Anxiety or ALS early symptoms

[Jknutson95]

Hi everyone! I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this abs respond. 4 weeks ago I had two different friends tell me about a person they new with ALS and their first symptoms started as twitching.

I’m a 27 year old mother of three kids. I work as a nurse and have learned about different diseases and seen many things, but have never struggled with anxiety toward my own health.

After my second friend told me about her sisters twitching I started thinking about it and started to get a little anxious and worried, within 24 hours I started twitching near the arch of my left foot which started a huge downward spiral. A few days later my toes started twitching (at different times) and more muscles close to the original spot. I soon developed twitching all over my legs which I can probably relate to anxiety. A week and a half later my right forearm started twitching.

I am now 4 weeks in and my feet bilaterally twitch in the same spot near my arch along with other places in my both feet. My right arm twitches near my elbow and tricep and one other spot. My thumb on that same arm has started cramping near the base on the inside of my hand and my foot where the twitching started cramps near the arch of it.

I feel like I have gone crazy but all these symptoms are happening to me and have caused me horrible anxiety. I did of course do the one thing you shouldn’t do and google some things after my initial symptoms. Do these sound like early ALS symptoms? Is it possible my anxiety is causing this?

Thank you!

 

[KimT]

I'm sorry you're having anxiety. It is rare, but possible, that the first noticeable symptom is twitching. One of the neurologists who diagnosed me had twitching in both legs for about a year. He resisted the urge to get an EMG and it eventually went away. He later told me he thought it was from being on his feet all day long and not being hydrated. He also drank coffee so that was might have been a factor.

Yes, it's possible your anxiety is causing this. If it continues and you are avoiding caffeine and staying hydrated plus getting good restful sleep, a visit to your doctor won't hurt. Getting examined will no doubt help with anxiety.

 

[Jknutson95]

Thank you for your response!

 

[lgelb]

From the other side of the equation -- if you are used to caffeine at certain times and go off it, that can cause twitching as well. There is nothing wrong with coffee or tea per se and even health benefits to moderate consumption within your own limits. On the flip, adequate hydration can be compromised by too much. There is always decaf...

Everyone is different and it's worth the time to figure out what is triggering the twitches if it's something obvious like increased stress, missing sleep or relying on caffeine, but sometimes it can be "one of those things" that moving on with your life just leaves behind.

 

[affected]

I hope you can get examined by a doctor and find reassurance a path back to full health.

I would just ask you this - if you had 2 friends tell you of a family member diagnosed with brain cancer that started as a headache, would you suddenly develop a headache and decide you are dying? I mean this respectfully, as brain cancer is so much more common than ALS.

Please do rely on your medical knowledge and go see a doctor, rather than using google and forums which will only heighten your fears.