Fasciculations - think I might have ALS

[SR89]

Hi everyone, i'm a 21 year old male and I've been having fasciculations for about two and a half months now that come at rest. They are more and less everywhere but i'm most aware of the ones in my legs.
I also have shortness of breath when lying down on my back which only developed recently but i've read that that is a symptom of heart failure.

I saw my doctor about a month ago, but i didn't know what fasciculations were then, so i described them as muscle twitches. He done some strength test's and said that he wasn't worried that it was anything serious but he would book me a neurological examination to put my mind at rest. Other symptoms include light sensitivity, which comes and goes and sometimes a slight pain in my left eye. Cracking joints everywhere is also another symptom i have.

Also my muscles get tired during exercise. I went swimming with my family about a month ago and i could just about swim the length of the pool, but my legs were really really tired when i did. I was never a great swimmer anyway.

The strange thing is that no one would even know that anything is wrong with me if i didn't tell them. I can still walk and talk all right, but i'm terrified that i have some als symptoms and that it would get worse. I've told my parents about my symptoms but i'm far too scared to tell them what it might be. I had palpitations about three years ago, but i had a ecg and everything was normal. I'm just extremely anxious about this and i spend most of my time obsessing or crying over it.

 

[joelc]

Re: I think i might have it.

It is not ALS. Relax.

 

[SR89]

Re: I think i might have it.

It is not ALS. Relax.

Thank you for your reassurance but i don't think i can relax until i have it 100 percent confirmed by the doctors that i don't have anything serious like als or ms. I was a very anxious person before these symptoms so imagine how terrified i am now. I suppose i would need to have another heart scan for my shortness of breath which also scares me.

 

[alex scared]

Re: I think i might have it.

hi there . . First Als /mnd is a rare disease . . I from the uk too and there are only 5000 currently according to figures secondly . . The chances of you getting it at your age are against . . Not impossible but highly unlikely .third .. the respiratory onset version is about the rarest . . So what are the chances of you getting a rare disease at the unlikelyest of age with the least likely onset . . ? Well cases like that are about as common as unicorn poo ! Lol . . . Dont get too hung up with fasciculation . . Yes its asscioated with mnd but its also far more likely to be something harmless . . . My point is this . . At this time the odds are soo o in your favour that its something that can be sorted . . I know what its like to be gripped by anxiety over this . . But worrying is futile . . Get your neuro appointment through and when its all good get on with enjoying being young. . . I wish you good luck and god bless . . Alex

 

[trfogey]

Re: I think i might have it.

Thank you for your reassurance but i don't think i can relax until i have it 100 percent confirmed by the doctors that i don't have anything serious like als or ms. I was a very anxious person before these symptoms so imagine how terrified i am now. I suppose i would need to have another heart scan for my shortness of breath which also scares me.

You can relax, but you'll have to choose to do so. None of your symptoms point toward ALS, regardless of what you may have convinced yourself to believe with your slipshod Internet research. If you are concerned about your health, get off the Internet and get yourself to a doctor. Most importantly, listen to what your doctor says. Your Internet skills are simply no match for the training of a real physician.

Good luck.

 

[SR89]

Re: I think i might have it.

You can relax, but you'll have to choose to do so. None of your symptoms point toward ALS, regardless of what you may have convinced yourself to believe with your slipshod Internet research. If you are concerned about your health, get off the Internet and get yourself to a doctor. Most importantly, listen to what your doctor says. Your Internet skills are simply no match for the training of a real physician.

Good luck.

Well my unfortunately neurological examination isn't until January the 25th 2011 which is more than a month away. I'll book a appointment with my GP tomorrow where he will hopefully ease some of my anxiety. Thank you for your reassuring words, it's good to know that i most likely do not have it and i will definitely try and relax more.

 

[Alyoop]

Re: I think i might have it.

Thats not long to wait at all, and you have now be assured that you do not have ALS at all. If fact you do not really have many signoficant symptoms. Muscle twitching is as common ad Horse poo (liked Alex scared's comment about unicorn Poo). Having tired muscles can be nothing more than a passing virus. Photophobia and pain behind your eye will be the start of a migraine, that never really developed, probably brought on by stress. The breathing problem will be stress as well. Roll on your side or sit up a bit, it will help. I get that feeling when I get anxious about something, its not pleasant.

Christmas is almost here, and you should relax and enjoy the festivities. You dont have ALS so you can rejoice!
Have a lovely Christmas. January will be here in a flash.

Aly

 

[SR89]

Re: I think i might have it.

Thats not long to wait at all, and you have now be assured that you do not have ALS at all. If fact you do not really have many signoficant symptoms. Muscle twitching is as common ad Horse poo (liked Alex scared's comment about unicorn Poo). Having tired muscles can be nothing more than a passing virus. Photophobia and pain behind your eye will be the start of a migraine, that never really developed, probably brought on by stress. The breathing problem will be stress as well. Roll on your side or sit up a bit, it will help. I get that feeling when I get anxious about something, its not pleasant.

Christmas is almost here, and you should relax and enjoy the festivities. You dont have ALS so you can rejoice!
Have a lovely Christmas. January will be here in a flash.

Aly

Well i think it's still possible that the breathing problem could be more than stress as i had pain on my right side for a little while. But it is worse some times than others. I better still get it checked out though just to make sure.

