Just looking for some support

[Rfwood1984]

Hi all,
My name is Rob. Been following some threads for a while. I am currently awaiting an official diagnoses but things seem to be pointing in this unfortunate direction. I'm 35 and live in STL with my gf. About a month ago I started noticing some significant tightness and weakness in my left leg as well as some atrophy in my calf muscle. Then the twitches started and haven't stopped. Slow, fine and constant writhing of muscles in my feet, calves and thighs but also all over sporadically. I've had twitches before but these feel much different and my leg is getting weaker by the day.

Saw a nuero who noticed some brisk reflexes indictave of motor nueron issues and am awaiting an EMG on the March 9 which I am dreading as well (I hate needles ven though I have lots of tattoos).

To top it all off I have to go back to CA (where I'm from) in the midst of all this for a misdemeanor court case I caught over a year ago on March 2. Anyway just feeling very lonely, sad and overwhelmed with facing this and was wondering if anybody who is newly diagnosed might help me at least see things from another perspective because right now I'm obsessesing and living in a state of doom and gloom and dread of things to come.

Thanks for reading this and reach out if anyone wants to chat or message privately as well. My gf is out of town at the moment so I am home alone with our cats stuck in a serious bad mental place.

 

[KarenNWendyn]

Please read this if you have not already done so

Important - READ BEFORE POSTING! Answers to common concerns about possible symptoms

We will try to answer reasonable questions. We are not here to argue with you. If you announce that you ”know” you have ALS when the doctors say otherwise, or you have not bothered to see a doctor, your thread will be closed. It is not our place to try to convince you you are wrong. Neither...

www.alsforums.com

Rob, you already seem fairly convinced you’re going to be diagnosed with ALS. The odds are actually against that.

Most people diagnosed with ALS have symptoms more than a month. You say you noticed weakness in your left leg. Did the neurologist find weakness too? Brisk reflexes can be common and nonspecific. Twitching is common, nonspecific, and meaningless in the absence of muscle function failure which you have not described. If you can still do everything you could do previously, the odds are very much against your having ALS. The EMG hopefully will reassure you.

I know you’ve got a lot on your plate and it can be tough dealing with scary symptoms and waiting for tests. But wallowing in doom and gloom will not do you any favors. Since you are “stuck in a bad mental place”, consider counseling, going for a walk, or just getting out of the house, and focusing on things you enjoy.