My Friend has had this problem. Maybe you can help rule out ALS :)

[Relayer]

Dear forum members Please call me “Relayer” I am autonomously posting for a friend of mine. In mid 1990s he started experiencing weakness in his left arm, and occasional twitching in his face and forearm. And, thereafter, walking to one side a weakness in the right knee but not a balance problems. It was mild and very infrequent and the symptoms did not always occur at the same time. Later on new problems added themselves: In the late 1990s he would occasionally have fits of falling down and anxiety but not connected with any stressors. Choking while laying down, and gasping for air sometimes waking him up. The cramping in his left leg continued got worse, and in 2003 he was diagnosed with planter fascitis, but the cramps, or (Charlie horses) were also in his rib cage and left hand, back of leg, not just the foot. He also had a tendency to involuntarily jut his jaw forward and had occasional cramping in his TMJ. Symptoms had gotten progressively worse. Foe brief periods every couple or few months he had experienced body cramps that made most of his body spasm, and he was barley able to speak, resembling someone with acute cerebral palsy. Again this subsided and no diagnosis could be found, as a certain “Brain & Spine” center was confounded and wanted to get a brain MRI while a seizure was in progress. Things seemed to get better in the later 2000s but re-occurred slowly covering more body areas thereafter and in 2009 to the 2010s and the episodes returned with a vengeance. He had a serious attack of body cramps and stomach cramps with twitching, and the left side of his face dropped as he limped. Leg was cramped. Headaches so bad after a bout with (diagnosed with Bell's Palsy) that required Fentanyl or Morphine patch, and a numbness, and feeling of mental retardation for brief periods – confusion. All the old symptoms are now back but with a numbness and pain deep in the muscles. He sprained his whole arm pulling a weed that a kid could pull out. He has lost considerable grip strength and has episodes of extreem weakness. Now extreme tiredness, bouts of yawning, with headaches not as bad as 1a few years back, but a numbing sensation. The Bell's palsy has spread to his left arm and his continues to get stiffness twitching in the left side of face, forearm leg, and now on the right side of face. He left ear is hearing like through a seashell occasionally. And his vision is now different in each eye. The most recent concern is that he feels a deep stiffness and “like tendon pain” and loss of motor control throughout his body . Causing him to hold onto things. He had throughout this entire time experienced gastritis which either follows or precedes some of the onset of symptoms. So bad that he had been sent to the emergency room 3 times. And this has gotten worse along with the other symptoms but had not always occurred at the same time. He is keeping active but his left arm is now almost always numb with a tightness that seems to connect to his neck and face. He is hoping that a chiropractor can help. Maybe he has a pinched nerve in his vertebrae somewhere. He has an appointment with the neurologist after two years to be seen again, and an MRI of brain scheduled. But they found no problem two years ago. I just wanted to either help set his mind at ease, or prepare him for the possibility that he has a neuromuscular disease. But, should that have not been diagnosed already?

Does any of tghis sound familiar, or unfamiliar.

Thanks, your friend, Relayer