very strange symptom suspect als

[Ivana]

please help me and I know I am annoying

Hello guys, I am so sorry to bother you. But there is really something wrong with me. First I am a university student who major in neuroscience.Ok my symptoms started last semester. When i played the piano I started to feel uncomfortable on my right calf. It just felt not right like it was cramping like i cannot step on paddle anymore though I could still step on it. And it was last semester when I was taking my neuroscience class, i learned the disease ALS. I started to be scared although I know the chance for a teen like me to get ALS is almost statistically impossible. But when i drive, i could always feel that cramping feelings on my right calf and it never goes away. And muscle twitching started at that time especially on my right calf.Then I felt my right shoulder sourness even when I am not using it. Then follows the weakness of my right hand I just feel like my right fingers and palms were not as strong as they used to be. I found my writing ugly, and when I typed, i could feel sourness and clumsy of my right hand. And they shake. I was so worried about my symptoms and turned myself to my PC. He did the general test and told me I was healthy, but considering that i have the symptoms he referred me to a neurologist.

The neurologist do the same test and also told me to not worry so much. And he ordered a EMG test for me in order to tease my worries out. But the EMG is on April, and i always worried about my condition it just never goes away. I know it sounds like some psychological things, but since I am an neurology major student and what I learned everyday is the diseases like this and the more i learned the more i am scared.

Anyway, I know my symptom above is not related to ALS very much, but things got changed. Yesterday i went to gym and do some lifting and running, it makes me feel very good, but today, when i was having dinner, all the sudden, i just feel something wrong with my left arm and hand. I feel my left picky became weak and there is numbness and sourness feeling on my left arm. It just like my left hand suddenly became soft and useless when use it, (however i could still use it by now) and it feels not as strong as my right hand especially my last two fingers. This thing really freaks me out. And all the worries appeared again. I am not sure what happened on my left picky it feels clumsy and weak. And it is definitely a little weaker then my right one.

Does any of these sounds like ALS? I know the weakness of ALS is all or nothing, but i still cannot figure out how the weakness will progress especially for my new symptoms. i feel i am becoming crazy, but every time when i feel i could finally flee away from my worries i found something new that freaks me out.

English is not my first language so sorry about my English it might be difficult to understand. And i really dont want to bothering your guys and i think you guys are all heroes to fight with disease like this.

 

[Atsugi]

Re: please help me and I know I am annoying

No ALS, Ivana.
ALS is a disease in the brain and brain stem that destroys the Motor Neurons which control the Voluntary Muscles. When a nerve is destroyed, it can no longer send motor signals to its corresponding muscle, so the muscle doesn’t move—it lays limp, useless, paralyzed.
There is no feeling of numbness or soreness or weakness or clumsiness because the Sensory Neurons are not involved. The muscle isn’t sore—it just doesn’t contract anymore.
Your GP medical doctor and the neurologist would have noticed if your muscles were weak or paralyzed. They’re not.
Believe your doctors.

 

[Ivana]

Re: please help me and I know I am annoying

Thanks a lot Atsugi. With all my respect I don't doubt what your saying. It is just my left picky suddenly becoming weak that freaks me out. I tried whole night that my left picky cannot lift things as heavy as my right one does. It is now soft and weak when I push pressure on it it just crap… that's why I'm thinking is it possible that the disease just affect only one tiny muscle on my finger that cause the symptoms. I can still use the picky just more difficult. Will it be the start symptom of als?

 

[twitchykitty]

Re: please help me and I know I am annoying

If your right handed it makes perfect sense that your left pinky is not as strong, as you wouldn't use it anywhere near as much.
The same could be said for the left arm

 

[Nikki J]

Re: please help me and I know I am annoying

It is a well known phenomenon that medical students, residents and even attending doctors develop sometimes an unwarranted fear of ALS ( and other nasty diseases but ALS is quite common). A couple of the ALS specialists/ researchers I have seen have mentioned it. I know you are not in medical school but the phenomenon is the same- perhaps worse as you are focused on neurology in your studies.

Your doctors are not worried you say. You seem to describe perceived weakness which is different than the usual ALS weakness onset. You would hear over and over from PALS suddenly I could not...walk on my toes, button my shirt,etc. to this day I do not feel weak in my leg and even though I know it is not true it seems to me if I just tried a little harder surely I could walk on my heels/ toes again.

 

[Ivana]

Re: please help me and I know I am annoying

Hey everyone, Ive been trying to ignore what happen on my left picky and think it is just because i do not use it so it is weak. But as you guys know once you have noticed something it is hard to tease it out. I cannot stop using my picky all the day and it became very tired. I know that ALS would not cause tired and pain, but fingers are complicated, what if just one of the muscle on my finger that doesnt work and other muscle compensate it and causing tiredness? And i just found when i typing, it just feels not comfortable and my writing becomes uglier I think. over almost five months, ive been living under a very stress condition, being afraid that i would die young and i really can feel how terrible it is to live with even imaginary ALS. The worst thing is that my EMG test is at the end of April, and I think that I would be worried until I get the EMG done. I am kinda the guy think the worst. Anyway I am going to see my GP tomorrow to check the picky and at least route out other conditions beside neuro disorders.

