JerseyPhil
New member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2021
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- US
- State
- NJ
Hi there, I'm an incoming college freshman and just turned 19 a few weeks back. I've been so scared in the past two months, worrying if I might have ALS or other motor neuron diseases. It all started in April (3-4 months ago) when I developed this hand tremor (mainly right hand, but there's also some slight tremors on my left hand). My right hand started to get really sore when I was hand-writing essays and papers and such (which normally doesn't happen in the past). I cut my daily dose of coffee and black tea and it got better as time goes by. (Don't know if it's related, but I did have some aspects of hypochondria in the past)
Early June, I traveled abroad to visit families and was placed into a 21-day quarantine in a hotel room. That's when I "perceived' a slight weakness in my right hand, and gradually, right limb. It didn't prevent me from performing any day-to-day functions, so I didn't pay much attention early on. After several days of isolation, I started having muscle twitches everywhere, about 5-20 times a day, in various locations, including feet, legs, torso, arms, palms, back, chest, cheek, etc. The muscle would twitch once, or in some cases, several times, and then stopped completely once I started moving and touching it. Meanwhile, my hand tremor started worsening (it gets better sometimes); sometimes it shakes so bad that I found it a bit difficult to button up dress shirts/click the right tab on my laptop. I had difficulties falling asleep for quite a long time. started frantically doing strength tests at home and in office (I'm doing an internship), screwing and unscrewing water bottle caps, unbottoning and buttoning my suit-jacket tirelessly, doing squats and jumping every five minutes, try lifting heavy weights with my right hand...
Finally, I decided to go see a doctor two days ago. I had a scheduled appointment to do a complete physical exam anyways, so I thought it wouldn't hurt if I go see the neurologist as well. The physical exam was fine (ruling out cerebral issues and stuff like that). The neurologist had me doing some quick strength tests and she concluded that I had no clinical weakness. I then asked to do an EMG, and she advised not to (as there's no proper underlying conditions aside from tremors and twitches). Instead, she prescribed anti-depressants and vitamins. However, I was still unsure about the results afterwards and I had really bad tremors this morning.
Now my friends and families all asked me to see a psychiatrist and my co-workers thought I'm going insane. I knew this is not the place to ask for diagnosis, but it would really help rest my mind if I could learn more about ALS and how it developed and how that process differed/coincided from mine (for example, are hand tremors and wide-spread twitches common symptoms?). And again, I wanted to pay my upmost respect to those who lost their loved ones.
Early June, I traveled abroad to visit families and was placed into a 21-day quarantine in a hotel room. That's when I "perceived' a slight weakness in my right hand, and gradually, right limb. It didn't prevent me from performing any day-to-day functions, so I didn't pay much attention early on. After several days of isolation, I started having muscle twitches everywhere, about 5-20 times a day, in various locations, including feet, legs, torso, arms, palms, back, chest, cheek, etc. The muscle would twitch once, or in some cases, several times, and then stopped completely once I started moving and touching it. Meanwhile, my hand tremor started worsening (it gets better sometimes); sometimes it shakes so bad that I found it a bit difficult to button up dress shirts/click the right tab on my laptop. I had difficulties falling asleep for quite a long time. started frantically doing strength tests at home and in office (I'm doing an internship), screwing and unscrewing water bottle caps, unbottoning and buttoning my suit-jacket tirelessly, doing squats and jumping every five minutes, try lifting heavy weights with my right hand...
Finally, I decided to go see a doctor two days ago. I had a scheduled appointment to do a complete physical exam anyways, so I thought it wouldn't hurt if I go see the neurologist as well. The physical exam was fine (ruling out cerebral issues and stuff like that). The neurologist had me doing some quick strength tests and she concluded that I had no clinical weakness. I then asked to do an EMG, and she advised not to (as there's no proper underlying conditions aside from tremors and twitches). Instead, she prescribed anti-depressants and vitamins. However, I was still unsure about the results afterwards and I had really bad tremors this morning.
Now my friends and families all asked me to see a psychiatrist and my co-workers thought I'm going insane. I knew this is not the place to ask for diagnosis, but it would really help rest my mind if I could learn more about ALS and how it developed and how that process differed/coincided from mine (for example, are hand tremors and wide-spread twitches common symptoms?). And again, I wanted to pay my upmost respect to those who lost their loved ones.