Jwen
New member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2023
- Messages
- 3
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- US
- State
- NJ
Hello,
I would like to preface this by saying thank you to everyone on this forum. I really appreciate everything you guys do regarding ALS and helping people with their symptoms. I have read the "Read before posting" posts and I will try my best to follow the guidelines.
I am a 17-year-old male with no familial history of ALS. I am very active; I play tennis competitively and I go to the gym 3-5 times per week. My twitching began at the end of last November in my left shoulder, which quickly spread to everywhere in my body, from my feet to my butt to sometimes my face and hand. Now, the most common twitching locations are my thighs and calves. My shoulder twitches would last for 5-10s, while my twitches elsewhere last for no more than a couple of seconds. I was extremely stressed out around this time (November and December) due to college applications. It's been about 45 days since they began, and the twitches have not really gotten any worse. (If anything, they have become less frequent).
My main concern is that I've had stiffness in the fingers of my right hand, and some random dull pain. The stiffness and pain began a few days ago and have progressed since. I've had some pain along the pinky side of my hand and forearm (which my doctor said was ulnar nerve entrapment), as well as stiffness and pain in my thumb (which I believe to be trigger finger bc it consistently gets stuck and makes a cracking noise). I'm just worried that the stiffness in all the fingers and pain of my right hand could be early signs of ALS, since its only occurring on my right hand and not my left. Also, I feel a constant pressure/tightness in middle of the back of my right hand, which I think is a hand cramp, but I can't see any of my muscles moving.
I have no weakness in my right hand, or anywhere else in my body, and I've had steady positive progress with weightlifting since my twitching began. My right fingers still have full range of motion, but they just feel stiff/tight. I still can write and type normally at the same speed.
I've had two doctor appointments so far. I'm currently scheduling my neurologist appointment and my doctor has ordered an EMG for my twitching, but she says my symptoms are most likely caused by the overexertion and overworking of my muscles while working out. I've also been anxious and stressed on a daily basis for the past few weeks, so maybe that contributes to it?
Do I have reason to be concerned about my stiffness? If I had ALS, would it be probable that I had twitching for over a month before other symptoms arrived? Also, is my hand actually cramping if I can't see any kind of involuntary muscle contractions?
Thank you again for all the help. I know I haven't displayed have any weakness, but I've been so stressed out lately that I can't even focus on school or anything else.
I would like to preface this by saying thank you to everyone on this forum. I really appreciate everything you guys do regarding ALS and helping people with their symptoms. I have read the "Read before posting" posts and I will try my best to follow the guidelines.
I am a 17-year-old male with no familial history of ALS. I am very active; I play tennis competitively and I go to the gym 3-5 times per week. My twitching began at the end of last November in my left shoulder, which quickly spread to everywhere in my body, from my feet to my butt to sometimes my face and hand. Now, the most common twitching locations are my thighs and calves. My shoulder twitches would last for 5-10s, while my twitches elsewhere last for no more than a couple of seconds. I was extremely stressed out around this time (November and December) due to college applications. It's been about 45 days since they began, and the twitches have not really gotten any worse. (If anything, they have become less frequent).
My main concern is that I've had stiffness in the fingers of my right hand, and some random dull pain. The stiffness and pain began a few days ago and have progressed since. I've had some pain along the pinky side of my hand and forearm (which my doctor said was ulnar nerve entrapment), as well as stiffness and pain in my thumb (which I believe to be trigger finger bc it consistently gets stuck and makes a cracking noise). I'm just worried that the stiffness in all the fingers and pain of my right hand could be early signs of ALS, since its only occurring on my right hand and not my left. Also, I feel a constant pressure/tightness in middle of the back of my right hand, which I think is a hand cramp, but I can't see any of my muscles moving.
I have no weakness in my right hand, or anywhere else in my body, and I've had steady positive progress with weightlifting since my twitching began. My right fingers still have full range of motion, but they just feel stiff/tight. I still can write and type normally at the same speed.
I've had two doctor appointments so far. I'm currently scheduling my neurologist appointment and my doctor has ordered an EMG for my twitching, but she says my symptoms are most likely caused by the overexertion and overworking of my muscles while working out. I've also been anxious and stressed on a daily basis for the past few weeks, so maybe that contributes to it?
Do I have reason to be concerned about my stiffness? If I had ALS, would it be probable that I had twitching for over a month before other symptoms arrived? Also, is my hand actually cramping if I can't see any kind of involuntary muscle contractions?
Thank you again for all the help. I know I haven't displayed have any weakness, but I've been so stressed out lately that I can't even focus on school or anything else.