And I can understand the feeling a little now. And over these months, i have always been thinking what i could do for people like your guys. I used to think that making money, enjoying my life are the most important things in the world. But now i realize that there are people outside need to be helped. And when I am depressed, it feels much better that i know there are people like mike like all your guys who would like to help a stranger without reasons. When all this is done, when i figure out the whatever reasons that make me uncomfortable and fix it, i would devote all my powers and strength to study the disease like this and try my best to help guys like you using my own way.

 

[Ivana]

<Note from Mod: I found your previous thread and merged the threads to provide historical context>
hello everyone. Unfortunately I am back. Since I cannot find my original post, I have to post it again. I am a neuroscience major student. My symptoms all began with my fatigue right calf. Every time when I step on piano paddles or wen I step on my car accelerators I could feel tight and wire feelings on my calf. It just feels like I use my calf for hours and can no longer hold it. I feels like my right calf is smaller than my left calf and the muscle on my right calf is softer than my left one. And wen I stand on my one foot, I realized that it is easier to stand on left foot than stand on right foot, although I could do both. And I twitch a lot. I know twitch could be nothing, but one specific case which makes me very worried is that every time wen I contract the muscle on my right calf, I could feel twitches of the muscle on the lateral side of my right foot. And there are random twitches all over my body. And I feel it is easier to contract muscles on my left calf than my right one. I am so nervous about the problem of my calf, and scared that I have ALS. Every morning, the first thing I will do is to stand on my toes, to see that my muscles do not paralysis. And I feel worse and worse although there is no specific sign but just I feel it seems to be harder to step on piano paddles and hold there compared to one month ago.

Also, I could feel my right hand seems to become weak. I can still type and bottom my shirt. But when I am typing or when I am writing, it is just not as easy as months ago. I feel my fingers become weaker, and they seem to move slower. Considering about theses I feel so terrible and scared to death every day. I cannot concentrate on my school work and deal with the relationship with people around. Everything seems to be meaningless and boring. Although I am only 22, and it is almost impossible for ALS in my age, I cannot stop thinking I have als and I am dying.

I dont know what to do, and I know ALS is a neuro disease and all the things you guys said in the top post. I wonder if ALS could affect muscle gradually, like the for example my calf, it is becoming weaker and weaker until it loses its all function, all there is significant differences between healthy calf and problem calf, like one day ago I could use it and tomorrow I totally lose the function my calf. thank you guys

 

[Ivana]

hey guys…… really need help

 

[twitchykitty]

Hi Ivana

Did you go back to your dr about your left pinky that you mentioned in your last post? Can the dr see the change in the right calf.? Do they think you have weakness on the right side ? You cannot test it yourself

I only ask this as the brain is a very powerful thing that can play tricks on us or cause many real symptoms that are harmless. I say this as I have suffered from 3 different forms of anxiety for 16 years, and have also as a nurse seen many psychosomatic illnesses even in my short career

I know nikki mentioned too that it's common for health professionals learning about illnesses to worry they have them , it was the same for nurses

As for the calf muscle, very early on I never felt it was harder to contract than my good leg, the muscle simply didn't contract as much. There was no feeling it was harder to do.

You have your emg in a few short weeks, just wait and see what that says. I feel very confident given your age and symptoms it's very likely to be normal

I'm very concerned for you that your education and relationships are suffering as a result of your worries, as I feel later on you will really regret and kick yourself for it and would not like to see that happen

Take care
Kylie

 

[Ivana]

hey～ my left pinky is just fine now~ and my dr could not test out any changes. it just one day day I don't do the EMG I always feel stressed. Hopefully the good news will be back weeks later....

 

[Atsugi]

Ivana, take this comment with love. You're a wreck waiting to happen. I'm really glad to see a bright and energetic young person get into such a challenging field as neuroscience, so I want you to enjoy your studies and your relationships. I encourage you to maybe see a regular counselor who can keep your mind on an even keel while going through the stress of such a tough school. The thing about the med field is that students often "get" the diseases they study. Then, when they move on to another disease, they "get" that one, too.

I have benefited many years from seeing a counselor regularly and I suggest you might, too.

 

[Ivana]

Hi mike. Thanks for the advise. I really think it is necessary to find a conselor. Hope all these will be end soon. And I can focus on my real life. And I will keep updating my condition. Hope one day I could fight with your guys together.

 

[Ivana]

Hi mike. Thanks for the advise. I really think it is necessary to find a conselor. Hope all these will be end soon. And I can focus on my real life. And I will keep updating my condition. Hope one day I could fight with your guys together.

 

[Ivana]

Hey everybody..... I'm back. I know I am going to have EMG the day after tomorrow. But my symptom just becomes more concerned. I have right shoulder weakness. It's like when I tried to hold the wheel, my shoulder and arm just become so heavy and it seemed to be more difficult to control my right arm. It is just so wired to use my right arm and hand to do things. Does this sound like ALS? I am so scared, and. I am going to do the EMG soon. I am so afraid that doctor would told me there is something wrong with it... I really scared to death.

 

[Atsugi]

No, it doesn't sound like ALS.
Looking forward to the results of your EMG.