Momo2021
New member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2021
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- US
- State
- OH
- City
- Columbus
Hi All,
First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions of posters, given the immense struggle you are carrying of having or caring for someone who has ALS. As a person who hasn't been diagnosed, I can only imagine the daily grind and toll it takes on people physically and mentally. I wish you all the best in dealing with this horrific disease.
That said, I know very little about ALS when compared to you all. Like many, I've ventured into the vast expanse that is Dr. Google in search of answers and have come to regret it. Sure, it can sometimes provide clarity that something is wrong, but it obviously can lead to anxiety that need not infiltrate one's life if not even diagnosed yet. With all this said, I have an appointment with a Neurologist on March 2nd for a consultation. I'll be sure to post followups as I know more. For now, I'd like to share my symptoms to see if you all have any clarity, since many of you are experts on this subject.
My situation began back in April 2019. I was in a restaurant and went to grab my credit card out of my wallet to pay, and it just felt different. It felt like my dexterity in completing such a simple task had changed. It felt weaker. Yes, I could still complete the task, but it felt strange. Around that time, I did my first Google search and discovered the symptoms of ALS. I did the standard jar opening, shirt buttoning, and key turning tasks, which were all fine. I even ordered a grip strength tester, and my grip was 160 pounds in my left and right hands. Over the next few months I was always paying close attention to my hand strength. I was still able to type well and use a mouse at work and handle all normal maintenance tasks, just felt weird. I've always been clumsy and dropped things, but the weird weak feeling didn't go away. The best way of describing it is a fatigued feeling. After awhile, I got over that obsessive stage. I got massages regularly and it seemed to help. I determined that it couldn't possibly be clinical weakness, but regretted noticing that one of the other common symptoms was twitching.
My first twitching area of note was my bicep. It was intermittent and went away after about 2-3 weeks. But twitches started springing up everywhere thereafter. I've had them in my hands, abdomen, legs, thighs, eyelids and surrounding eye muscles. At this point there really aren't too many more areas that I haven't had twitches in. With these twitches came a new sense of anxiety that it could be ALS. I tried to be sensible knowing I'd have weakness, but I'm a naturally strong person (6'1" 320 M) and didn't know if it would manifest differently for someone of my stature. The twitches have continued sporadically in different areas of my body daily for about 1 1/2 years now. Now I fear I'm starting to experience real weakness.
Last week I started working out again for the first time since we had our daughter. I did some dumbbell curls, three sets for each arm, and I noticed for the first time in my life that my right arm was weaker than the left. I was doing 30 pound sets of 10-15 reps. I was barely able to do my final reps with my right -- dominant hand -- and it was much easier with the left. I attributed this to having a baby that I've carried around in my left arm for the passed year which has created an imbalance. I went back and did another set this week and ripped off 10 reps with my left arm and could barely muster 4 with my right arm. Right now I'm still having the intermittent twitching and my right arm muscles feel fatigued and weak. I can still do all normal maintenance tasks but even holding my baby in my right feels very, very exhausting.
As a side note, last week I had a 2-3 mild cramps in my abdomen when bending over or twisting myself around to look at something. They haven't occurred since and I attribute that more to being out of shape than ALS. Does that ring true? Since they haven't continued I don't feel quite as uneasy about those but I think the cramps may have made me start worrying more.
I'm not looking for a diagnosis, but mainly to see if any of this sounds like it could be ALS in your experience. I know that nothing will be more concrete than getting to see my Neurologist and getting real tests. Thank you all in advance and I look forward to learning more about this from you.
Kindest regards
First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions of posters, given the immense struggle you are carrying of having or caring for someone who has ALS. As a person who hasn't been diagnosed, I can only imagine the daily grind and toll it takes on people physically and mentally. I wish you all the best in dealing with this horrific disease.
That said, I know very little about ALS when compared to you all. Like many, I've ventured into the vast expanse that is Dr. Google in search of answers and have come to regret it. Sure, it can sometimes provide clarity that something is wrong, but it obviously can lead to anxiety that need not infiltrate one's life if not even diagnosed yet. With all this said, I have an appointment with a Neurologist on March 2nd for a consultation. I'll be sure to post followups as I know more. For now, I'd like to share my symptoms to see if you all have any clarity, since many of you are experts on this subject.
My situation began back in April 2019. I was in a restaurant and went to grab my credit card out of my wallet to pay, and it just felt different. It felt like my dexterity in completing such a simple task had changed. It felt weaker. Yes, I could still complete the task, but it felt strange. Around that time, I did my first Google search and discovered the symptoms of ALS. I did the standard jar opening, shirt buttoning, and key turning tasks, which were all fine. I even ordered a grip strength tester, and my grip was 160 pounds in my left and right hands. Over the next few months I was always paying close attention to my hand strength. I was still able to type well and use a mouse at work and handle all normal maintenance tasks, just felt weird. I've always been clumsy and dropped things, but the weird weak feeling didn't go away. The best way of describing it is a fatigued feeling. After awhile, I got over that obsessive stage. I got massages regularly and it seemed to help. I determined that it couldn't possibly be clinical weakness, but regretted noticing that one of the other common symptoms was twitching.
My first twitching area of note was my bicep. It was intermittent and went away after about 2-3 weeks. But twitches started springing up everywhere thereafter. I've had them in my hands, abdomen, legs, thighs, eyelids and surrounding eye muscles. At this point there really aren't too many more areas that I haven't had twitches in. With these twitches came a new sense of anxiety that it could be ALS. I tried to be sensible knowing I'd have weakness, but I'm a naturally strong person (6'1" 320 M) and didn't know if it would manifest differently for someone of my stature. The twitches have continued sporadically in different areas of my body daily for about 1 1/2 years now. Now I fear I'm starting to experience real weakness.
Last week I started working out again for the first time since we had our daughter. I did some dumbbell curls, three sets for each arm, and I noticed for the first time in my life that my right arm was weaker than the left. I was doing 30 pound sets of 10-15 reps. I was barely able to do my final reps with my right -- dominant hand -- and it was much easier with the left. I attributed this to having a baby that I've carried around in my left arm for the passed year which has created an imbalance. I went back and did another set this week and ripped off 10 reps with my left arm and could barely muster 4 with my right arm. Right now I'm still having the intermittent twitching and my right arm muscles feel fatigued and weak. I can still do all normal maintenance tasks but even holding my baby in my right feels very, very exhausting.
As a side note, last week I had a 2-3 mild cramps in my abdomen when bending over or twisting myself around to look at something. They haven't occurred since and I attribute that more to being out of shape than ALS. Does that ring true? Since they haven't continued I don't feel quite as uneasy about those but I think the cramps may have made me start worrying more.
I'm not looking for a diagnosis, but mainly to see if any of this sounds like it could be ALS in your experience. I know that nothing will be more concrete than getting to see my Neurologist and getting real tests. Thank you all in advance and I look forward to learning more about this from you.
Kindest regards