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UK28

Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Messages
10
Reason
Learn about ALS
Country
UK
State
Devon
City
Plymouth
I have a range of symptoms so here goes,,

Back in March/April i had some tingling in the back for about a week or 10 days but it went away so didn't worry about it too much, Today it has started again (Should i be worried about this?)

Since February i have been having these weird gasps like i am not getting enough air in it's kind of like i am sighing but i do this a lot everyday. (I have mentioned it to my doctors a few times but nothing has been done about it.)

I do choke on liquids now and again but I have been doing this on/off for about 10-11 months.

Also over the past month i have been having a lot of headaches but i do spend a lot of time infront of computers so maybe it's just eye strain.

My right index finger over the past few weeks has started like twitching/going into a spasm quite often, It happens anytime and just sort of moved left & right a little and very quickly but it only last a few seconds although it has got me worried.

I get a lot of twitching in my arms, neck, lip, eyes, jaws, legs more or less everywhere but mainly in the hands and the the right hand a lot more than anywhere else.

I do get tingling in my fingers sometimes and get quite a lot of pins and needles in my hands and feet.

I started going to the gym 6 days ago and done a little weight lifting last week but nothing heavy, I was only lifting around 15-20kg but i think it made my neck and back ache a little and my neck is kind of stiff although i am just going to stick to the treadmill, rowing, exercise bike etc from now on and stay off the weights as i worry about hurting myself with weights.
 
So, what is it that you think you have? And why do you think you have it? Do your doctors agree with your assessment of your condition? Have you even bothered to go to a doctor? If it's not troubling you enough to go to a doctor about it, why is it worth our time to talk with you about it? And if you have gone to the doctor, why don't you believe what he/she told you?

You wouldn't happen to have a twin brother and a cousin in Yorkshire that sigh a lot also, do you?
 
Back in March/April i had some tingling in the back for about a week or 10 days but it went away so didn't worry about it too much, Today it has started again (Should i be worried about this?)-

NO

Since February i have been having these weird gasps like i am not getting enough air in it's kind of like i am sighing but i do this a lot everyday. (I have mentioned it to my doctors a few times but nothing has been done about it.)

Don't know. Maybe get checked for asthma on that one.

I do choke on liquids now and again but I have been doing this on/off for about 10-11 months.

ALS is not On and off.

Also over the past month i have been having a lot of headaches but i do spend a lot of time infront of computers so maybe it's just eye strain.

Most likely. Go with the simple most obvious answer, not a complicated one.

My right index finger over the past few weeks has started like twitching/going into a spasm quite often, It happens anytime and just sort of moved left & right a little and very quickly but it only last a few seconds although it has got me worried.

Twitches are very common in people. They are benign. It can be caused by too much stress, fatigue, over use of the joint(think of this specifically because you said you were on the computer quite a bit, and too much caffeine.

I do get tingling in my fingers sometimes and get quite a lot of pins and needles in my hands and feet.

ALS does not have sensation or numbness problems.

I started going to the gym 6 days ago and done a little weight lifting last week but nothing heavy, I was only lifting around 15-20kg but i think it made my neck and back ache a little and my neck is kind of stiff although i am just going to stick to the treadmill, rowing, exercise bike etc from now on and stay off the weights as i worry about hurting myself with weights.[/QUOTE]

Do what you think and feel is right for your body for the time being. No need to push yourself if you aren't feeling tip top shape.

None of your symptoms that you have described are indicative of ALS. Congrats! Now go off and enjoy your life :)
 
Trfogey,,, I'm not too sure what i think i might have, I guess i was thinking along the lines of a respiratory problem or the type of als that begins in the breathing muscles?

I have been to a doctor a lot of times, Had very little luck, The doctors are not that helpful, All i have had done is blood pressure sats and an ECG, ECG is normal and blood pressure is ok.

I had my O2 sats checked in February and it was 97, Last week it was checked and it was bouncing around between 95-97.

Apart from the gasping that i get, I have quite a lot of yawning, tiredness, headaches now and again but not everyday, a bit of burping and quite a bit of hiccups.

I do get tingling in my back, hands and feet and some in my legs now and then.

Also my tongue feels numb a lot.
 
95 to 97 percent is normal. A smidge on the low side, but not alarming, especially if you have allergies or you're a little anemic.

