Could This Be ALS?

[planningguy]

April - It's funny. Getting down to brass tacks is one of those expressions were the origin is really unclear. One possible explanation is that it refers to the fact that in the past shoes were often held together with cobblers nails or brass tacks. If a shoe wore down to the brass tacks, you were down to what was holding everything to together. There are a lot of other possibilities. I just like that one because when I lived in South America, I wore the soles out on my shoes a few times.

I used to love to watch the cobbler trimming and putting new soles on. Some even used tire tread. Fascinating work, though I didn't care much for the smell of the glue they used.

Robert

 

[lydia]

My family gets the biggest kick out of looking up origins of phrases, so as soon as I read this thread tonight I had to pause and look around. Here is part of what I found, enjoy.

Get down to brass tacks

Meaning

Engage with the basic facts or realities.

Origin

The figurative expression 'getting down to brass tacks' isn't particularly old as phrases go. Its first known appearance, in the USA in 1863, was in the Texas newspaper The Tri-Weekly Telegraph:

"When you come down to 'brass tacks' - if we may be allowed the expression - everybody is governed by selfishness." [/I]

All of the other known early citations either originate in, or refer to, Texas. It is reasonable to assume that the phrase was coined there, in or about the 1860s.

-from "The Phrase Finder" on the web

 

[awieleba]

RObert~

You are like my brother in law who knows everything about everything, or as he likes to stay a wealth of useless information. Can he remeber my sisters b day or kids b day, noooooooo. He is a whiz at any trivia game or jeopardy. We call him 'cliff clavin', ya know from 'cheers'.. but you dont watch alot of TV so maybe you dont know who that is? He was the guy at the bar with an abundance of information.

 

[hopingforcure]

April, I had to laugh, that is what I always say about myself, I would be a great life-line on Millionaire, just useless stuff.. Your b-law and I would get along.lol...

 

[TiggerLenses]

so I went to the clinic tonite to get another opinion:

the doctor said he does notice that there's less muscle on the one arm/hand...but my reflexes aren't anything to be concerned about... I'm assuming this is a good thing?

so basically he just reiterated seeing the neuro... but he did assure me that in his 25 years of practice he has never seen a person under the age of 45 with ALS. Ever.

so the waiting game continues!

 

[GlenBrittle]

Tigger,

I hope you put as much effort into seeing a neuro , as you do on this forum. That is where your next answers should come from.

Stop worrying about it. If you have not been diagnosed with it , YOU DONT HAVE IT.

Go out and have some fun.

Glen

 

[TiggerLenses]

well it's hard to have fun when my strong arm is noticeably atrophied and is feeling really weak... it's kind of a constant reminder that at 25 something serious could be going on. But I know what you mean, stay positive, and try not to think of the worst case scenerio - I'm a try, I'm a try.

doctor said probably tennis elbow - okay, tennis eblow? there's no pain, number 1 - so no. number two, how does that explain the muscle loss? and number 3, the fasciculations?

I guess the one thing goin' for me are my reflexes. But when he tapped my knee I had MAJOR reflex, isn't that hyper-reflexia? and when he did the wrist of my arm there was hardly any reflex on my left hand - he even kind of went, "ahh, I see..." then cut himself off & when I asked him see what he just shook his head and said, "uh huh, well nothing too out of the ordinary with the arms"...and when you see my left arm you know it's atrophy, how could you pass that off as tennis elbow when even told you I wasn't experiencing a lick of pain! I have a feeling he noticed stuff but was just acting like things were okay because He knows I'm going to a Neuro in a month...

 

[BethU]

Hi, Tigger ... One last try from me: You keep talking about "muscle loss" and "atrophy" when what you have is a difference in size from one side of your body to another.

he did agree with me that my left arm was smaller at the wrist and at the elbow, and that my hand seemed weak - he measured my wrists and compared - my right wrist was 18.5 cm and my left (my good arm) was 17 cm. So how do you account for a 1.5 cm loss of muscle?

This is meaningless: You would show loss of muscle only if your right wrist was 18.5 cm in June, and 17 cm in December. The size of your left wrist has nothing to do with it.

Also, you seem to be diagnosed yourself on the basis of your doctors facial expressions and manner of speaking.

he even kind of went, "ahh, I see..." then cut himself off & when I asked him see what he just shook his head and said, "uh huh, well nothing too out of the ordinary with the arms"...and when you see my left arm you know it's atrophy, how could you pass that off as tennis elbow when even told you I wasn't experiencing a lick of pain! I have a feeling he noticed stuff but was just acting like things were okay because He knows I'm going to a Neuro in a month...

