Could this be ALS, quite scared

[hopesprings]

You ladies are amazing and to be honest, I probably am a little unravelled at this point. I keep telling myself that it's not ALS (and that highly intelligent people are telling me that it sounds nothing like it!) and then try to walk away from this (and the site, I hate the idea that I'm taking up your valuable time) but every day a little new thing happens that puts me on edge again. It's true, I'm analysing every little "unusual" moment and it brings me right back here again.

I've recently started taking quite a few vitamins in case there's a deficiency. Have been having a feeling like they've been getting stuck in my throat for the past 2 months and just sort of sitting in my throat like they're obstructed or it's too tight for them to squeeze through. Especially the small ones, strangely enough. They do eventually go down though (slowly). Have encountered a similar issue with peanut butter. Have been telling myself it's just GERD.

Today I included an uncoated iron pill into the rotation. The panic moment came when I put the pill in my mouth, put the water in my mouth and swallowed. All the water went down but the pill stayed put (stuck to my tongue). This happened twice until I finally got it to go down. No choking but hello worries. First time that's every happened.

Do these issues sound like part of bulbar or what it just a stupid uncoated pill that got wet and stuck to my tongue? Do people with ALS struggle early on with swallowing pills and having them get stuck in the throat?

 

[Toto's Dorothy]

Hope,
The first thing you need to do is stop oog ling doc tor go og le! Plain and simple. Its just plain unhealthy. Look at the tizzy you have put yourself in.

Second, before you go overdosing on over the counter vitamins, you need to see if you are insufficient in them first. And yes, you can overdose on vitamins.

Thirdly, you are apparently overthinking when you swallow. I am not going to give you feed for the fodder, just suffice it to say that those are not Bul bar symp toms. Its just that, an uncoated pill stuck on a tongue.

If you aren't on anxiety meds, you might want to think about getting some. Good luck to you and GOD Bless your doc tors.

 

[hopesprings]

I have actually stopped g o o g l i n g. Unfortunately it's what I already read previously when I was doing *that* quite actively that keeps coming to mind when something could possibly be a symptom has happened (as above - the hoarse speaking voice, the pill, the strawberry, etc). Reading so much was a big mistake and would love to forget everything I read.

And I definitely used to have big anxiety issues but I thought those had largely been conquered. Seems that I might just have buried them as they seem to popping up a lot in relation to this lately. I'm actually a normal articulate rational individual until I have these mini panics over this stuff.

Could very well be over thinking when I swallow. It's like I'm on high alert for everything, really. I do think as I chew that that I need to try and to be careful, but that's also in an attempt to chew lots in order to avoid acid reflux (which hasn't worked - actually having serious reflux/stuck in throat sensation following dinner right now and wondering if it's anxiety-related or what :/).

 

[LizT]

Feeling like you are on "high alert" is a classic sign of health anxiety. And the more you worry and are anxious, the more you will zone into your perceived issues. Anxiety alone can cause what you are describing. And since youve already had anxiety issues, this should be the first thing you look at, not ALS.
I dont want to sound harsh here... i have anxiety issues as well... but im going to be honest with you- you do sound kinda obsessed with all of this...to the point where its difficult to take you seriously.
Hope you feel better.

 

[adamico88]

Hope- I didn't read all of your threads, just briefly through some of them (so forgive me if I repeat what anyone else has said or you cleared up anything already)......but I did notice once I started reading about ALS, that's when I also started to feel the muscle twitching/weakness, but i've tried to reign myself in before I let it get the best of me. I'm pretty sure the twitching/thinking i have weakness is just anxiety. As for the pills getting stuck, that happens to me too, I think it's just when you think about it too much, then they do get stuck. It's all like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Believe me, I'm in the same boat as you, scared & without answers, but I really think its best just try to stay calm, stop googling (I've really calmed down since I've stopped googling, & I only have been reading what people have posted on my thread), and really take the advice of the people on here who are daignosed (they know what they're talking about). I know it's always going to be in the back of your mind, like mine, until we get answers...but try to stay calm and I hope you start feeling better!

 

[jb63]

The water went down fine. If you were having bulbar issues, water would be the first difficulty swollowing to show.