canadianguy13
New member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2015
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- CA
- State
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
hi all,
First post here, thanks in advance for any responses. I'll try to be succinct in my symptoms. I'm at the point where I feel like ALS is likely, but still hanging on to hope that it's something else. I'm 28, otherwise healthy.
First symptoms 4 months ago, while on vacation overseas. odd sensation in both legs and arms, especially the left one. Felt like a tension or numbness, immediately worried about MS. When I returned home after 14 hour flight, had lots of weird symptoms for a couple of weeks that gradually improved. I had a body wide electric feeling and an intense tension feeling throughout my muscles, especially limbs. It's like that feeling after your legs fall asleep and start to regain senses, but all over. I also would have night sweats for 4 or 5 days. Gradually this improved.. Started getting twitches on my left arm. No sensory issues as far as I could tell.
Continued twitching in left upper arm for a week or two, several times per day. That went away, and I got twitching in my right hand, to the point that I had my pinky spasming inwards during twitches. Also had some random twitching throughout my body, and jelly legs constantly but to varying degrees. Still a light tension feeling in left hand.
I've had periods of time where my jelly legs improved. Left hand not quite as much, and has since gotten much worse. I feel a constant tension in that arm and hand. Worse in the mornings when waking up, especially if I got less than 8hrs sleep. Hard to describe the feeling, but it's again like the feeling you get when your legs fall asleep and wake up. I also seem to have my arms and legs fall asleep easily.
Onto the more worrying symptoms, my left hand has noticeably become less coordinated, with finer things. If I hold up my phone with my left hand, I feel a tension. If I hold up something light, the hand shakes. When I hold my partners hand, it feels like the hand is shakey keeping it in that position. If I stretch out my fingers, sometimes my pinky trembles. However I seem to have normal grip strength...
I've had throat issues for about a month. First it felt like I may have had a sinus issue so I got nasal spray, which I've had before., and prescription reflux medication just in case it was GER. But I had slight choking on liquids about 5 or 6 times in the past month, usually with small amounts, as I can gulp down a lot of liquid without issue. I've got frequent mucus clearing in back of throat, lots of clearing my throat, and the feeling like there is mucus there most of the time. I also have this odd feeling in my tongue like I am going to slur, but so far have only stumbled maybe a couple of times and no one seems to notice, and I talk a lot for work. My voice feels a little hoarse occasionally, perhaps due to all the throat clearing. Symptoms are better some days than others but always there to a certain extent.
I've had this constant pulsing in my stomach area for a while. I noticed it first a few months ago and it seemed to go away. Now it is back, and constant. It pulses to the beat of my heart nonstop.
I have some light muscle aching in my right arm, abdomen, and neck, which seems to come and go day to day. Never too intense.
Seem to be a bit more tired than usual, but could be the wearing down on me of the stress. I had a lot of anxiety about this at first, but now just feel less anxious even though the symptoms seem worse. I recognize that I have a stressful job and a history of mild to moderate anxiety, but I don't think that it is the cause anymore.
I see a general neuro in October, and have an MRI of brain and c4 spine a month later (slow health care in Canada). Hopefully an emg around then too.
At this point it seems clear to me that I have ALS, especially due to the hand and throat issues. My question is, if not ALS, what else could it be?
First post here, thanks in advance for any responses. I'll try to be succinct in my symptoms. I'm at the point where I feel like ALS is likely, but still hanging on to hope that it's something else. I'm 28, otherwise healthy.
First symptoms 4 months ago, while on vacation overseas. odd sensation in both legs and arms, especially the left one. Felt like a tension or numbness, immediately worried about MS. When I returned home after 14 hour flight, had lots of weird symptoms for a couple of weeks that gradually improved. I had a body wide electric feeling and an intense tension feeling throughout my muscles, especially limbs. It's like that feeling after your legs fall asleep and start to regain senses, but all over. I also would have night sweats for 4 or 5 days. Gradually this improved.. Started getting twitches on my left arm. No sensory issues as far as I could tell.
Continued twitching in left upper arm for a week or two, several times per day. That went away, and I got twitching in my right hand, to the point that I had my pinky spasming inwards during twitches. Also had some random twitching throughout my body, and jelly legs constantly but to varying degrees. Still a light tension feeling in left hand.
I've had periods of time where my jelly legs improved. Left hand not quite as much, and has since gotten much worse. I feel a constant tension in that arm and hand. Worse in the mornings when waking up, especially if I got less than 8hrs sleep. Hard to describe the feeling, but it's again like the feeling you get when your legs fall asleep and wake up. I also seem to have my arms and legs fall asleep easily.
Onto the more worrying symptoms, my left hand has noticeably become less coordinated, with finer things. If I hold up my phone with my left hand, I feel a tension. If I hold up something light, the hand shakes. When I hold my partners hand, it feels like the hand is shakey keeping it in that position. If I stretch out my fingers, sometimes my pinky trembles. However I seem to have normal grip strength...
I've had throat issues for about a month. First it felt like I may have had a sinus issue so I got nasal spray, which I've had before., and prescription reflux medication just in case it was GER. But I had slight choking on liquids about 5 or 6 times in the past month, usually with small amounts, as I can gulp down a lot of liquid without issue. I've got frequent mucus clearing in back of throat, lots of clearing my throat, and the feeling like there is mucus there most of the time. I also have this odd feeling in my tongue like I am going to slur, but so far have only stumbled maybe a couple of times and no one seems to notice, and I talk a lot for work. My voice feels a little hoarse occasionally, perhaps due to all the throat clearing. Symptoms are better some days than others but always there to a certain extent.
I've had this constant pulsing in my stomach area for a while. I noticed it first a few months ago and it seemed to go away. Now it is back, and constant. It pulses to the beat of my heart nonstop.
I have some light muscle aching in my right arm, abdomen, and neck, which seems to come and go day to day. Never too intense.
Seem to be a bit more tired than usual, but could be the wearing down on me of the stress. I had a lot of anxiety about this at first, but now just feel less anxious even though the symptoms seem worse. I recognize that I have a stressful job and a history of mild to moderate anxiety, but I don't think that it is the cause anymore.
I see a general neuro in October, and have an MRI of brain and c4 spine a month later (slow health care in Canada). Hopefully an emg around then too.
At this point it seems clear to me that I have ALS, especially due to the hand and throat issues. My question is, if not ALS, what else could it be?