Maurgill517
New member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2020
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- UK
- State
- NJ
- City
- Stirling
Hi to everybody.
Thank you for any help at this very difficult time for everybody.
I am writing on behalf of my son who is male, 36 and living at home. He has suffered with chronic anxiety and depression for many years, but what he has suffered over the last 6 months appears much more concerning.
It started in November 2019 when he complained of heart palpitations and shortness of breath. His heart rate was over 100 beats per minute. A heart monitor was fitted for a week which didn’t pick up anything sinister.
In December he complained of fatigue, dry mouth and a subtle weakness in his right arm which he noticed when driving or typing, towards the triceps/upper shoulder area. However it would usually resolve the same day but would come back every few days or so. Often he felt the need to rest it after mundane use.
In January, following a virus, his left eye began twitching. Then shortly afterwards, he complained of a regular spasm on left side of his nose. At some point towards the end of January, issues with sleep began and he said he kept waking up in the middle of the night, often to find 1 or both arms twitching and not being able to get back to sleep, as well as making involuntary noises in his throat whilst breathing. He has since not been able to sleep probably from then all the way to now and has complained of really vivid dreams and always waking. Every single night for over 80 consecutive days now. He also developed twitching in the left side of his face around the jaw line and twitches in his abdomen.
As February and March progressed, his arm weakness he now feels every day though is still functioning. He mentioned waking up one night and lifting his arm and it kept falling straight back down. 3 times until it seems to resolve itself.
Now, and this is where I have got very concerned, is he having swallowing difficulties and complains that he is having difficulty keeping his head up. Again, it seems to be down the left side, with the outlier being the right arm weakness.
He is feeling weakness in his abdomen and his chest muscles and is having a hard time sitting up straight. Twitching in the arms and legs seems to have also got worse and I have seen the twitches in his legs.
He has been to see the doctor numerous times, the last time being in early March where she tested his reflexes and made him do some exercises which she reported was normal. However this was before the swallowing issues and before his arm weakness got to the point it’s at now.
She seems to think it’s anxiety related, however a lot is happening and seems to be getting worse. I am worried because he’s unlikely to be seen anytime soon by a neurologist at the current time.
Thanks for reading and stay safe. M
Thank you for any help at this very difficult time for everybody.
I am writing on behalf of my son who is male, 36 and living at home. He has suffered with chronic anxiety and depression for many years, but what he has suffered over the last 6 months appears much more concerning.
It started in November 2019 when he complained of heart palpitations and shortness of breath. His heart rate was over 100 beats per minute. A heart monitor was fitted for a week which didn’t pick up anything sinister.
In December he complained of fatigue, dry mouth and a subtle weakness in his right arm which he noticed when driving or typing, towards the triceps/upper shoulder area. However it would usually resolve the same day but would come back every few days or so. Often he felt the need to rest it after mundane use.
In January, following a virus, his left eye began twitching. Then shortly afterwards, he complained of a regular spasm on left side of his nose. At some point towards the end of January, issues with sleep began and he said he kept waking up in the middle of the night, often to find 1 or both arms twitching and not being able to get back to sleep, as well as making involuntary noises in his throat whilst breathing. He has since not been able to sleep probably from then all the way to now and has complained of really vivid dreams and always waking. Every single night for over 80 consecutive days now. He also developed twitching in the left side of his face around the jaw line and twitches in his abdomen.
As February and March progressed, his arm weakness he now feels every day though is still functioning. He mentioned waking up one night and lifting his arm and it kept falling straight back down. 3 times until it seems to resolve itself.
Now, and this is where I have got very concerned, is he having swallowing difficulties and complains that he is having difficulty keeping his head up. Again, it seems to be down the left side, with the outlier being the right arm weakness.
He is feeling weakness in his abdomen and his chest muscles and is having a hard time sitting up straight. Twitching in the arms and legs seems to have also got worse and I have seen the twitches in his legs.
He has been to see the doctor numerous times, the last time being in early March where she tested his reflexes and made him do some exercises which she reported was normal. However this was before the swallowing issues and before his arm weakness got to the point it’s at now.
She seems to think it’s anxiety related, however a lot is happening and seems to be getting worse. I am worried because he’s unlikely to be seen anytime soon by a neurologist at the current time.
Thanks for reading and stay safe. M