Okay, to further clarify for you how Bulbar onset in ALS manifests on patients affected by it, this is the way the symptoms develop:
-----
The first symptoms of ALS (Bulbar onset) include slurring of speech. This is because the tongue is the first to get affected. The speech becomes garbled and words do not come out right. The patient may start speaking through the nose, have problems in pronunciation and have problems when trying to speak long sentences. The voice at times may not be projected well and becomes hoarse. With time, the person will totally lose the ability to speak.
As the condition progresses, the patient has difficulty in swallowing and chewing food. Initially, swallowing hard food may become difficult. Soon, the patient will have problems swallowing purred food as well. Some patients may even have problems in closing their mouths. The patient may begin to drool and the tongue may exhibit tremors, twitches or fasciculations. The disorder tend to progress faster than the limb onset
In some cases, the person may choke on food, once it enters the trachea or windpipe. The patients are prone to bulbar ALS infections like pneumonia. This is because the respiratory infections weaken the diaphragm and chest muscles. Thus, the lungs cannot clear themselves of aspirations. Most patients find it difficult to breathe, especially at nights. This leads to nocturnal symptoms of bulbar ALS and headache, nocturnal dyspnea, orthopnea, nightmares and sleepiness during day. These are some of the many bulbar ALS problems that a patient may be affected with.
I believe you do NOT have any of the symptoms explained on the above paragraphs, right?
Therefore, it's highly UNLIKELY that you have ALS-Bulbar onset for that matter.
I do hope all this finally helps you.
Regards,
NH
