MinneSP
New member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2016
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- MN
- City
- Minneapolis
I've been having some increasingly unsettling coordination and strength problems over the past 9 months or so, and wonder whether anyone here might have some insight. I thank you in advance for your time!
Me: Male, 39, non-veteran, non-undertaker, no familial ALS that I'm aware of, one aunt died of Parkinson's, one first cousin once removed recently diagnosed with MS at ~18. Not on any medications, caffeine consumption on the order of one pot of tea per day.
About 9 months ago, I noticed gait changes while running on the treadmill -- kicking the belt, moving side to side more than usual. I blamed this on a lower back injury from the preceding year, or a possible spinal stenosis, which runs in the family. I then began to manifest tremors in both hands when moving/extending the hands/fingers, and increased difficulty in opening plastic bags, manipulating keys, typing accurately, writing by hand, doing dishes, etc. MRIs ruled out as causes the disk injury, stenosis and a brain tumor; blood work came out normal. I thought (key word, thought, but could not be sure) I was also noticing weakness in the left shoulder. Had an EMG with a very uncommunicative neurologist who told me little of his findings (essentially the only feedback I got was "Well, could be worse"), but in any case identified nothing positive; he did note that something was off with my gait/balance, however.
For the next 4 months or so, I noticed little change. The gait problem either improved somewhat, or I adapted the way I walk/run. Over the past two months, however, I have noticed a recurrence of the gait problem, and the hand and forearm problems have worsened significantly -- dropping things, difficulty manipulating small items and opening jars, and jerky movements rather than smooth when opening or closing fingers, rotating hands, scrolling with my thumb on a smartphone screen, putting something down on a table, etc. The amount of force I exert to do something is off; whereas a year ago, I could put an object on a shelf without looking, I now find that I instead ram the object into the shelf rather than raising it high enough to put in place unless I am actually getting direct visual feedback about the location of my hand.
I feel there has been a distinct loss of grip strength, but lacking an objective baseline measure, cannot be certain. I am still able to hang from an overhead bar, albeit not for as long as was the case a year or two ago. In general, my arms feel heavier than they should be, and holding them up, or holding out objects such as a full teapot or backpack, seems to result in strain and shaking to an extent strange in someone relatively young and fit. I *believe* there has been a loss of range of motion in my hands, in terms of the extent to which I can extend the back of my hand and straighten my fingers; they seem to curl in more at rest than was previously the case. When doing sitting calf raises, I am incapable of lowering my heel gradually; it will only move in distinct, jerky steps, just as is the case with movements of my fingers and hands. When walking or moving around, my foot placement is not as accurate as it should be; I find I am hitting the ground harder than normal on downhill slopes, e.g.
I have experienced no pain, only an occasional feeling of tension/being under a slight "charge" in my legs up to my buttocks or in my left forearm; this could very well be something to do with anxiety, I realize. Similarly, I think I might see a bit of foot drop, but that could also be an overreaction. No speech or breathing problems. I've had a resting tremor in one finger of my right hand, recurring a few times nearly every day, for perhaps six months; otherwise, there have been muscle twitches in the left arm and leg, but these seem to come and go.
Should any of the above cause me to be more or less concerned about the possibility of ALS? Is there any other possible cause that might stand out? This is all getting increasingly unsettling.
Any suggestions, recommendations, or information would be very gratefully received.
Me: Male, 39, non-veteran, non-undertaker, no familial ALS that I'm aware of, one aunt died of Parkinson's, one first cousin once removed recently diagnosed with MS at ~18. Not on any medications, caffeine consumption on the order of one pot of tea per day.
About 9 months ago, I noticed gait changes while running on the treadmill -- kicking the belt, moving side to side more than usual. I blamed this on a lower back injury from the preceding year, or a possible spinal stenosis, which runs in the family. I then began to manifest tremors in both hands when moving/extending the hands/fingers, and increased difficulty in opening plastic bags, manipulating keys, typing accurately, writing by hand, doing dishes, etc. MRIs ruled out as causes the disk injury, stenosis and a brain tumor; blood work came out normal. I thought (key word, thought, but could not be sure) I was also noticing weakness in the left shoulder. Had an EMG with a very uncommunicative neurologist who told me little of his findings (essentially the only feedback I got was "Well, could be worse"), but in any case identified nothing positive; he did note that something was off with my gait/balance, however.
For the next 4 months or so, I noticed little change. The gait problem either improved somewhat, or I adapted the way I walk/run. Over the past two months, however, I have noticed a recurrence of the gait problem, and the hand and forearm problems have worsened significantly -- dropping things, difficulty manipulating small items and opening jars, and jerky movements rather than smooth when opening or closing fingers, rotating hands, scrolling with my thumb on a smartphone screen, putting something down on a table, etc. The amount of force I exert to do something is off; whereas a year ago, I could put an object on a shelf without looking, I now find that I instead ram the object into the shelf rather than raising it high enough to put in place unless I am actually getting direct visual feedback about the location of my hand.
I feel there has been a distinct loss of grip strength, but lacking an objective baseline measure, cannot be certain. I am still able to hang from an overhead bar, albeit not for as long as was the case a year or two ago. In general, my arms feel heavier than they should be, and holding them up, or holding out objects such as a full teapot or backpack, seems to result in strain and shaking to an extent strange in someone relatively young and fit. I *believe* there has been a loss of range of motion in my hands, in terms of the extent to which I can extend the back of my hand and straighten my fingers; they seem to curl in more at rest than was previously the case. When doing sitting calf raises, I am incapable of lowering my heel gradually; it will only move in distinct, jerky steps, just as is the case with movements of my fingers and hands. When walking or moving around, my foot placement is not as accurate as it should be; I find I am hitting the ground harder than normal on downhill slopes, e.g.
I have experienced no pain, only an occasional feeling of tension/being under a slight "charge" in my legs up to my buttocks or in my left forearm; this could very well be something to do with anxiety, I realize. Similarly, I think I might see a bit of foot drop, but that could also be an overreaction. No speech or breathing problems. I've had a resting tremor in one finger of my right hand, recurring a few times nearly every day, for perhaps six months; otherwise, there have been muscle twitches in the left arm and leg, but these seem to come and go.
Should any of the above cause me to be more or less concerned about the possibility of ALS? Is there any other possible cause that might stand out? This is all getting increasingly unsettling.
Any suggestions, recommendations, or information would be very gratefully received.
