Hand symptoms occuring

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hotelyorba

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Nov 27, 2019
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Lost a loved one
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Hello and thanks for taking the time to review my symptoms. I lost my aunt to ALS a few years ago and I appreciate that you guys are an available resource. I'm making a small donation ((((((and others should do the same if they read this in the future!!!!))))))

I'm a 27 yr old male.

I'll go straight into some of the symptoms I'm experiencing:

-Early last week, I noticed that my right hand (dominant) wasn't moving as fast as my brain was when I was typing during the work day. It started letting go on me, even though my brain was telling it to keep moving at a steady pace -- I was still able to type but had to slow down significantly. I was pushing my thumb hard to keep up...to keep hitting the space bar... and it always does, but wasn't keep up pace this time. This scared me but I didn't think too much of it.
-Over the course of the last week, this has developed into much greater issues with my right hand, most of which I have noticed are confined to the thumb/pointer finger muscles on the right hand. But I am also experiencing issues with other fingers....those tendons/muscles that control your finger movements I guess. Everything feels weaker/fatigued? Maybe aggravated is also a word to describe it. But I am not in pain. It's the feeling of when you have worked a muscle for a while and it is tired. But I haven't worked it when I'm just sitting around for a few hours.
-Symptoms I'm experiencing as of today: my right hand feels a little "locked up" - I'm not sure if spasticity is the right word. But it feels like the tendons/muslces in my hand have been in the gym doing a workout. It's hard for me to identify this as weakness, but it's made me *slightly* clumsy.
-This "worked muscle" feeling seems to radiate into my wrist and maybe down the arm (faintly). Again though, no "pain" --perhaps very very very dull "aches" is a better way to explain it.

Am I weak?
I don't think I would show signs for clinical weakness. I've run a number of tests myself. I can still grip well with the right hand (even though it feels fatigued) and I seem to be able to do everything that I used to be able to do. But the tendons/muscle/something feel aggregated and fatigued...the feeling I describe above. And so in some sense this makes me weak. Like when one of the fingers on my right hand goes to hit a key on the keyboard, it struggles a tiny bit. So I have tried to reduce the amount of work on the right hand and have switched over to using my left hand for a lot of things. If I begin to text too much or type too much (like I am doing now), everything starts to feel rigid and fatigued. This leads to very slight tremors or lack of smooth movement. Again, in line with if a muscle has been over worked and it's tired as hell.

How I'm rationalizing that this isn't ALS:
-Like lots of people in today's world, I'm glued to my phone. That thing is in my hand all day long. It's a big screen iPhone 8. I've been working my thumbs for over a decade now. Did something finally catch up? But this has never been even remotely a problem for me. And it doesn't explain why the rest of my fingers are feeling weak/fatigued. There is something called texting thumb yet there is very little info on the internet. It's described more as pain and I am not in pain.
-Same with computer. I never learned how to properly type - so even though I can type fast, I'm not using "approved" finger methods. Again though, this has never been an issue for me in my entire life and I've grown up with keyboards.

However, I think having seen it happen to my aunt, and having read stories of when people first saw symptoms, a lot of it mirrors what I am experiencing. So many have noticed that their first symptom was slight weakness in the hand. Or not being able to move the hand as quickly when opening a door with a key, etc. That pretty much sums up what I am also experiencing, without knowing more in-depth specific details of these stories.

Thank you in advance for any insights. I really appreciate it.
 
I’m sorry about the loss of your aunt.

Please read this if you have not already done so:


Your symptoms don’t suggest ALS. I suspect you are experiencing some tendinitis due to overuse. This results from repetitive strain. It’s really very common. Backing off on typing and getting an assessment at work for a better ergonomic setup will help. A little Ibuprofen also goes a long way along with massage and possible use of splits. A hand therapist can be very helpful.
 
Thanks Karen. I wanted to share an update:

The fatigued feeling between my thumb and pointer finger wasn't going away in my right hand, even though I was trying to lay low on it. So I went to a walk in today to get their thoughts. They weren't very helpful. They dismissed carpal tunnel but said I would need to follow up with my GP, which I will do soon. They gave me a split and I am using that. Too soon to tell if it is helping.

What has occurred since my last post is that my left hand is experiencing the same fatigued feeling in the same spot as the right hand that was having all the issues. To note, I did switch overt to using my left hand as the "dominant one" for a bunch of daily activities. It's odd that it's occurring in the same exact spot on the left hand. It's a feeling of fatigue...a weaker feeling whenever I go to do something that requires the muscles between the thumb and pointer finger. Like it's been worked a lot and clenches up a little even when I haven't worked it that much. Then the very very very very dull "ache" (but not painful at all) sort of just lingers when I have my hand at bay and resting at my side.

My question is: Do signs ever appear to mirror each in other in the same limb on opposite sides? Like a carbon copy?

Thanks for any input. I'll hold off on anymore questions until I see my GP.
 
In under 2 weeks? And without major issues in the presenting side? No. My initial symptom in my right leg was the same as the left but the symptoms in my left leg had spread with significant weakness in the whole limb before the tiny inkling in the other side. In no way was my right side a mirror image of the left
 
I wanted to follow up with an update. I am still experiencing the same symptoms but I saw a neurologist at Georgetown today. She did a full evaluation and pointed away from any major neuro disease, including ALS, but said there is a possibility of nerve damage. She gave me a similar response to Karen's above. We decided to schedule an EMG for January, and I can cancel it if symptoms go away. If anything occurs based off the EMG, I will do my best to update the thread here for future readers.

Karen & Nikki - I'd like to thank you both for the time you took to patiently answer my questions. I want you to know that the kindness you both showed made an incredible impact on me at a time when I was feeling very scared and isolated. That kindness is something I will always remember. Heroic acts do not come from superman -- they comes from people like you.

And, to anybody that reads this in the future, please consider making a donation. I'm going to put in a second donation after I submit this because it is the most important thing that we can do to give back. You can also consider giving a donation to the ALS Association.
There are people on the front lines fighting this disease and they need our support. Even $10 goes a long way.
 
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