Please, Tigger ... doctors don't put on acts for patients. People have freaked out for years when a doctor examines them and says "hmmm," but this really is over the top. You wanted feedback from people who have ALS. You've gotten it. It wasn't what you wanted to hear, so you want to argue about it. You wanted information from your doctor who has examined you. You've gotten it. It wasn't what you wanted to hear, so you are examining his expressions and mumblings with a magnifying glass.

When you get to the neuro, if it's not what you want to hear, better get some counseling.

Good luck ...

 

[rose]

Re: facial expression..... one of my gouldian finches got out of the flight cage yesterday when I was cleaning it, and I did not realize it until I later, when saw him perched on the wreath on the front door (inside) I would have sworn by the look on his face that he looked surprised and bewildered. I am so not joking. So, if I can impose human emotions and facial expressions onto a finch and it felt completely genuine to me ~ although on a logical level I knew it to be impossible ~ then it is quite obvious how easy it is to read what we "want" or "think" another person's expression is, or means. (for anyone familiar with my household, Phoenix the monster cat was was sleeping in the bathtub of all places, and missed the whole thing, thankfully)

For those of you that are worried, although you fall outside of the boundaries of symptoms, the time to take control of your life is NOW. Do not let groundless fears rule your life.

If you haven't even been to the doctor yet (yes, if you think I'm talking to you, I am) GO to a doctor, and if you've been to the doctor and do not value the opinion given to you by that doctor, then go to another one.

But, if you ask and its been answered over and over on here by the well meaning members of this forum; just remember that they are taking time to try to reassure you not because they feel some sort of responsibility to shield you from the unspeakable truth, but rather because, from their experience, your symptoms do not point toward ALS. It isn't as if you ask the same question time and time again that the answer will be different if you ask enough times.

I could only wish that my first few posts and questions had returned even one single response from someone saying that what I had did not sound like ALS. ~ and I do have somewhat of an atypical presentation.

Life is too short, to interesting and too precious to waste on fears.

 

[TiggerLenses]

well it really jsut boils down to the fact it's my strong hand - i was never at a point where i looked at both wrists (not even examining - i noticed when i wasn't even thinking of als - that wow, my left arm is so much smaller - that's never been the case... and not just smaller, it looks more depleted - and then the weakness i was feeling is getting worse...) - and the bicep muscle is even considerably smaller and doesn't flex up like m y other and the muscle is less... the arm's not just the general shape or size - the muscle, where there should be more, there's loss... and accompanied by major weakness (a weakness that makes it hard for me to do stuff I could easily do even half a year ago) that I've never ever felt in my life - and fasciculations...

it's uh really depressing.

and facial expressions ya it's just something someone does. but when i look at my arm. what i feel in my arm. it's something real.

but ya, what else can be done until the neruo appt.

and i do love you guys and appreciate your thoughts... but i still don't see how this points away from als. but this is just such a redundant thing now i'll let it go. talk to you guys when i get back from the neuro

 

[TiggerLenses]

actually one last question, you poor people.

seeing as i'm experiencing all this weakness in my arm/hand, wouldn't I be seeing/feeling lots of fascic's in these areas? I only seem to get them the most at the elbow, and that's every so often (that I can feel anyway)...?

 

[rose]

fascis don't seem to play a part in the diagnostic process for ALS, doctors make note of them, but that's about it. Look up at the top of this forum page, there is a sticky titled: requirements for an ALS diagnosis. If you take the time to read that it will give you a lot of information.

There are so many causes that could be attributed to what you're experiencing with your arm, the very fact that your reflex was normal in that arm has a huge amount of weight in pointing to another cause.

Try to enjoy your weekend and to be there for your family right now. The more you allow this room in your mind, the more it can steal from you. good luck

 

[Al]

IF you had real atrophy and weakness caused by ALS you would have facic's 24/7, you'd see them. Anyone could see them. Hopefully you'll SEE a Neuro and he won't SEE them and then you'll SEE you don't have ALS. Do you SEE the point I'm trying to make here?

AL.

 

[Zaphoon]

Tigger,

I'm a real compassionate kind of guy and I have a lot of sympathy for you and the troubles you have been having.

Think "Pinched Nerve"!

 

[TiggerLenses]

fascis don't seem to play a part in the diagnostic process for ALS, doctors make note of them, but that's about it.

ya that's what's worrying me. if like Al said - atrophy is accompanied by fascic's 24/7, I'd feel a lot better - because that's not necessarily my case - a lot of fascic's, but not constant...

anyway. I'm seeing a Neuro in a month. Hopefully I don't have ALS.