ConcernedFloyd
New member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2023
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- NO
Hello, like many others I suffer great anxiety over symptoms that may or may not be attributable to ALS. So I've come here to learn.
I'm a 33 year old guy. For the past two months, whenever I swallow with my head bent down, my hyoid bone pops out to the right with an audible sound. Around the same time, I started having a crackling noise in my voice whenever I raise it. And if I sing or hum, my voice becomes airy. I've looked in my throat and I see that my soft palate and uvula go more to the left than the right when I say aaah, indicating my right side muscles aren't doing their job - I don't know if this is new or was always like this. My swallowing also feels somewhat weaker on the right side, often leaving food in that side of the mouth. Other symptoms include excess saliva and postnasal drip - I've had an unexplained stuffed nose for half a year whenever I lie down. I also have acid reflux, but an ENT didn't see any damage from that in my throat or vocal cords.
The main thing I'm wondering about is whether ALS can present with that kind of popping effect when swallowing, and only on one side. I know ALS sometimes starts with dysphagia, but I don't see any good explanations of how that actually feels. I don't feel like I can't swallow, just that when I do, something goes out of position. I have a lot of popping in other muscles too when moving them - especially the muscles in my arms and shoulders pop, snap and crack with every big movement, and I have tremors/vibrations when I relax them from a flexed position. As with swallowing, I don't actually have trouble moving them, but something goes wrong when I do. My legs also have feelings of split-second weakness when I'm standing, as if my muscles are letting go for a very brief moment before catching themselves. Are these possible ALS symptoms, or maybe something like MS?
I feel like ALS is probably not the most likely cause of my issues since it's so rare, but it still scares me. If anyone knows any more common diagnoses that might potentially apply to me, please let me know.
I'm a 33 year old guy. For the past two months, whenever I swallow with my head bent down, my hyoid bone pops out to the right with an audible sound. Around the same time, I started having a crackling noise in my voice whenever I raise it. And if I sing or hum, my voice becomes airy. I've looked in my throat and I see that my soft palate and uvula go more to the left than the right when I say aaah, indicating my right side muscles aren't doing their job - I don't know if this is new or was always like this. My swallowing also feels somewhat weaker on the right side, often leaving food in that side of the mouth. Other symptoms include excess saliva and postnasal drip - I've had an unexplained stuffed nose for half a year whenever I lie down. I also have acid reflux, but an ENT didn't see any damage from that in my throat or vocal cords.
The main thing I'm wondering about is whether ALS can present with that kind of popping effect when swallowing, and only on one side. I know ALS sometimes starts with dysphagia, but I don't see any good explanations of how that actually feels. I don't feel like I can't swallow, just that when I do, something goes out of position. I have a lot of popping in other muscles too when moving them - especially the muscles in my arms and shoulders pop, snap and crack with every big movement, and I have tremors/vibrations when I relax them from a flexed position. As with swallowing, I don't actually have trouble moving them, but something goes wrong when I do. My legs also have feelings of split-second weakness when I'm standing, as if my muscles are letting go for a very brief moment before catching themselves. Are these possible ALS symptoms, or maybe something like MS?
I feel like ALS is probably not the most likely cause of my issues since it's so rare, but it still scares me. If anyone knows any more common diagnoses that might potentially apply to me, please let me know.