Are these tongue fasciculations typical of bulbar ALS? (video)

[bigguy]

thanks everyone so much for giving me valuable feedback.

The main reason I'm here and have been looking/taking videos of my tongue is because I'm fairly sure I have dysarthria that started a month and a half ago. The dysarthria right now is slight and not really detectable by anyone besides me but I have definitely felt it getting worse, mainly with regards to "s", "st" and phrases with repeated lingual sounds such as "get it at all". I feel as if I cannot say these phrases/words as fast as I used to and when I try, my tongue trips. I have no discernible weakness in my tongue and it can move rapidly, from corner to corner of my mouth, but this speaking difficulty still persists. The tip of my tongue also feels rough/different.

I also have symptoms that are not typical of ALS. About a month ago, perhaps coinciding with my speech difficulty, my right upper lip went numb and although it is not apparent when my mouth is at rest, it looks like I'm talking out the left side of my mouth when I speak or make facial expressions. Shortly after, my right lower lip started to droop in a similar fashion and now when I open my mouth wide, the right corner of my mouth is 2-3 centimeters lower than the left corner and does not open symmetrically. Also, in the back of my mouth, the right side of my tongue sits lower than the left side. These problems along with a slight grinding noise/popping when I open my mouth have led me to suspect TMJ disorder, but I have never heard of TMJ being able to cause slurred speech.

 

[Grateful]

Alternatively you could do things the old fashioned way and leave it to your doctors to decide what, if anything, is wrong with you...

 

[bigguy]

I went to my neurologist regarding my facial droop and he's pretty much clueless about it. The neurologists I emailed with these videos were pretty unimpressed by my tongue twitching and likened it to muscle irritability or nervous movements of the tongue unlike what would be seen in ALS. My neuro gave me some vague answer saying it might be some virus causing the facial droop and then he backtracked and said that would be unlikely since only one branch of my facial nerve is affected. And I don't even know if it is affected, considering that EMG testing in that area revealed no abnormalities. MRI couldn't find anything wrong.


The only thing I see that leaves out is jaw subluxation/tmj. But I've had a CT and an MRI of the head, and unfortunately I'm fairly sure those would have caught something if it was there in the TMJ. I don't know anything else that could possibly do this other than a brain tumor, bell's palsy, ALS (unlikely, since it affects the bulbar nerves, of which the facial nerve is not a part), or TMJ disorder.

 

[kiwisally]

We can not help you. Please continue this discussion with your chosen medical professional(s).

 

[Toto's Dorothy]

Bigguy, there's a certain for um pro tocol we have here. You started a thread on roughly on 9 - 14. 2 posts. A scared 19 year old. Then on that same day, you post to someone with knowledge of als. Then not long after that, another frightened thread from you. Again, you reply with a post of (my words) not als; you really need to leave. Your doc tor has told you its not als. Apparently, more than once. You have been told by many of us, that your symp toms do not sound like nor look like als. But yet you stay.

Please take your own advice. Stop looking in the mirrors, video taping body parts, get help for your anx iety and move on. We can no longer help you here. I have con tacted the owner of this for um and have asked him to check into the possibility of multiple ids with 1 ip address. I hope for our sake, you are not toying with us.

FORUM FAMILY, PLEASE APPROACH WITH CAUTION!

 

[notme]

I'm pretty sure I have said this before, but I will say it again. ALS does not cause one to produce more saliva, it causes one to be unable to swallow the saliva normally produced.

If you are having facial drooping, this would not be an ALS sign, either. Since you are not happy with what your doctor has told you, or what you have been told here by numerous people over the span of two months at least, I suggest you go back to your general GP to see if he sees the facial drooping you see, and ask for a referral to a speech specialist to see if there is some speech abnormality.

A dentist can detect TMJ. the main symptom of my own TMJ was horrendous pain.

Your anxiety is almost certainly the cause of your twitching, but we are not going to convince you of that, I'm afraid. The best way we can help you is to suggest counseling for the anxiety and by our no longer answering your posts, dear. It's only feeding an unhealthy anxiety. Good luck to you.

 

[bigguy]

@Toto, I'm sorry, my worrying about this disease has really gotten the better of me. I've definitely gleaned more than enough valuable information from all of you on this forum. However I can reassure you that I definitely do not have multiple accounts. I know this forum has had a few problems with that but I like to think that anxiety hasn't driven me THAT insane yet.

@all I will not be updating this thread anymore and will not return to this forum except in the miniscule chance that I actually do have some form of motor neuron disease that is later diagnosed. All of you have been extremely patient with me and I truly admire your willingness to help even an annoying kid showing classic manifestations of anxiety. God bless you all and thank you very much.