS before (who has?!?) but I've also never been 72 before, and don't know what's what.
Have bulbar onset ALS, with symptoms so far confined to speech, swallowing and breathing (plus double and blurred vision, but the neuros refuse to talk about that. One even told me that double vision is "probably old age.")
I am noticing weakness in both hands and arms, but especially hands. Have also had very brief episodes where two fingers on each hand curl into the palm, and I have to gently straighten them out and hold them in correct position for a few seconds before they relax. That sounds to me like ALS. (This doesn't happen in both hands at same time, but has happened with both right and left hands.)
Can no longer lift a flat of bottled water, or twist lids off most jars, and it takes two hands to turn the key in my car's trunk. (However, in car-years, my Civic's almost as old as I am, so maybe the lock is getting worn out! LOL)
Understand that ALS weakness doesn't hit both sides at once, yet both hands seem equally weak. But ALSO, I have aching knuckles in my right hand when I wake up in the a.m., and the fingers and knuckles of right hand ache while typing. Both hands feel a little "weird" and uncoordinated.
The joint aches sound to me like arthritis ...or possibly too much computer mouse use (I'm doing a lot of writing each day). But of course, I'm obsessing about every twinge in my body, and wondering, "Is the ALS spreading out from bulbar yet?"
Also, my leg muscles ache when I wake up in the morning, but no leg weakness yet. I assume any aches in muscles are ALS related, but am not sure about joint pain.
Question: in ALS, can both hands/arms get weak at the same time? And is joint pain a part of it?
Am feeling weak and tired generally these days. I'm pretty sure THAT is ALS. Wish there were a users manual for all this -- including one for old age!
Beth
Hoping somebody can help me sort symptoms out. I've never had ALS before (who has?!?) but I've also never been 72 before, and don't know what's what.
Have bulbar onset ALS, with symptoms so far confined to speech, swallowing and breathing (plus double and blurred vision, but the neuros refuse to talk about that. One even told me that double vision is "probably old age.")
I am noticing weakness in both hands and arms, but especially hands. Have also had very brief episodes where two fingers on each hand curl into the palm, and I have to gently straighten them out and hold them in correct position for a few seconds before they relax. That sounds to me like ALS. (This doesn't happen in both hands at same time, but has happened with both right and left hands.)
Can no longer lift a flat of bottled water, or twist lids off most jars, and it takes two hands to turn the key in my car's trunk. (However, in car-years, my Civic's almost as old as I am, so maybe the lock is getting worn out! LOL)
Understand that ALS weakness doesn't hit both sides at once, yet both hands seem equally weak. But ALSO, I have aching knuckles in my right hand when I wake up in the a.m., and the fingers and knuckles of right hand ache while typing. Both hands feel a little "weird" and uncoordinated.
The joint aches sound to me like arthritis ...or possibly too much computer mouse use (I'm doing a lot of writing each day). But of course, I'm obsessing about every twinge in my body, and wondering, "Is the ALS spreading out from bulbar yet?"
Also, my leg muscles ache when I wake up in the morning, but no leg weakness yet. I assume any aches in muscles are ALS related, but am not sure about joint pain.
Question: in ALS, can both hands/arms get weak at the same time? And is joint pain a part of it?
Am feeling weak and tired generally these days. I'm pretty sure THAT is ALS. Wish there were a users manual for all this -- including one for old age!
Beth