MountainManGuy
New member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2020
- Messages
- 3
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- US
- State
- CO
- City
- Colorado Springs
Hello everyone. I hope you're all having a great day. I wanted to reach out to you guys as I'm experiencing some strange issues that lead me to believe I might have ALS.
Last Friday the 31st of January I was on my computer typing an email and all of a sudden it felt difficult to press the keys with my right hand. It was as if someone just hit the off switch on my right hand. It really freaked me out. Over the rest of the weekend I was not able to eat or sleep much which certainly isn't helping things. I've been noticing little things since then that are adding to this self diagnosis. It feels like daily household chores like washing the dishes and brushing my teeth don't feel like they used to. My dexterity feels diminished, and doing these things feels labored. The main symptom I'm currently experiencing is pain in my arms, and weakened finger movements. My arms just hurt, and feel tight and weak. No matter what I try this feeling won't go away.
Today has been quite rough. I went to my primary care DR earlier this morning and they chalked it up to lack of nutrition and health anxiety, which I tried to believe for a bit. I followed their instructions which were to get some Gatorade to replenish electrolytes, eat some good food and rest and take it easy. I did all of those things, and when I woke up from a 2 hour nap my arms were hurting even more than they were before. I was referred to a neurologist but they won't be able to see me for 7 weeks, so I've asked them to see if I can get referred to someone else sooner. Should hopefully hear back on that tomorrow.
I also want to mention that in December 2018, I had some bloodwork done and tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, which from what I've read can indicate an underlying autoimmune disease. My doctor basically said that many people test positive for this yet don't have any diseases, but I figured I'd mention it.
To summarize, the symptoms I've been experiencing are
Random
Temporary inability to use right hand while typing on keyboard (happened once)
Tingling in hands and feet (I've had this years before so it's not super concerning, but it is worth mentioning)
Muscle spasms (again, I've had these before but they are worth mentioning)
Constant/ongoing
Pain/tightness in both arms from the bicep all the way down to my hands
Weakened fingers and arms
Trouble eating and sleeping
Fatigue
From what I've read, none of these symptoms scream a definitive answer, but to me they can indicate very early stages of this disease. I would really appreciate it if I could talk to you guys about this as it's really got me worried.
Last Friday the 31st of January I was on my computer typing an email and all of a sudden it felt difficult to press the keys with my right hand. It was as if someone just hit the off switch on my right hand. It really freaked me out. Over the rest of the weekend I was not able to eat or sleep much which certainly isn't helping things. I've been noticing little things since then that are adding to this self diagnosis. It feels like daily household chores like washing the dishes and brushing my teeth don't feel like they used to. My dexterity feels diminished, and doing these things feels labored. The main symptom I'm currently experiencing is pain in my arms, and weakened finger movements. My arms just hurt, and feel tight and weak. No matter what I try this feeling won't go away.
Today has been quite rough. I went to my primary care DR earlier this morning and they chalked it up to lack of nutrition and health anxiety, which I tried to believe for a bit. I followed their instructions which were to get some Gatorade to replenish electrolytes, eat some good food and rest and take it easy. I did all of those things, and when I woke up from a 2 hour nap my arms were hurting even more than they were before. I was referred to a neurologist but they won't be able to see me for 7 weeks, so I've asked them to see if I can get referred to someone else sooner. Should hopefully hear back on that tomorrow.
I also want to mention that in December 2018, I had some bloodwork done and tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, which from what I've read can indicate an underlying autoimmune disease. My doctor basically said that many people test positive for this yet don't have any diseases, but I figured I'd mention it.
To summarize, the symptoms I've been experiencing are
Random
Temporary inability to use right hand while typing on keyboard (happened once)
Tingling in hands and feet (I've had this years before so it's not super concerning, but it is worth mentioning)
Muscle spasms (again, I've had these before but they are worth mentioning)
Constant/ongoing
Pain/tightness in both arms from the bicep all the way down to my hands
Weakened fingers and arms
Trouble eating and sleeping
Fatigue
From what I've read, none of these symptoms scream a definitive answer, but to me they can indicate very early stages of this disease. I would really appreciate it if I could talk to you guys about this as it's really got me worried.