NeuroMinded
New member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2012
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- NY
- City
- LI
Hello, everyone. First of all, I would like to state that I have the utmost respect for everyone on these forums doing their best to help each other and those in need. I visited here a few years ago when I had a scare and I'm glad to see it's still going strong. Now, on to my story.
Three years ago, waiting for the bus home from college, I noticed a single twitch in my thumb, which I thought odd since I had never experienced such a thing. A few days later and I had twitches and cramping all over, including my tongue, which lead me to research on the internet which of course led me to ALS among other things. I had known about this disease since I was a child and had watched a documentary on Stephen Hawking, so I was predisposed to fearing it and assuming the worst. I eventually went to a neuro and had a full battery of tests performed: MRI, EMG, EEG, nerve conduction. Everything came out fine except for a tiny pineal cyst, and so my mind was set at ease and I've given no thought to all the twitches since.
In fact, the whole experience left me so impressed with my neurologist that I decided to change schools and study biology with the intention of becoming a neurologist myself. The work was grueling and I often spent days on end writing up labs and studying, but it all paid off, I aced the MCAT, and I have just filled out my primary AMCAS application for medical schools. I decided to celebrate by taking a vacation from everything and I bought Diablo 3, which came out 4 days after my last final exam. For three weeks I played nonstop until I noticed my right hand cramping severely in my thenar eminence. I figured I had clenched the mouse too hard and for too long, so I took a break for a few days, but the cramps subsided slowly and came back whenever I tried to play for more than a few minutes. This last weekend, I carefully examined my hands and I noticed asymmetry between the abductor pollicis brevis muscles. I can still perform all tasks and I've tried a few novel ones like lifting heavier and heavier weights between my thumb and index fingers, but I can't figure out how to test the particular muscle in question.
In any event, my entire hand is cramped and the particular feeling under the thumb is at times buzzing. I also notice fasciculations during contraction. Up until this point, I have given no thought to ALS or any MND, although I have noticed over the last few months that when I started lifting weights (for the first time ever, really!) I could not perform as many biceps curls with my right arm and afterwards it would remain fatigued for an entire day while the left arm felt fine. I should have mentioned this to my neurologist at my followup a few months ago wherein I had an MRI just to check the pineal cyst. The MRI was normal, but my insurance has since expired due to my age.
I know the whole story about the probability of this all happening and I'm probably in for a lambasting, but knowing what I do after all the studying I've done on the nervous system, I keep alternating between abject dread and deciding it's absolutely nothing and the atrophy is unremarkable. If I had any paresthesia, I would immediately conclude that it is carpal tunnel syndrome or some other nerve entrapment, but there is no pain, tingling, or numbness; just twitching, cramping, and atrophy. This is probably a case of just knowing too much for my own good, and I realize nothing I post here matters until I can reinstate my insurance and get some final testing done, but I was hoping someone here might be able to tell me if their progression was similar (sans the three year old scare) or if they know a way I might objectively test this myself until I can get to my doctor.
Three years ago, waiting for the bus home from college, I noticed a single twitch in my thumb, which I thought odd since I had never experienced such a thing. A few days later and I had twitches and cramping all over, including my tongue, which lead me to research on the internet which of course led me to ALS among other things. I had known about this disease since I was a child and had watched a documentary on Stephen Hawking, so I was predisposed to fearing it and assuming the worst. I eventually went to a neuro and had a full battery of tests performed: MRI, EMG, EEG, nerve conduction. Everything came out fine except for a tiny pineal cyst, and so my mind was set at ease and I've given no thought to all the twitches since.
In fact, the whole experience left me so impressed with my neurologist that I decided to change schools and study biology with the intention of becoming a neurologist myself. The work was grueling and I often spent days on end writing up labs and studying, but it all paid off, I aced the MCAT, and I have just filled out my primary AMCAS application for medical schools. I decided to celebrate by taking a vacation from everything and I bought Diablo 3, which came out 4 days after my last final exam. For three weeks I played nonstop until I noticed my right hand cramping severely in my thenar eminence. I figured I had clenched the mouse too hard and for too long, so I took a break for a few days, but the cramps subsided slowly and came back whenever I tried to play for more than a few minutes. This last weekend, I carefully examined my hands and I noticed asymmetry between the abductor pollicis brevis muscles. I can still perform all tasks and I've tried a few novel ones like lifting heavier and heavier weights between my thumb and index fingers, but I can't figure out how to test the particular muscle in question.
In any event, my entire hand is cramped and the particular feeling under the thumb is at times buzzing. I also notice fasciculations during contraction. Up until this point, I have given no thought to ALS or any MND, although I have noticed over the last few months that when I started lifting weights (for the first time ever, really!) I could not perform as many biceps curls with my right arm and afterwards it would remain fatigued for an entire day while the left arm felt fine. I should have mentioned this to my neurologist at my followup a few months ago wherein I had an MRI just to check the pineal cyst. The MRI was normal, but my insurance has since expired due to my age.
I know the whole story about the probability of this all happening and I'm probably in for a lambasting, but knowing what I do after all the studying I've done on the nervous system, I keep alternating between abject dread and deciding it's absolutely nothing and the atrophy is unremarkable. If I had any paresthesia, I would immediately conclude that it is carpal tunnel syndrome or some other nerve entrapment, but there is no pain, tingling, or numbness; just twitching, cramping, and atrophy. This is probably a case of just knowing too much for my own good, and I realize nothing I post here matters until I can reinstate my insurance and get some final testing done, but I was hoping someone here might be able to tell me if their progression was similar (sans the three year old scare) or if they know a way I might objectively test this myself until I can get to my doctor.