I’m 21 y/o and worried about ALS

[Calliefranson]

Hi everyone,

Just so you know, I did read the post about ALS symptoms before coming on here to type.

The last couple weeks I noticed that when I was driving, I had a sensation in my right leg where I couldn’t completely feel it. Didn’t think much of it. I woke up Sunday morning and my entire right arm was consumed with a numbness/tingly feeling like pins and needles. It slowly spread to my upper right thigh. Since then, my right leg has a stiff/weak (I don’t know which word to describe it) where I need to put in extra effort when walking. The tingling in my body has persisted and has come and gone since Sunday. Sunday night I was to the ER because I felt nervous about it but didn’t end up seeing a doctor. Monday morning went to a walk-in and the doctor saw me for all of 5 minutes and told me it’s “probably carpal tunnel”.

Throughout this week the numb tingly feeling has come and gone but the stiffness in my right leg has persisted. I have also felt extremely fatigued but maybe due to a lack of sleep. One morning after a shower I had a burning sensation in my hands that went away after time, and during class when I would write notes my hand would feel especially tingly.

Flash forward to today (Thursday) where I go back to the ER because of slight (not as strong as before) tingling and right leg stiffness/twitching. Yes, I’m beginning to feel twitches in my right thigh and buttocks area.

The doctor did a couple physical tests on me like standing on my heels and tippy toes, which were fine along with others. He told me that “The chances of me having ALS are astronomically low. And he’s confident I don’t have ALS.” I did an EKG, a blood and urine sample and they all came back with nothing wrong. Tomorrow morning I have to go back in for a CT scan just to cancel more things out.

The doctor told me that his physical exam indicated nothing was wrong but felt as “it would be valuable to conduct further testing to rule out unlikely possibilities that he didn’t suspect.” He told me that because of my age and history with only one migraine, that these could be symptoms of silent migraine syndrome. He mentioned something about seeing a neurologist or something along those lines.

I’m laying in bed at 3am nervous about all of this. The tingling has gone but I keep feeling twitches in my right leg and a stiffness/cramped feeling in my upper right thigh.

I’ve convinced myself I have ALS and I don’t know how to get out of this headspace. Thanks for reading

 

[lgelb]

I see no reason to think about ALS. Tingliness and twitching combined would lead me to consider positioning in bed, chairs, etc. The CT is to rule out tumors and MS, among other things, but they rarely present as acutely as you describe. Migraines can certainly do strange things. It might be worth starting a food diary to find possible triggers, (and checking obvious things like your pillow and mattress, and desk chair).

If you can't sleep tonight, my advice is read a book [paper, no more screen time] and tomorrow do some stretching, consider a hot tub, massage, Pilates, tai chi, something that elongates your muscles, and if those kinds of things help, do them regularly. The continuum of sitting in class, driving, studying, keyboarding for long periods can take its toll on your body and it doesn't take much to tip it into overdrive, especially given the stress that most students feel at some point. Building resilience in mind and body when you're young pays large dividends down the road.

Best,
Laurie

 

[affected]

Zero reason to even imagine ALS for a moment - Laurie gives great advice. Please realise we can't hang out with you in this headspace. All the best.