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mnjwyman

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Hi. I am 37 to make who has developed a lot of twitching and muscle pain in the past few months. I herniated a disc in my lower back last December, so I have had lots of sciatic pain/leg and foot numbness and tingling from that.

I developed severe anxiety and started having panic attacks this summer.

Since then, I have began to twitch all over my body. Calves, thighs, chest, shoulders, arms, everywhere. I have been having burning pain in my neck, shoulders, and legs. I basically jump in bed at night. My jaws even twitch.

In the past few days, both of my arms have become tingly and sore. My forearms feel sore after lifting something or twisting. I am still able to lift a 15 lb kettlebell ro exercise.

My head hurts constantly, I sweat profusely thinking about having ALS. I am having panic atta is in my sleep and maybe sleeping a few hours a night.

I have been to PCP who thought it sounded like fibromyalgia. I am male so that doesn't seem likely. Anxiety as well. She didnt seem super concerned. I am losing my mind with worry and dread. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Asked and answered. Your anxiety kicked into overdrive, and so did everything else. ALS isn't in this picture.

Are you doing PT or anything for the disk issue?

Have you been screened for restless leg syndrome/periodic limb movement, which can also manifest in other parts of the body? The headaches could also signal apnea.

Talk with your PCP about how disabling these symptoms are -- if/once a sleep disorder is ruled out, she might suggest counseling, a short-term sleep aid, etc. and you can augment those strategies with something like Pilates, ballet, tai chi, a stretching regimen that lengthens the muscles that are twitching. It's also a good time to consider the nutrition and hydration you're getting.

You don't need to worry about ALS, so focus instead on how you will feel better.

Best,
Laurie
 
Thank you for your response. I have noticed over the past few days that my upper back will burn in a certain spot when I use force or pick something up. I dont notice particular weakness as of yet. My shoulders also burn and are sore. Sometimes, my neck will hurt while I am walking around. It comes and goes.I do seem to twitch more when something stressful is going on or when I am thinking about health issues. I get visions of doom and bring myself to tears. I follow up with my PCP next week. I appreciate all of the caring, compassionate people on this forum.
 
Going back to PCP today. Scared to death

I have been having several issues over the past few weeks. My leg which is herniated st the L5 S1 disc stopped throbbing where it had been for almost a year. The pain and tingly started to move over to the other leg. My neck and shoulders then started to burn and hurt. In the past couple of weeks, my arms and hands have become sore and have burning, tingling pain. I am fatiguing much faster when attempting to exercise. My hands feel clumsy. I still have strength but I think that I am hyper aware of my hands now. I also feel like I am having trouble forming coherent thoughts and have been typing things backwards, mixing up letters. This morning, I woke after a horrible night twitching and pain in my legs, back, and numbness in arms and burning shoulders. I wake up covered in sweat at least once a night. I've had blood work and x ray of back which came back clear except for Parvob19 virus infection. I feel like I occasionally have some swallowing difficulty and have pain in my throat area. I am praying that this is something that will get better. I have anxiety and have been having attacks almost constantly over the past few weeks. I had an appt. scheduled for next week but moved it up to today out of sheer terror. Are these symptoms typical of ALS? All feedback is greatly appreciated.
 
Mod note: merged threads. Please keep posting in your original thread. It helps members see all the information in one place.

Please also read the following two pinned threads for further information and forum posting rules:
https://www.alsforums.com/forum/do-...-threads-read-if-your-thread-disappeared.html
https://www.alsforums.com/forum/do-...-common-concerns-about-possible-symptoms.html

Your mention of tingling, etc, tells me you may not have read the "Please read efore posting" thread as it addresses these issues.
 
Also please reread the response you got from LGelb, especially “Your anxiety kicked into overdrive, and so did everything else. ALS isn't in this picture.” I second that response.
 
Thank you so much for all of the awesome advice. I have been getting headaches and my forehead has been going numb from time to time. Is this anything heard of in the community? I will be sure to follow up here after I talk to my PCP today.
 
I have a neuro appt. next week. He didnt seem overly concerned but wanted to rule everything out. My hands seem clumsy today. I am super uncoordinated. Typing on a keyboard takes a lot of effort and I am really fatigued. I also feel warm in my head and am extremely scatterbrained. Does any of this seem familiar?I appreciate all of the input from everyone.
 
Hi-

Please feel free to report back after your doctor's appointment. We've found, over the many years this forum has been here, that people worried about having ALS3 can very easily increase their anxiety and cause themselves to exhibit new symptoms by reading about them here. It is highly recommended you sign off now that your questions have been answered and you've been provided with sound advice.

It may sound heartless to you, when you are feeling so worried, but this forum is not like others where folk are encouraged to stay and chat or engage once you have been answered. It is not a general health forum or one that supports anyone other than those already diagnosed with ALS or the people who care for folks with ALS. The "Do I have ALS" subforum exists to briefly answer questions. Once a person has been answered, they are encouraged to direct further questions to their medical care providers.

Best wishes with your appointment next week.
 
I completely understand. Thank you all so much for your sound advice.
 
Doc said EMG was good but still hurting and twitching

Over the last couple of months, I have developed a lot of scary symptoms. I herniated a disc in my back last year and have had pain, numbness, and tingling in my left leg ever since.

Around July, I started having panic attacks. I then began to twitch in my calves. My left feet would be numb and sore in the morning. The twitching quickly spread to my chest, arms, back, hands, and feet. My legs feel heavy and sore. My arms and handshurt when I pick things up. My hand was sore when I used chopsticks the other night. It subsided after a minute but it was still alarming. I have burning pain in my neck, shoulders, and back.

I have had an exam. My strength was good except for a slight weakness in right hand.

My hands get tingly and numb feeling at night when I am asleep. I wake up twitching and sore in the mornings. It gets better through the day but never subsides completely.

I had an EMG performed on my left side. The Neuro said that he saw no evidence of MND in my leg and slight carpal tunnel in my left wrist. He didnt even see nerve damage from the disc which I thought was strange. He said that he didn't see ALS and thinks that this is something viral.

I have had a brain MRI which showed scattered white matter lesions. I was told that these could be from headaches. I have chronic sinusitis that causes headaches.

My throat is sore on one side and I feel so clumsy and scatterbrained. I am afraid that my voice is getting hoarse. I have a lot of phlegm and have to clear my throat constantly.

I have also heard that carpal tunnel can be an early misdiagnosis. This has all happened in the span of about a month. I know that a clean EMG is supposed to be an all good for ALS but I am still hurting, twitching, and freaking out.

This morning, my right foot randomly cramped up. My veins seemed raised up in my arms and legs. My feet also randomly get cold. I have varicose veins so I wonder if that may contribute.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
 
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Again please stay on one thread. Your original was still open
 
Thanks. I apologize. I guess this would be more of an update. I appreciate all that you do here.
 
Thank you for the update. That's such great news that you've been cleared of ALS by your clean EMG, clinical exam and your sensory symptoms. Now that you've been assured that you do not have ALS, via the above, professionals and members, I'm trusting that you'll be able to explore other avenues as to what is ailing you, as it most definitely is not ALS. In other words, no need to continue posting your non-ALS symptoms.

A big congrats and may you feel grateful that you do not have it.

Take good care and good luck to you in the future.
 
Thank you all so much for your insight. This is a wonderful community of folks. I have a follow up later this month. Until then, I just have to live day by day.
 
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