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vvrond94

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Jan 7, 2019
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Learn about ALS
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US
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California
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West Covina
Hello all, I have been on this forum reading and learning, but decided to finally do my first post for my own concerns. Before I explain I'd like to say I truly see and experience the strength and knowledge you guys have whether you were diagnosed or took care of a loved one, etc. I truly admire it.
A little quick background:

I have been dealing with anxiety/health anxiety and stress for as long as I can remember but never as bad as it all started December 4th when I was going through a cancer scare due to elevated liver enzymes. Although relieved it was only fatty liver (still bad) I was still stressing because I lost 10-12 pounds in the course of maybe 2 months. I didn't eat much and stress levels were high during that period but never blamed it on that for my weight loss.

On December 14th, I noticed frequent fasciculations on my legs for about a week or two then eventually I felt them sometimes on my chin, arms, eyebrows, stomach, but most often on my legs. still to this day. They haven't gotten worse, I feel them in my legs mostly at rest and never really when im active. They keep up the same pace usually. Probably a 1-2 second twitch every 5 min on different parts of my leg or feet and sometimes somewhere random. I have had fasciculations in the past, but only occasionally or maybe I just didn't pay much attention to them until they became frequent and found out twitches can be part of ALS and freaked out ever since.

I dont know if I became hyperaware and started checking for atrophy and twitches that are more fine that I am not aware of but maybe a week after the twitches started I might of convinced myself I lost alot of muscle on both of my thighs because they looked alot skinnier and convinced myself maybe thats where my weight loss came from and now the twitches are a result of the atrophy. Although, it was both sides of my thighs that were getting skinnier and I know usually ALS starts in a localized area usually?

I'm concerned now because yesterday I felt fascics on my left thenar muscle and woke up this morning noticing there are two small dents in my thenar muscle or maybe I just noticed the atrophy right now and now resulting in twitches? I have just been so lost, afraid, depressed, and anxious through all this for over a month now.

Any input would be much appreciated guys, I am very grateful. I saw my PCP today and getting the referral to a neuro next monday. And as far as weakness, I'm still able to go to the gym and do normal daily tasks so far, but i'm afraid this may all be early signs.
 
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If you can still do all the things you could do a few months ago, you need not worry about ALS. You describe a fairly classic case of health anxiety. It’s always good to get that general checkup from your primary care physician and make sure you don’t have treatable things like thyroid disease or vitamin D deficiency. Your primary care doc is also a good starting point for getting a handle on your anxiety.

I’m positive the visit to the neurologist will bring you good news. Please believe him or her when they reassure you.
 
Hi Karen, nice to meet you and thank you for the reply. I’m just so scared and only 24. Thinking about this daily for over a month has put me in a dark place. I want to believe my long term stress and anxiety is causing these symptoms but daily twitches for a month now is new to me and can’t help but to think there’s something sinister going on. Like I said, I’ve had twitches before and I didn’t think much of it before because they were occasional, well at least from what I remember. I try to relax but then these twitches just won’t let me. And the fascics I felt on my thenar muscle under my thumb was one thing but now that I woke up this morning with what I think are two small dents just made things worse. It isn’t severe or too noticeable but I see a difference compared to my right hand.
 
I, too, see no reason to be concerned about ALS.
Twitches, fasiculations, indents, assymetrical limbs: these things happen to healthy people. They especially happen to those with anxiety.
See the doc. Don't "push" for ALS, just let the doc decide where the inquiry should lead.
 
Hey Mike, I also have seen you on a lot of forums and wanted to say that you are great for all the time you spend helping others out. You are greatly appreciated. It’s hard to stay calm and the anxiety and thoughts of ALS are honestly taking over my life.. I try to be optimistic and understand that anxiety and stress can make your body do a lot of things.

I know you guys can’t diagnose me. I am just here to learn and maybe have some reassurance and knowledge towards this MND. It seems like a coincidence that the fascics started after a period of overwhelming stress or anxiety thru my recent cancer scare. I can’t help but think maybe my stress has cause the onset of ALS.

Idk how normal daily fascics are or how quickly atrophy can occur after fascics begin. It truly does put my mind in a blender when I have anxiety and not sure whether it’s all the stress causing changes to my body or these are signals of ALS. Maybe you can give a little more input.

I currently do not have weakness I am aware of.. I believe I had perceived weakness for a little while when I started to freak out about the fascics beginning in my leg. I went back to the gym after a year to test my leg strength and was able to do every exercise along with other body parts I recently started to work on at the gym as well.

I feel my reflexes also changed. Like when I accidentally hit my foot on something slightly unintentionally I notice my body would somewhat be sensitive and my reflex would be “startled” as you would say. Or if someone taps me or mess around and hit me out of no where my body would also get started and my reflex would quick. Idk if that falls into brisk or Hyperreflexes in a clinical setting. Or Idk if that can be the adrenaline from my anxiety or what not.

Please ask me anything regarding my symptoms and any input is great. Thank you sir
 
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I, like the others, see no reason to be concerned about ALS. Since posting and rehashing can feed your fears, please refrain from posting until you have the neuro visit and can report on that. And you will be better off if you stay off this and any other forums entirely. Meanwhile, focusing on stress, sleep, diet and exercise can yield real dividends in how you feel. If you have an abnormal liver at 24, I'm guessing there's something to work on.

Best,
Laurie
 
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