Garycarter11
New member
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- IL
- City
- Springfield
Ok well i have never posted here before but i have read a lot if the threads. I honestly do not hope to offend anyone i just am looking for some help i am in a dark place right now. I know this is a terrible disease and i pray for those that have been disgnosed. I am in my mid- late 20s and i know it would br very rare for someone my age to contract this i am just looking for an answer to my symptoms. I have been to aboutbfs.com and i know that is more common than als However just because those are true doesn't mean I don't have als. I am only 27 and I know it's extremely rare for someone my age to get this but it's not impossible. My symptoms first started out mainly as gastro problems mainly daily diarrhea and also some short term memory loss and some loss of coordination in my left arm and left leg. I feel like it is hard to completely flex my left calf, I lost about ten pounds and also some decreased coordination in my feet. Do gastro problems have anything to do with ALS? I lost my job about 6 months ago so I have no health insurance, but I went to the community health care clinic to see a doctor about a month ago who didn't seem very interested in my symptoms, blamed them on my anxiety, but sent me to have complete blood panel, WBC count, sed rate, the whole 9 yards, but no EMG. The only thing that came back was slightly low potassium. I stumbled across something on DrGoogle that said als victims often have low potassium. I almost wish something would've came back because all this did was confirm my als fears even more. Every joint in my body pops constantly it started with just my neck but now even my jaw pops when I'm chewing or open and close my mouth. This is probably my scariest symptom along with my cramping hand but I also have occasional muscle twitches and although I'm naturally thin it seems like I have muscle wasting. I certainly feel more fatigued than usual but I'm still able to do things like stand on one foot, hop on one foot, of push-ups pull ups and even ran 3 miles last night but don't feel as strong as I used too. I also seem to notice its harder to move my tongue throughout my mouth and if i stick my tongue out or try to touch my nose it quivers and makes my ears ring. I also recently started having hand cramps which sent me into a tailspin because I know hands and feet are usually the first togo. The hand cramps are mainly in my right hand and hurt most if I try to fan out my fingers. I noticed a slight foot drop in my left foot a couple months ago but it rarely happens maybe once a week and i assume that would be getting worse by now. I feel like i bump into things too often and have constant saliva in my mouth not neccesarily drooling more like feeling like i need to wipe the corner of my mouth. I know i sm hyper vigilant about my body and i am noticing any little thing that may have gone unoticed in the past. I know way more than I should about this disease because I keep researching things to disprove I have this but it just makes it worse. If I first started noticing these symptoms a few months ago would I still be able to bike, do push ups , etc. I can't afford an emg with no insurance please someone tell me I'm ok I have a 4 year old girl and I'm petrified that I won't get to see her grow up. I can't even make long term plans right now because I feel like I am going to be dying soon. I have daily panic attacks even though I've been taking Paxil for a month. Severely depressed right and again I sincerely apologize if I offend anyone with als I am not trolling, not doing this for kicks, I'm very very scared just like you guys probably were when you first started noticing symptoms. It's sad that I feel like my best case scenario is MS or Parkinson's, but I just feel like too many things are pointing to als. It's the first thing I think about when I wake up and last thing I think about before I go to bed. Thanks for your time and help to anyone that responds and god bless. Sorry about my grammar/punctuation as I am typing this from my phone.