None of your other symptoms suggest ALS in any way. You might consider having your primary care physician assess you for possible sleep apnea, especially if you've been told that you snore. Also, the burping and hiccupping are way more likely to be acid reflux than anything neurological.

Good luck to you.
 
My O2 sats were checked again last week when I had a check up and they were up and down as low as 92-93 but also going up to 98-99.

Had them checked again yesterday and it was 98 so i presume that the fact i have had gasping and some shortness of breath for the last 4-5 months and my sats are still normal that any respiratory onset can be ruled out?

One thing i missed out is that I have had tingling in my fingers for the past 6-8 weeks.

Also my left leg has been feeling weak but yesterday i saw a doctor and she did a few tests on my legs and also did what i believe is the babinski or i think it is as she scraped both feet with something and that was ok, It's hard to describe but my leg feels heavy or like it's going to fall off it feels odd but i haven't fallen over at all so it might just be perceived weakness rather than true weakness.

I have also been feeling lightheaded quite a lot and i seem to swallow food that goes down the wrong way quite often and i always feel like i have something big like a lump in my throat.

I guess I am worried about any form of ALS, The most common form, the bulbar form and the respiratory form.
 
None of what you have described are like ALS symptoms. This is not the place for you. Keep going to your Doctors to figure out exactly what it is. Stop thinking it's ALS because it isn't. Good luck to you.
 
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You do know that respiratory onset, bulbar onset, and limb onset are three different manifestations of ALS, don't you? Affecting three different regions of the spinal cord? And, if what you have is ALS, having it spread this quickly gives you a very poor prognosis?

If I were you, I'd be looking for a different diagnosis.
 
I have seen my doctor again who checked my reflexes in my arms and legs and performed a babinski, All were ok.

These are the main things that are really worrying me.

-I have had chest soreness for about 5 months.
-I am getting aches in my back.
-I gasp for air sometimes every 10-20 minutes, Like an involuntary gasp as if it's air hunger.
-I feel weak/tired a lot.
-I get widespread twitching and quite a bit of cramping in my leg.
-Quite a lot of headaches

Last night I was awoken from my sleep and my heartbeat was rapid and it took a few minutes to settle down.

Respiratory Onset is the one thing that is really worrying me.
 
I have seen my doctor again who checked my reflexes in my arms and legs and performed a babinski, All were ok.

These are the main things that are really worrying me.

-I have had chest soreness for about 5 months.
-I am getting aches in my back.
-I gasp for air sometimes every 10-20 minutes, Like an involuntary gasp as if it's air hunger.
-I feel weak/tired a lot.
-I get widespread twitching and quite a bit of cramping in my leg.
-Quite a lot of headaches

Last night I was awoken from my sleep and my heartbeat was rapid and it took a few minutes to settle down.

Respiratory Onset is the one thing that is really worrying me.

None of these are ALS symptoms. As suggested, I think---you might ask about a sleep study. It's a possible cause of the headaches.

Pain isn't an ALS symptom, nor are aches in the back or chest soreness. Twitching without any CLINICALLY OBSERVED weakness are not a concern, either.

Sleep apnea is the one most common cause of headaches and feeling tired all the time.

Widespread pain and aches are also very common in Fibromyalgia. A dream could have caused a rapid heart rate (as you've had a clear EKG) I'd think heart issues could be ruled out.

None of your O2 sats have dropped below 90--so I wouldn't worry.

If the doctor had seen anything abnormal during his exam, he'd have suggested further testing. I'm assuming he did not.

If you have asthma or something, see your doc about a pulmonary function test if you're really concerned, but if sats are always above 90, I'd doubt there is any serious issue.

Good luck
 
I have a range of symptoms so here goes,,

Back in March/April i had some tingling in the back for about a week or 10 days but it went away so didn't worry about it too much, Today it has started again (Should i be worried about this?)

Since February i have been having these weird gasps like i am not getting enough air in it's kind of like i am sighing but i do this a lot everyday. (I have mentioned it to my doctors a few times but nothing has been done about it.)

I do choke on liquids now and again but I have been doing this on/off for about 10-11 months.

Also over the past month i have been having a lot of headaches but i do spend a lot of time infront of computers so maybe it's just eye strain.

My right index finger over the past few weeks has started like twitching/going into a spasm quite often, It happens anytime and just sort of moved left & right a little and very quickly but it only last a few seconds although it has got me worried.

