Believe I have ALS please help

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Jwheeler

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Hello my name is Joseph I’m 25 and believe I have ALS though I am not diagnosed.I was a former construction worker and avid boxer. I started to experience upper back pain about 5 months ago on the right side. I tried to fight through the pain and was unable to do so. I had a lower lumber, thoracic and scapula mri all came back normal. So I stopped boxing and started running. One day my back started tingling like crazy and it was hard for me to lift and reach for things. I was googling back pain and tingling and believed I had MS.

4 days later I had visible fasciculations everywhere but mainly in the lower half of my body especially at rest. I have Terrible anxiety and chalked it up to being anxious/exercise. After weeks of no exercise they did not go away. Confused I went to a neurologist who gave me a physical that I passed and said if I wanted to be reassured get an emg. in between the emg I went to a neuromuscular doctor and passed his diagnosis. about a week after passing both diagnosis I started noticing a reduction in dorsiflexion in my right foot, it is hard to lift up and getting worse everyday. A week after noticing the dorsiflexion reduction I took my emg and everything came back normal. Today 2 days later I am having even more trouble walking with dorsiflexion and extreme tightness in calves and behind knee, it is difficult to walk long distance as my legs cramp and feel weak.

i have had anxiety all my life and know a friend with als. However I am certain I have it despite what the doctor says. I can not explain my inability to walk correctly anymore unless it is in fact ALS. I am depressed do not want to get up in the morning, only look forward to sleep, spent the last 2 weeks doing nothing but worrying, terrified to get up to go to the bathroom and see my walking getting harder and harder. On top of that everyone thinks I’m crazy and over reacting, which I am not. It’s like the boy who cries wolf except this time the wolf is actually here. I have no idea what to do with my life anymore and do not want to be trapped in my own body with a depressed anxious brain I’ve had my entire life.

I am also experiencing tingling down both legs that feel like zaps, numbness in right foot, and have been tested for lyme, hiv, electrolyte magnesium/potassium deficiency and everything can back normal. Am on lexapro for anxiety, and tizanidine for fasciculations which does nothing but does help me sleep at night.
 
Hi there-

Please read this link- Important - READ BEFORE POSTING! Answers to common concerns about possible symptoms I contains a fair amount of information and may help you with some of your fears. You report a lot of sensory stuff, which points away from ALS.

While you seem fairly convinced you have ALS, there are many things that can cause your issues. It's not clear if you've seen a physiotherapist or not. I'd really recommend you see one who is experienced with brain injuries. Depending on how involved you were in boxing, there is a distinct chance you've been affected by getting your bell rung, even mildly, a few times. These types of injuries can be cumulative. A physio can give you a full mechanical assessment, note areas of weakness and track changes over multiple sessions. They can provide a doctor with notes based on those assessments and let them know if there is something of concern. It might be a more strategic approach if you firmly believe there is an issue that no one is listening to you about.
 
Thank you for the post and yes a hard time lifting up my foot now, which is in that post as clinical weakness, I haven’t gotten my bell rung, no sparring.
 
There are many other causes of foot drop. Your normal emg and the opinions of your neurologists say no als. Please ask them their thoughts on your next steps.
 
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