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mbernabe3

New member
Joined
Oct 11, 2015
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Reason
Learn about ALS
Country
US
State
California
City
La Puente
Hello, my name is Mario, and I hope to describe my symptoms as briefly as possible because I know how valuable anyone's time is, especially those who are suffering through this disease.

Here goes:
My symptoms first began after a month of anxiety, stress, and a 2-3 week bout of a tension migraine/headache. Immediately after this, I started to get fasciculations; predominantly, they're mostly located at my right leg, specifically in the calf, tibial anterior muscles, and foot and toes, and the next most affected area is my left leg. These fasciculations have spread, within 2 weeks, everywhere else, but these fasciculations have still mostly resided in my right lower leg.(basically: 70% in my right lower leg, especially in my foot toes, and shin muscles; 20% my left leg; and 10% is everywhere else, except the tongue.) After 3 weeks of fasciculations, I started get muscle stiffness and cramp-like sensations in my right calf and shin muscles, making my right leg feel heavier or, at the very least, more fatigued. This has been incessant and constant for 2 weeks, and it has only gradually progressed, with no signs of signs of stopping or relief. I feel like this is leading to an eventual foot drop, though I can still, with some struggle in my right leg, walk on my toes and heels sufficiently and still stand on it; also, i feel like I'm on the verge of limping, as well.

In terms of weakness, I have none, yet: it's all perceived weakness, so far, though I feel slightly imbalanced at times. And in terms of atrophy or wasting, my right leg is slightly but noticeably smaller than my left leg, and the underside of my foot is lined with wrinkles, though that can be due to my athlete's foot, more so than my left foot.

My other symptoms include constricted breathing and difficulty in swallowing, and it's not globus sensations, to be sure. This, though, can also be credited to another cause, besides the possibility of als, to a particular moment when I was bench pressing in declined benc and, maybe, anxiety an d stress.. Specifically, when I was bench pressing, I was tightening tensing up my collar bone and neck muscles, which I tend to do when I bench in general, and felt my neck stiff when I got off. After working out, I went out to eat and had trouble swallowing my food, and this dysphagia fluctuates in severity but has improved, at least at times. And this occurred around five days after the onset of fasciculations.

This may be pertinent information but I have persistently injured both my ankles, multiple times in each, for the past 2 years, at least, and maybe there is potential nerve damage that can be the culprit for the fasciculations. But, I don't have any sensory problems associated with my legs or any pain.

So my questions are as follows:
1) can a foot drop be signaled by fasciculations, cramps, or stiffness in the shin muscles or foot, or is it more insidious and subtle than that, with some kind of weakness preceding the foot drop?

2) what are the other possibilities this can be anything other than benign fasciculation or cramp syndrome or als? I say this because I searched diligently for other potential neuromuscular diseases, but their symptoms seem inconsistent with mine, ranging from neuromyotonia to neuropathy to multiple sclerosis.

Just so you guys know, I'm a 23 Hispanic male, and I just mention my ethnicity because my ethnic group is the least affected group by als, decreasing my already extremely low chances of contracting the disease, and just to show how I'm fully aware, statistically, how improbable it is for me to have als. And I know how debilitating stress and anxiety can be; I researched its effects, too. I certainly have been anxious and under stress for 2-3 months for other reasons and 1-2 months for the possibility of als. Sorry for essentially contradicting my initial intentions of keeping this concise, but only did so I could give you guys the clearest and fullest explanation of my symptoms, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience. All thoughts and suggestions are welcome, but, please, refrain from dismissing me as an overly anxious hypochondriac, or least let it be your last conclusion to infer from this. :)
 
Mario, as a good researcher you certainly read the Sticky Post stuck to the top of this subforum, titled "New Members, Read This Before Posting," yes? I believe you'll find detailed answers to all your symptoms there.

I don't read ALS into what you wrote. Significantly, I don't see any paralyzed muscles. But I'm NOT going to write you off as a mental case.

I wish I could answer your question number two, but answering "what else could this be" would require a medical degree at least, and possibly several specialties. I'm not a doctor, but I do know ALS fairly well, and I don't see it in your description.

Question Number One is easy: Footdrop IS weakness. Clinically obvious weakness. In the case of ALS, a nerve in the brain is destroyed, so that that nerve cannot transmit the "go" signal to its corresponding muscle. As a result, the foot doesn't lift.

Note that I didn't say the foot feels weak or twitchy or anything. No matter how hard you try, it just won't lift. In that sense, I guess you could say it was "insidious."

You didn't mention seeing a doctor. If, for a single moment, I suspected I might possibly have a fatal disease, I would be parked outside the doctor's office--expense be damned--in tears, waiting for the doctor to come to work. Plus, I'd buy life insurance. I'm not kidding; I've done that.

Now here's the moment you've actually been dreading. You've described all this stress and anxiety, and noted that all of these physical symptoms might be manifestations of those. But apparently you haven't seen a mental health person, right?

I suggest a psychiatrist in your case, not a psychologist or a GP, for a good reason. The psychiatrist is an MD who understands both the body and the mind, and you might have some physical stuff going on as well as mental stuff, so that's the place I would start if I were you. They're expensive, but in forty-five minutes, they can get you on the road to good health with confidence, and that is quite valuable, indeed.
 
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It's me, Mario, again. I forgot to mentions other details that might be crucial. Sporadically, my right forearm stiffens, too, sometimes affecting my grip. Also, I have developed jaw clenching or teeth grinding(bruxism) within the initial period of my anxiety, and this can lead to tmj disorder(temporomandibular joint disorder), which, I read, can lead to difficulty in swallowing. Lastly, I'm forgot to mention, too, that I'm waiting for my emg to be authorized and awaiting a professional diagnosis of my current condition. Hopefully, this indicated I'm not automatically self-diagnosing myself with als, and shows an attempt for a detached and objective evaluation of my symptoms. Hope you guys reply soon. :)
 
Thanks for the additional details. While you're waiting for a good diagnosis, don't worry about ALS. I've no clue what you might have, but I don't see any fatal diseases in your future.
 
Mario, someone did reply soon. Go back and read it. And then go read the sticky titled PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING.
I don't see that you need an emg. It had to be the most unfomfortable test I've ever had.
 
Thanks for the quick reply, Atsugi. I really am grateful.:) I did see a doctor and he has ordered an emg for me (read the additional info I posted). I am not, for any second, overlooking the effects of anxiety, and so much so that I plan to see psychiatrist/psychologist if I get a clean emg. I'd rather be mentally disturbed and schizophrenic than have als; I bet anyone would. Plus, mental disorders and maladies are much less incurable than als. Thanks for the suggestion.:) I keep forgetting to mention that I tried to express my worries in the bfs forum, but was denied entry, for some reason. I wanted to bother the bfsers with my grievances, first, before I came here. Alas, that wasn't to be. So, once again, sorry for any inconvenience I might cause. :) Thanks for taking your valuable time and effort to answer me
 
I've noticed, and I'm don't mean that to come across as passive aggressive because I made that comment after I got the chance to see his reply. And, I did read the stickies. One of the main reasons why I decided to post this was because I haven't read too much on shin, tibial anterior stiffness/twitches on the Internet or on any forums, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this specifically. And, against my better judgment and your suggestion, I'm still going take the emg, just to dispel all my worries about als. Thank you for the reply, too
 
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