I get a lot of twitching in my arms, neck, lip, eyes, jaws, legs more or less everywhere but mainly in the hands and the the right hand a lot more than anywhere else.

I do get tingling in my fingers sometimes and get quite a lot of pins and needles in my hands and feet.

I started going to the gym 6 days ago and done a little weight lifting last week but nothing heavy, I was only lifting around 15-20kg but i think it made my neck and back ache a little and my neck is kind of stiff although i am just going to stick to the treadmill, rowing, exercise bike etc from now on and stay off the weights as i worry about hurting myself with weights.
Regardless of what anyone else has said, you should serioiusly consider requesting a neuro consult because you are certainly having a lot of "neuro" type issues going on. Sometimes you have to stop thinking about it and just do it. I wish you Good luck.

P.S.

To all:
I haven't been on this site for months and after reading your replies I won't be back. You are very unhelpful and not very nice! And sure you can reply to this if you'd like but I won't be reading any of them.
 
I think everyone here is nice, they try to answer to the best of their ability. I'm probably a Troll but I just don't post anymore threads so I won't bug anyone until I get new info from Drs. (and if it's on the same topic I don't start a new thread - learned that the hard way) I think some askers might have genuine concerns and symptoms that get overshadowed by silly questions. It is called the DIHA section so people are going to ask questions here. I think the question askers should remember that it takes alot of time for the question answerers to answer questions so I am sure the same questions get old fast. (I am guilty of this too I suppose) Answers might not sound nice but all the people answering have good intentions. In my opinion ...
 
Sjpowers,,,,

Thanks for your post and your opinion, I definitely do think i have neuro issues.

I had some mouth weakness around 9-10 months ago when eating food but it eased off, Since around January/February I have been having this weird kind of gasping where i just have to take a sudden deep breath and it happens very randomly at anytime and happens lots of times every day and this really concerns me.

I do swallow wrong quite a lot where food seems to go down the wrong way.

I also get short of breath very easily, Just walking makes me out of breath a lot.

Then recently I started getting soreness/pain in my back and neck, I'm just hoping my body isn't trying to use my back/neck to try and breath, Also the soreness in the ribcage I know can be down to Respiratory Onset as other muscles may be helping me to try and breath due to a possible weakness in my Diaphragm, That is what concerns me.

A few months ago my right index finger started twitching/spasming, Over the last few days my right thumb has started to do the same, I can still write normally so i don't think they are weak.

Other things that concern me are the regular headaches, The tingling in my hands and left foot, Feeling very weak in general especially in my arms and legs.

I'm just hoping this isn't the start of ALS.
 
UK28,
I second you should pursue a neurological consultation. I was not going to respond, but many of your symptoms mimic mine, especially the soreness in the ribcage area which has been one of the initial symptoms, longstanding, and then whatever this is has spread out from there. I am not diagnosed, but have been tested for a lot, and going for the EMG next wk. Although many diseases/ailments present in a textbook way, I am a firm believer that there are the outliers which will present in uncommon ways. Follow your gut and pursue what you feel through your GP. Good luck.
 
Ok,,,,,,,I need to ask some questions.

-Would you get a sore or aches in the back with respiratory onset ALS? I have been having a lot of aches and soreness in the neck and parts of my back.

-I have had some swallowing issues for between 6-10 months or so, If I had a ALS throat onset problem would I be slurring or choking on everything by now? I do get a slight numb tongue, a lump in the throat feeling, sore throats and a few other things, Does this sound like a ALS thing?

-I do get occasional morning headaches but i also get them during the day and at night, I have had my eyes tested recently and they are ok,

-I get short of breath very easily even when walking (I do have Asthma) but this doesn't seem normal.

-I keep getting hiccups even when i am not eating, Is this a sign of ALS? What about quite frequent yawning?

-I am very concerned about the ache/soreness that appears on/off in the centre of my chest ribcage area, I understand that this is a ALS symptom?

-I get very bad twitching in my right arm which makes my right hand jump a little and i get bad twitching in my right thumb and right index finger but if that was ALS then surely my arm would be weak by now? it feels weak but it might be perceived weakness.

-I get a lot of tingling in my back right down the middle and tingling in the hands and my left foot tingles and feels a bit numb and my left leg also feels weak, My doctor tested my reflexes and performed a babinski what does this mean?

-Should i be worrying about Respiratory onset ALS or any form of ALS, Whether it's limb or bulbar onset?
 
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