DonS
Member
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2016
- Messages
- 11
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- New York
- City
- NYC
I'm sure you get this types of health anxious questions a million times a week, so I apologize in advance. However my symptoms are more concerning than basic muscle twitches.
It started maybe 6 month ago with me clearing my throat, especially during eating. I also began to experience throat pain on my left side when speaking for extended periods of time. Gradually the throat clearing has progressed and now I also often cough excessively in addition to clearing my throat and while eating or even drinking liquids. To be clear - this is during, not after I finish eating.
So those are my two symptoms, coughing/throat clearing during eating and drinking. And getting neck pain on my left side starting at my adam's apple that runs down into my chest directly below my collar bone on the left side.
I have no apparent problems with my speaking. No slurred speech, nasally speech, or problems with long sentences or pronouncing words.
I recently went to a neurologist. I wasn't too impressed with him. Even though I was clear my concern was Bulbar onset ALS he did all these test to check the functionality of my limbs. When he did look at my mouth is was just very briefly I don't feel he did a very thorough job.
From the things I've read online, coughing during eating and drinking is something to be concerned about. I've now been to GPs, ENTs, pulmonologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologist and now a neurologist. So far they've all come back with absolutely zero remarkable findings. Test performed: esophagram, endoscopy, chest CT, endoscopic exams of throat, blood work multiple times, EKG, echocardiogram...
I am now scheduled to go for a modified barium swallow to further evaluate my swallowing... I'm also working to get a neck CT.
My questions are the following.
I've read conflicting accounts of pain and it's relationship to ALS. Is getting neck/throat pain that runs down into the left side of my chest after speaking for an extended duration something that's even possibile with a diagnosis of ALS? At first I thought this would exclude ALS but then I realized that if I'm experiencing muscle cramping in my neck this could irritate nerves in my neck which could cause pain. Is this a reasonable possibility or would this be an unheard symptom of with Bulbar ALS?
Second question. Since my problems are all swallowing related but don't at all involve my speech... Is it possible to have swallowing problems before having speaking problems? It seems like, based on most of the literature I've read, that speech problems come first with Bulbar ALS and then the swallowing problems come later.Can the swallowing problems ever come first?
So I think covers it. I'm seriously concerned by my swallowing problems and don't see a lot of other possibilities for what can be wrong with me. At the same time, my symptoms don't seem to perfectly match up with Bulbar ALS. My speech is normal and I'm experience some fairly intense neck pain after speaking for extended periods of time.
Any comments or insights are truly appreciated. I know there's something wrong with me, I just don't know what it is yet and it's obvious stressing me out quite a bit.
Thank you and god bless,
Don Spanton
It started maybe 6 month ago with me clearing my throat, especially during eating. I also began to experience throat pain on my left side when speaking for extended periods of time. Gradually the throat clearing has progressed and now I also often cough excessively in addition to clearing my throat and while eating or even drinking liquids. To be clear - this is during, not after I finish eating.
So those are my two symptoms, coughing/throat clearing during eating and drinking. And getting neck pain on my left side starting at my adam's apple that runs down into my chest directly below my collar bone on the left side.
I have no apparent problems with my speaking. No slurred speech, nasally speech, or problems with long sentences or pronouncing words.
I recently went to a neurologist. I wasn't too impressed with him. Even though I was clear my concern was Bulbar onset ALS he did all these test to check the functionality of my limbs. When he did look at my mouth is was just very briefly I don't feel he did a very thorough job.
From the things I've read online, coughing during eating and drinking is something to be concerned about. I've now been to GPs, ENTs, pulmonologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologist and now a neurologist. So far they've all come back with absolutely zero remarkable findings. Test performed: esophagram, endoscopy, chest CT, endoscopic exams of throat, blood work multiple times, EKG, echocardiogram...
I am now scheduled to go for a modified barium swallow to further evaluate my swallowing... I'm also working to get a neck CT.
My questions are the following.
I've read conflicting accounts of pain and it's relationship to ALS. Is getting neck/throat pain that runs down into the left side of my chest after speaking for an extended duration something that's even possibile with a diagnosis of ALS? At first I thought this would exclude ALS but then I realized that if I'm experiencing muscle cramping in my neck this could irritate nerves in my neck which could cause pain. Is this a reasonable possibility or would this be an unheard symptom of with Bulbar ALS?
Second question. Since my problems are all swallowing related but don't at all involve my speech... Is it possible to have swallowing problems before having speaking problems? It seems like, based on most of the literature I've read, that speech problems come first with Bulbar ALS and then the swallowing problems come later.Can the swallowing problems ever come first?
So I think covers it. I'm seriously concerned by my swallowing problems and don't see a lot of other possibilities for what can be wrong with me. At the same time, my symptoms don't seem to perfectly match up with Bulbar ALS. My speech is normal and I'm experience some fairly intense neck pain after speaking for extended periods of time.
Any comments or insights are truly appreciated. I know there's something wrong with me, I just don't know what it is yet and it's obvious stressing me out quite a bit.
Thank you and god bless,
Don Spanton