Hoping I don't have ALS

[romeo]

Hello everyone,

I'm a 44 year old guy. I've always been strong, fit and active, but I've had a few unusual symptoms this past year and I just wanted to ask for a bit of advice.

Over the course of the past 12 month I've begun to develop some weakness in my right arm. I first noticed I had a problem when I was driving. I also had trouble holding a pen to write but I put that down to being out of practice. Then, I found that my right hand was seizing in a cramped position when typing, or playing the guitar or piano. More recently I've noticed my right hand losing more and more power: for example, when I answer my cellphone, I normally drop the phone before I can get to answer it because my phone and other objects which felt light before now feel abnormally heavy.

Up until now, I've put all of this down to wear and tear, or a compressed nerve, but a few weeks ago, I began to notice a constant flickering movement in my right hand, like as if the muscles in my hand are jerking. I can't feel the twitching, but it's very visible. I will admit that I have Googled this, and did not realise that this may be a symptom of MND (ALS), but I can't live in denial any more and need to get this sorted.

Just a few days ago, after much persuasion from a close friend I booked an appointment with my doctor. I was very surprised when he told me that he'd like to refer me to a neurologist to have some further investigation. So, I'm hoping I don't have MND (ALS) but if anyone could advise me as to whether my symptoms might indicate ALS I would be grateful. I totally understand if you can't.

Thanks for reading a very long post. All responses very gratefully received.

All the best,

Romeo

 

[Nikki J]

Hi
i am sure this is very frightening and the referral made it more so. What did the doctor find on exam? Weakness? Abnormal reflexes?

even if both were found there are lots of other much more likely and much more treatable things besides MND that could cause your symptoms.

I hope the neurologist visit comes soon. They can narrow down the possibilities and order tests.

I won’t say MND is utterly impossible until you get more information but I would have lots of hope for something easily treatable.

try to carry on as best you can without worrying and let us know what the neuro says

 

[romeo]

Thanks very much for replying! I’ll provide an update as soon as I can.

 

[Amaw]

Hi Romeo,
Right now you have weakness and fasciculations, many things could cause both and many are treatable conditions.

Do not get ahead of yourself, relax, wait for your OPD, your neurologist will easily figure out the problem and hopefully, it's a treatable one.

Wish you the best.
Aziz

 

[romeo]

Thank you Amaw!

 

[Clearwater AL]

Amaw, generally before PALS comment to others they post an intro of themselves,
when, where and who to your confirmed diagnosis of ALS. It helps those you
reply to - to know better of your road to becoming PALS, what was your onset
and how far have you progressed.

Maybe share with the members your story in a new Thread.

Back to Romeo.

 

[romeo]

Hello everyone,
Just a short update. I still haven't seen a neurologist and I'm happy to live in denial for a while. I've had no improvement in my right arm function but I'm staying very positive and hoping the issue resolves. I'm still having some trouble with movements in my muscles in my right bicep, forearm and hand, constant twitching and jumpy reflexes. My gf describes it as like the 'aurora borealis' in my muscles. I'm also noticing a lot of twitching in my calves and thighs, so hopefully that points toward benign fasiculation syndrome.
Best wishes to all who are affected, concerned and/or supporting others with ALS.
Romeo