 

[_Saj_]

Re: I think i might have it.

you're afraid of having ALS or a heart disease or both...

to be true It looks to me like health anxiety... relax and trust your doctors... don't lose grip

 

[fenside209]

Re: I think i might have it.

Hello All,
I've also posted on an MS forum but there are symptoms that I'm going through that seem to mimic ALS as well. I'm 39, fairly active, and all of these neurological symptoms occurred after my trip from the middle east...and yes my bloodwork from GP was clear as well.

It all started with a tingling sensation going down my right arm in late July. During that same week, I was rushed to the emergency room because I was complaining of a tightness in the chest as well as tingles in my left arms as well. The x rays and bloodwork were clear, and I was sent home and told I had anxiety.

A week later, I developed burning sensations on my shoulders and back. Both of my forearms were getting crampy, and I also constant burning that ran down the back of my arms to my pinky and ring fingers (bilateral). In addition to these symptoms, I began to feel them in my legs too. First the left. The initial feeling was someone pouring temperate water down my leg. This then was followed by my right with that same sensation. By September, both legs got affected and felt like there were burning and cooling sensations. There were also times like they felt tight and I had a stocking around them. My fingers and hands continue to have the pins and needles in the morning on an a regular basis. October, the symptoms have spread to my feet. At this time, I now feel the more pronounced tingles and twitches all over my body. My feet bother me now too because of pain, tingles, and weakness with regards to dorsiflexion. This started with the right foot, then eventually moved to my left. I've had some bouts with semi "drop foot" in both of them, especially when I'm tired.

In addition to all of this, I've also noticed excess saliva and tingling in my cheeks as well (this has been happening since October too). I've had some moments wherein I have had difficulty swallowing, and my voice has changed as well with regards to "croakiness" and "hoarseness." I now have weakness in both my pinky fingers and lost some coordination in them. Pinky and ring fingers in both arms are always stiff and sometimes have pain in joints and muscles. The muscle twitches have also been relentless, and also these weird burning pains under my chest and triceps. With regards to twitches, they are all over my body. However, they have become more pronounced on my shoulders, back, hips, back of thighs, feet, hands, rib cage and cheeks.

I know this is a mixed bag of symptoms. My MRI is scheduled in January to screen for MS and tumors. However, I want to be informed as to what other tests are available for me. I'm in Canada so it will take a while for things to happen.

Anyway, I'm just looking for advice as well as people with similar symptoms as well as tests that I can ask for.

My questions are: Can muscle wasting feel like a burning sensation (as if the muscle is being scraped of the bone)? Does ALS attack one limb first then move to the next or can it attack all the limbs at the same time? Do the symptoms come and go and if stress makes them more pronounced?

Thanks for your time.

B

 

[Al]

Re: I think i might have it.

Hello B. Als is usually not sensory. It doesn't attack everything at once. It doesn't come and go. If you get it, you've got it for ever. Stress will make your symptoms worse. And drive you batty.

AL.

 

[Robynnblue]

Re: I think i might have it.

To SR89 and fenside209, you both sound straight up like BFS/Anxiety cases. A condition that is thought to be one in the same in alot of peoples minds, but thats neither here nor there, what is important is that all of your symptoms scream this to me. What I do not hear is anything at all that says ALS,...nothing.

If you are going to spend any time on the internet, then you should look up AboutBFS.com. I think you would be pleasantly surprised to find a whole mess of people with stories and symptoms that resemble the both of yours in a major way.

Take it from someone (who many can vouch for) was rite where you are about 10 months ago. I'm still twitching, and still feel the limb fatigue, but my legs are moving much better, sensory symptoms are down to nearly non existent and my clonus is gone. So things are not always as grim as they appear to be.

Take Care Everyone and Happy Holidays!

Robynn

 

[Alyoop]

Re: I think i might have it.

Fenside. It's good you are having an MRI to help rule out MS. Some of your symptoms could certainly sound like it could be MS. The burning sensation is common as well as the sock like feeling you are getting. It could of course be other things ( not ALS) neurological. MS is the first think to check for, which is why you are having the MRI. You would then have a spinal tap if your DR still had suspicions. This will check for the presence of oligoclonal bands etc.

Try to relax and leave it all in your Drs hands. Stress will just make it all worse. If you have MS then there are plenty of disease modifying therapies now available, that are very effective. Unlike in ALS

Aly

 

[SR89]

Re: I think i might have it.

Some symptoms i forgot to add. An urge to move my legs at night which seems to go away when i cross my feet slightly, this doesn't bother me too much. Another symptom that recently developed is a slightly blocked nose. There is no mucus but i can feel it slightly blocked when i try and breathe through my nose.

 

[archie]

Fenside, your symptoms are reserved for people in their 70's and 80's when the body is on it's way out. You cannot have them because they are mine and I will not share them with someone in their 30's. For you to exhibit all those symptoms at age 39 in all probability you must have long standing diabetes, coronary heart disease, restless leg syndrome, peripheral nerve disease, spinal cord obstruction, COD, and sinusitis. I'm not making light of your symptoms because they are real to you but the odds of having an underlying disease that shows all the symptoms as you describe are astronomical. Except anxiety. Try to relax until if and when you have concrete medical evidence that back up your symptoms, easy to say but hard to do. Let us know how you make out.