Is this even remotely possible?

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taoquix

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Good morning - I'm really hoping that someone can put my mind at ease here. I posted on this forum back in November of last year with a bunch of symptoms going on. From twitching all over my body to slight atrophy in my non-dominant hand. In that same time I probably read and studied most of the "Could this be ALS?" forum. I had mentioned in my previous post that I would seek out a neurologist or doctor that could help me discover what the real problem was.
Well, I was a wimp and decided not to go to a neuro because I was too scared to know what the results might be. My GP actually referred me to a neuro at that time because she noted the body wide twitching and the slight atrophy in me left hand (no weakness though). I cancelled my neuro appointment because of the anxiety and terror I felt at the time. My GP also put me on a low dose anxiety med (Lexapro) and also asked that I go and speak with a counselor about my general anxiety. With the help of the counseling and also studying this forum - I finally decided that there was no way I had ALS.
Fast forward to now, I guess I'm having a relapse in my brain on all of this. I still have the muscle twitching everywhere, however I'm completely used to it now. It has changed though - at night when I wake up and move - the muscle that is moved starts twitching like crazy. Doesn't matter which muscle it is, if it's my back or if it's my neck etc... that muscle always spasms and twitches. My left non-dominant hand has definitely decreased in size between my thumb and forefinger. And there is some mild pain there. Does atrophy cause pains where it is located? Specific twitching occurs in that area as well. Not constant but it does happen frequently. I feel fatigued in my hands but i can still do everything i do everyday. I know this ALL goes against what you guys preach. I'm just asking - has it even ever happened like this at all? My anxiety is consuming me on all of this again and it sucks.

So even after all this time since September of last year - body wide muscle twitches, some atrophy in my non-dominant hand but NO weakness at all. Just fatigue. Do i even need to make an appointment at this point or am i just crazy with all of this? Atrophy for this long with no weakness yet? I'm so confused...

Believe me when I tell all of the moderators on this forum - I love all of you! Thank you for what you do on here giving people encouragement and guidance. I have studied this forum long and hard and I have so much sympathy for you and I am praying for all of you and I pray to God that they find a cure for this horrible, horrible disease.
Much Love and thank you for your time, again - Tim
 
Previous thread here Opinions on my situation

Twitching is common, nonspecific, and meaningless in the absence of muscle function failure which you have not described. Nothing has changed. It’s not appropriate to ask a forum of dying people and their caregivers to soothe your anxieties. You don’t need to be here. Please see your doctor if you’re concerned and get help for your anxiety.
 
I'm truly sorry Karen, I did not mean to offend you at all. I was just following up from my last post nearly a year ago because the symptoms have increased and I was looking to see if I should even pursue a doctor because of the time frame involved. You replied on my last post and I appreciate it, I guess I was just looking for more opinions on this again because of the increase of symptoms. I do apologize for coming back to your forum but I thought that was what this forum was intended to be all about. "Could this be ALS?" I will take your answer seriously and get my mind around the fact that I don't have a problem and that this is all anxiety. Again, I feel ashamed of even bring this up again. :(
 
No offence but you won't go to a neurologist, but instead will ask terminally ill people to soothe you? Please, log out (as I see you still logged in hours after 'feeling ashamed') and go get help.
 
My gosh, this was certainly not my intention to be 'soothed' by anybody that is dying from ALS. Affected, I checked back to see if anyone had posted after my last post... but no offense taken. It is true. I do suffer from anxiety and I always have since I was a little kid. A year ago when my symptoms started I posted on here.. and I'm sorry, I re-posted asking if it was at all possible to be 'turning into ALS'. The fact is, I've had a few symptoms that are on the list for ALS. I've been asking if it even remotely can occur this way. Muscle twitches, then atrophy in a spot that is very consistent with ALS (between forefinger and thumb) and i have hyperreflexia everywhere. My left arm has also gotten smaller from shoulder down to hand in the past year. I've always been a very muscular person so I thought maybe other muscles were accounting for ones that are weaker.
I was hoping to get a more thorough answer as to why my case just doesn't fit AT ALL with the ALS picture. So I just received Nope, not at all possible and please log off the site. Is that really fair when you have a forum that is dedicated to this very thing? I'm sorry I'm concerned with my symptoms and I do not mean to offend terminally ill people with the disease.
I've read other stories where people have had similar symptoms starting this way and ended up being a very slow progression of the disease. My parents are still younger but my grandpa had Alzheimer's and i know there is a link between that disease and ALS if more family is involved. I'm not trying to argue, I'm trying to understand why my symptoms do not add up to anything like ALS when I've read other stories that have similar things going on to mine and then ended up getting dx with it a year or two later. Please help me understand why I don't have ALS based on the symptoms I've provided.
Hypothetically speaking if I were to have muscle failure tomorrow and then I went and had an EMG done and they found that I do indeed have ALS... would i be the first case in the history of the disease where my symptoms occurred in this fashion? This is all I'm asking. Thanks again for your time.
 
But all your questions were answered here

Notice it is titled READ BEFORE POSTING. That is our position, we won't sit and argue with what you have read on the internet.

That post is to help prevent our PALS who may be using their eyes to operate their computer, who are breathing with machines, and our CALS who are caring for the person they love who is actually dying, from going over and over these same questions. Yep you would probably be the first, we know ALS pretty darn well.

You need to see a doctor if you are so worried, that is what doctors are there for. Please do, you can be helped. I mean that with the greatest of respect and wish you all the best. Please leave it at that.
 
Affected - thank you so much and I totally respect your answer: " Yep you would probably be the first, we know ALS pretty darn well. " This is what I was looking for and it makes me feel better about my situation. I know you guys are the best educators of the disease and I know everyone's situation is unique so I was just reaching out to make sure... and I thank you. I will not post again on this forum unless I am ever dx which it sounds like isn't ever going to happen.
 
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