Questions about possible initial symptoms?

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W4tchdogs

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Learn about ALS
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Country
MX
State
MX
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Mexico
I realize you get a lot of these, so I'll try to be brief (please excuse my English, I'm from México):
I'm a 24 yo male, currently unemployed. I quit exercising 2 months ago because of some life changes, if you think that's relevant as well. I've spent the last few days researching about ALS a lot, which I admit that very likely contributed to my ever-growing anxiety. Here are my 2 main issues:

- I've been feeling weakness and heaviness on my arms, but way more intensely on my left one, for the past 5 days or so. I can still lift heavy objects, but it feels like I have to do a tremendous effort at times and can't maintain that strength for too long. It's also reflected on smaller things, like now place a pillow on my chest when I lay down on my bed and put my cellphone above it so I don't have to lift it myself. Is the clinical weakness from ALS something that starts like that and gets progressively worse or does it present suddenly with no previous warning?

- For the last couple of days, I've felt my voice comes out raspier at night and sometimes in the morning as well. Not quieter or softer, just as if I had a raspy throat. I've also felt like sometimes my throat is closing in on itself? But I have had reflux issues in the past, so that + my fear and stress may be more a likely cause, I hope. I have been getting a lot of twitching in my left arm, right thigh, and right leg, (especially when I'm not walking/moving). I also feel my hands trembling lightly sometimes. Finally, you could say that the first abnormal thing I noticed was muscular tension on my thigh which sometimes hurt a bit, but that has been disappearing lately to make place for the muscle twitching I mentioned. As far as I've read on the stickied post, these aren't ALS symptoms per se, right? Or should I be worried?

Just today I saw a psychiatrist (thanks to my mom's suggestion, who believes its all in my mind) and he gave me treatment for anxiety, but he didn't really explore me or anything (he just told me: "yup, that's anxiety. Have some Paxil"). I know people on those meds take weeks to show clinical improvement, so I figured I'd bother you for a couple of minutes here. Sorry for taking your time because of something like these... and thanks for reading my post! I hope you all have a wonderful day.
 
Asked and answered. There is no reason to worry. Maybe it's time to resume exercising, even in a different form, and to think about ways you can keep busy and productive even while unemployed, e.g. as a volunteer or in online groups and workshops.

And, of course, I would suggest that you stop reading about ALS. It has nothing to do with what will make you feel better.

Best,
Laurie
 
Cheers, thanks for answering my question! Honestly at this point I'm glad I'm feeling some sort of pain, because that makes me think it's from fatigue & anxiety rather than neurological. Seeing you say there's no reason to worry takes a weight off my shoulders, thank you.

Have a good night, everyone!
 
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