Convinced I have MS or ALS

Bearcat999 · Dec 10, 2019

My brother had ALS. The onset was quick and very noticeable. People often think that the symptoms are hidden as you say "in plain sight", but that really isn't the case. He had his first noticeable symptom and within 30 days he had a feeding tube.

The only reason to see a doctor is for reassurance. And if you aren't willing to take their word for it, then you should save your money. But if it will reassure you, see one. You really aren't showing anything that would be a typical presentation of ALS or MS.

FlipperK · Dec 11, 2019

Most of the things you have listed above I have experienced as well with this last struggle with anxiety. I too also was thinking about having ALS, MS or even CJD.

The flashes and specks/spots of black in my vision. I got that sunburned feeling on the back my hands and the bottom of my feet. I had shaking when moving my limbs. My memory was getting foggy. I had twitching in my fingers.

And yet, here I am. I have been on medication and my symptoms have improved. I still get them, but the fact that over two months they come and go is a good sign that’s it’s probably anxiety related and not a neuro disease like ALS or CJD.

Overall it’s better.

If you have been to the doctor and they believe your okay then you need to trust them. If you don’t see improvement that doesn’t mean they are wrong, it mostly means that you need to find a method of treating your anxiety.

There are many more common conditions that produce these symptoms that are very treatable (like anxiety).

matisworried · Dec 11, 2019

i'm sorry you're experiencing so much anxiety over this. i went through a pretty lengthy MS scare after an abnormality was found on an MRI that was ordered to get to the bottom of some hearing issues i was having. prior to the MRI, i'd never worried about MS or anything neurological... but once i got the report and i googled "white matter abnormality on FLARE" all bets were off. within days of my first google search, i started developing symptoms. the more i read, the more symptoms i developed and the more intense they became. i was referred to a neurologist who told me it was nothing but i would need to wait a year and get a follow-up MRI to confirm. i spent that year in panic, convinced that i AT LEAST had MS if not something more serious. i watched videos, read articles and spent time on MS message boards. unsurprisingly, the more i did this, the more intense my symptoms became... and then i got my follow up MRI...

no new lesions. no changes in the size of the original one. no neurological disease, probably related to years of untreated high blood pressure and nothing to worry about... just like the neurologist told me a year earlier. it took a week or two to accept the news, but once i did... nearly all of my symptoms started going away. the constant muscle twitches, numbness, perceived muscle weakness... all of it... caused by my anxiety. those symptoms pop up still, from time to time... but only when my anxiety is really high. anxiety can cause hundreds of physical symptoms.

as for ALS, i watched my ex-father-in-law die from it. from onset of symptoms to death was less than six months. i know people can live years with it, but once symptoms start, they tend to become completely debilitating rapidly.

my best advice is stop researching these diseases IMMEDIATELY. don't google. don't watch youtube videos. don't join facebook groups. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FEED YOUR FEARS... and that's exactly what we're doing when we engage in these behaviors. we're stoking the fire and fueling our anxiety. this behavior will ALWAYS cause more anxiety than it calms.

Anxiousholly · Dec 17, 2019

tobywainwright1 said:
Right so I started a thread on here ages ago about the same issue and I got some reassurance, but the symptoms I was experiencing seemed to have gotten worse. Nobody takes me seriously because obviously when they here MS they think that I'd be in a wheelchair so they're like "you obviously don't" but both MS and ALS (fatal motor neuron disease) have their early symptoms hidden in plain sight. To elaborate my old symptoms which still persist are:

Feeling like I've got a pinched nerve in my left foot that gets worse when it gets colder (this started at the start of this year, pinched nerves are meant to heal naturally within weeks)

Weird constant painless sensations up and down my arm when I lift stuff and flex them, it almost feels like my nerve is being plucked really fast like a guitar string. (I saw a video of a woman with MS who described a sensation in her back the exact same way, honestly almost cried)

Every now and then moving my hands a certain way would cause them to go completely numb and tingly for like 5 seconds.

And here are the new symptoms:

I'm losing my voice slightly but I haven't got a cold or a sore throat

I've been seeing flashes and black spots in not just my peripheral but also directly in front of me.

I'm noticing that I'm making more typos even though I'm certain I've pressed the right key. I'm accidentally pushing buttons on my xbox controller while literally not moving my fingers

Patches of my back are numb to scratch but sore to touch, almost feels like the skin is burnt. (It's not btw, I live in Scotland we hardly ever see enough sun to get sun burnt.)

I keep tripping over nothing, like I'll unintentionally drag my foot walking causing me to trip

Sometimes, more often than normal, I choke on whatever I'm drinking

And finally I feel exhausted all the ******* time.

Could someone maybe share their opinion on my concerns? Should I consult a neurologist or should I just put it down to "anxiety making up symptoms"? At this point I'm at a loss.

Hi can I just say I’ve been suffering with this anxiety for a year too! Ive had a strange nerve feeling in my thumb for over a month now & I only feel it in the cold too! also numbness at night. I also get a feeling like the one u get in ur arms in my foot when I get out of bed in the morning. These symptoms freak me out! But I know that all the other symptoms you have described like tiredness black dots dragging feet typos can most deffinatly be anxiety related. The doctor said my numbness at night was anxiety related but ofc since then the numbness has gotten worse! Xx

Loki83 · Dec 24, 2019

I’ve had similar symptoms and fears. It’s like when I obsess over it I feel a rush to my hands and feet and fingers and toes. Like they get really sensitive and feel weird, maybe numb. It’s like my grip strength is strong and I can use tools and open things, but if I hold stuff for awhile, if I don’t think about holding it slips out of my hand? My fingers feel kind of clumsy, if that makes sense? Twice in the past week I was holding a piece of clothing in the store and it just slipped out of my hand and I didn’t even noticed. It sort of freaked me out, could this be a dumb coincidence I wouldn’t normally pay attention to?

matisworried · Dec 24, 2019

Loki83 said:
I’ve had similar symptoms and fears. It’s like when I obsess over it I feel a rush to my hands and feet and fingers and toes. Like they get really sensitive and feel weird, maybe numb. It’s like my grip strength is strong and I can use tools and open things, but if I hold stuff for awhile, if I don’t think about holding it slips out of my hand? My fingers feel kind of clumsy, if that makes sense? Twice in the past week I was holding a piece of clothing in the store and it just slipped out of my hand and I didn’t even noticed. It sort of freaked me out, could this be a dumb coincidence I wouldn’t normally pay attention to?

this is a combination of anxiety and normal human clumsiness.

remember... totally healthy people drop things all of the time. i do not have MS and i am incredibly clumsy.

magustash · Jan 2, 2020

Have you had your thyroid checked? Some nerve symptoms like twitches tingles/numbness etc can be caused by a thyroid problem.

Convinced I have MS or ALS

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