jpsteeler99
Active member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2012
- Messages
- 63
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 06/2012
- Country
- US
- State
- NJ
- City
- Waldwick
This is my experience with weakness in the early goings...
I know when I was being diagnosed, one of my biggest concerns was the "clinical weakness" and I never could get a good description or definition of what it was. I swore up and down that I did not have weakness. Now, that I look back, I had weakness and didn't even know it. It started in my left foot mostly but in my right foot as well. I could not lift my foot properly when walking and was tripping a lot. I couldn't run or jog. A simple task like running when you are 44 years old and I couldn't do it. I couldn't jump anymore. I could always touch the rim of a standard basketball goal. Not anymore, couldn't even touch the net. I played roller hockey and my speed and agility on the rink depreciated. I even talked to my team mate after a couple games and could not explain why my skating was off and slow. Stairs were next. Going up was not that big of a deal but going down, forget it. Had to grasp the hand rail and go really slow. The next thing I noticed was that I couldn't clip my fingernails with a standard fingernail clipper. I had to use the larger toenail clippers to get more leverage. I could still squeeze one of the hand exerciser squeezy things but I had lost the dexterity to pick up a screw or a coin off the floor. Dropping things and general clumsiness. I had read a few place on the internet that if you can stand on your toes, on your heals, jump up stairs with both feet, walk on your tippy toes and hold down the gas pedal in your car for long periods of time then you don't have ALS. WRONG - or as my kids would say EPIC FAIL. I could do all of those things and I was still diagnosed with ALS. Now it is almost a year later and I can still do a lot of those things except maybe jumping up the stairs. The weakness is getting worse and the twitching is driving me batty. My left ring finger and left bicep are in constant motion 24/7/365. Now, with all that said, I was only 44 when I was diagnosed and if you are older then you may have different experiences. I still say my first symptoms were fasculations but the weakness wasn't far behind. Could have been the other way around and I just didn't notice the weakness until it got bad enough to notice. Basically what I am trying to say is you may have weakness and not know it early on. It is not going to jump out at you when you go to pick up a gallon of milk and you can't do it. This weakness is not like that. It is very subtle and may not be noticeable. Feel free to chime in on what your weakness was in the early goings....
I know when I was being diagnosed, one of my biggest concerns was the "clinical weakness" and I never could get a good description or definition of what it was. I swore up and down that I did not have weakness. Now, that I look back, I had weakness and didn't even know it. It started in my left foot mostly but in my right foot as well. I could not lift my foot properly when walking and was tripping a lot. I couldn't run or jog. A simple task like running when you are 44 years old and I couldn't do it. I couldn't jump anymore. I could always touch the rim of a standard basketball goal. Not anymore, couldn't even touch the net. I played roller hockey and my speed and agility on the rink depreciated. I even talked to my team mate after a couple games and could not explain why my skating was off and slow. Stairs were next. Going up was not that big of a deal but going down, forget it. Had to grasp the hand rail and go really slow. The next thing I noticed was that I couldn't clip my fingernails with a standard fingernail clipper. I had to use the larger toenail clippers to get more leverage. I could still squeeze one of the hand exerciser squeezy things but I had lost the dexterity to pick up a screw or a coin off the floor. Dropping things and general clumsiness. I had read a few place on the internet that if you can stand on your toes, on your heals, jump up stairs with both feet, walk on your tippy toes and hold down the gas pedal in your car for long periods of time then you don't have ALS. WRONG - or as my kids would say EPIC FAIL. I could do all of those things and I was still diagnosed with ALS. Now it is almost a year later and I can still do a lot of those things except maybe jumping up the stairs. The weakness is getting worse and the twitching is driving me batty. My left ring finger and left bicep are in constant motion 24/7/365. Now, with all that said, I was only 44 when I was diagnosed and if you are older then you may have different experiences. I still say my first symptoms were fasculations but the weakness wasn't far behind. Could have been the other way around and I just didn't notice the weakness until it got bad enough to notice. Basically what I am trying to say is you may have weakness and not know it early on. It is not going to jump out at you when you go to pick up a gallon of milk and you can't do it. This weakness is not like that. It is very subtle and may not be noticeable. Feel free to chime in on what your weakness was in the early goings....