Please Help!

[Walker2]

Good Morning,

I am a 37 year old male with a beautiful family, and I am a worrisome guy sometimes so please hear me out. I teach and coach for a living and I stay pretty active by coaching 2 high school sports.

For over the last month or so I’ve noticed (what I think) may be some weakness in my left hand. I can still do most things and have noticed that my muscles in my left arm and hand may fatigue a little quicker than I’m used to. My forefinger and thumb feel a “tighter” if that makes sense and I’ve felt a little clumsy (dropped a couple of things) lately using my left hand, but nothing that has made me say, wow, that’s odd.

I’ve also noticed or felt like my left leg is a little “weaker” and my gait may have changed, but no one has noticed or said anything to me. Last night I got worried because around my hip, quad, and calf in my left leg “twitched” for most of the night if not all night. I haven’t tripped or fell, but I feel something is off. My calf and my hamstring has also felt “crampy” lately and somewhat sore. My left leg has also felt heavier and harder to walk with at times.

Lastly, I feel like I have trouble talking at times. I’m not sure how to explain it but sometimes I find it hard to find the word I want to use and I pause and sometimes I stumble over a word or completely mispronounce it. Sometimes my tongue seems like it doesn’t want to work and is larger than normal and my mouth and jaw get tired when I use them.

Overall I feel like I can do most of the same things I’ve done throughout my life, I just feel like something is off and not right

Of course I went to Dr. Google and I freaked out when I saw ALS mentioned. I currently don’t have a PCP and I have worries my self sick. My wife is a RN and I have mentioned this to her and she told me to stop worrying that nothing was wrong.

I have read the stickies numerous times and each time I question my symptoms and my anxiety. I know you guys can’t diagnose over the internet so I’m just looking for some helpful information to help guide me.

I have seen how scary this disease is, I’ve coached a kid that his father lived 14 years with ALS. I’m anxious and nervous about what’s going on. Thank you so much and I have the utmost respect for this forum and community.

Thank you for your valuable time!

I also forgot to mention that I have felt off balance. I’ve walked and bumped into a few things and felt like at times that I was was going to fall over. I’ve noticed that I have been getting more tired in the afternoons but I usually chalk that up to working 12 hour days spending a lot of time outside in the heat.

Thanks again!

 

[KarenNWendyn]

Here’s the sticky again. Always good to refer to it: Important - READ BEFORE POSTING! Answers to common concerns about possible symptoms!

People with ALS don’t feel weak — they just find they can’t do things they used to. Usually the onset comes on as a surprise to the person because the symptoms just appear out of nowhere without pain or odd sensations. E.g. unable to fasten a button or open a ziplock bag, unable to stand on toes or heels, slurred speech that others can hear. Tongue feeling larger than normal is not ALS.

I would say that if you are worried, to get it checked out by a doctor. That is way better than trying to get reassurance from strangers on the internet. If you don’t have a PCP, then time to get one. Personally, I have a bias towards getting an internal medicine doc as their training is more comprehensive when it comes to assessing illness concerns. But if that’s not possible, a good family practitioner is also good. I try to discourage people from using emergency room physicians for this sort of thing. You need a provider who can get to know you and advocate for you on an ongoing basis. Best of luck.