Extremely fearful that I have ALS, have been having symptoms for 3 months now, been to pcp who thinks I’m fine. Symptoms continue to worsen. Have a history of extreme health anxiety, have convinced myself of colon, lung, and bone cancers all within the last year. They all presented symptoms that got worse until a test proved otherwise. Here I am again thinking this is it and it’s real this time, it is real to me. My symptoms are fatigue in arms and lower legs, twitching in left foot, pain in arches of both feet. Any help or advice greatly appreciated. In panic mode. Ruining daily life.
ALS Fear- severe health anxiety history
- Thread starter Titus1229
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Hey there. I’ve gone down the same road with fears of AlS, cancer, etc. We tend to pick these super scary diseases to obsess over so I think that’s why so many people on this forum and other places are always talking about these same few diseases. It’s super hard to do but you’ll have to figure out a way to keep telling yourself this is all in your head. I suffer from the same thing and have come up with countless diseases over the years. I couldn’t even count them anymore, nor do I want to try. You said you saw a doctor about this and they said you’re fine so you will just have to trust that. They go to school for a really long time to know these things and see hundreds of patients a year so they’ve seen it all.
Hello. I too suffer from debilitating health anxiety. I am terrified of of getting. I have been battle the thought of of getting ALS for 10 years. I have had all types of symptoms throughout the years: Muscle weakness in arms and Legs, buzzing sensation in my legs, twitching in my back and thighs and calfs... which I've had for the past 2 and a 1/2 years. My new symptoms are aching legs and aching at the bottom of my feet. I now fear bone cancer. My Doctor told me that it's mainly perceived weakness not actual weakness. I hope you're feeling better today.
Also, I’m new to this site and having a hard time navigating. Can I get some help please? How do I post or chat? Thank you.
HeleenaReese
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It is really hard to have an Anxiety or Depression.
This is one of the hardest battles that a man can have, this is a battle with your own mind and you feel like you're drowning and helpless.
This is just my two cents.
I had anxiety when I was 13 years old, because of my childhood and now I am close to healing. Don't be afraid to open your feelings to other people as this is what you need a good listener, and a good companion to make you feel you're not alone.
Another thing is a supplement that I am taking until now, it really helped me a lot. My own doctor advised me to look for Noopept and I saw it online https://rawpowders.co.uk/en/shop-by-category/nootropics/raw-powders-noopept it helped me with my memory, with my sleep and also it helps me fight my anxiety and depression.
I usually order mine via Amazon but I just saw that link when I online last week and I just received my order after 5 days ago.
This is one of the hardest battles that a man can have, this is a battle with your own mind and you feel like you're drowning and helpless.
This is just my two cents.
I had anxiety when I was 13 years old, because of my childhood and now I am close to healing. Don't be afraid to open your feelings to other people as this is what you need a good listener, and a good companion to make you feel you're not alone.
Another thing is a supplement that I am taking until now, it really helped me a lot. My own doctor advised me to look for Noopept and I saw it online https://rawpowders.co.uk/en/shop-by-category/nootropics/raw-powders-noopept it helped me with my memory, with my sleep and also it helps me fight my anxiety and depression.
I usually order mine via Amazon but I just saw that link when I online last week and I just received my order after 5 days ago.
Really don’t have anyone to talk to about it, wife is so frustrated with me about it and all the money I spend going to the doctor. Get in arguments every time I bring something up. Seeing therapist but it’s really expensive so I don’t go as often as I should. I’m on here because it helps to be able to voice my issues with people who don’t think I’m crazy. I just want to feel good and enjoy the great blessings I have. Anxiety clouds it all. I maybe get an hour of the day where I am free from it. Health anxiety specifically has destroyed the last year of my life. Before that it was related to other things and spread out.
I've been where you are time and time again. You just have to try to convince yourself that you don't have ALS every day. I felt like if I didn't get off that rollercoaster of believing that I had ALS I was going to drive myself absolutely mad! So everyday I would start my mornings by saying "you do not have ALS" and I kept myself busy with work and my children. I also would take out my yoga mat and would stretch every muscle in my body and tried to look at my body as my friend and not my enemy...just reconnect with your body and be grateful that you have control of your body instead of trying to convince yourself that you don't. I'm connvinced that I will probably always suffer from health anxiety but I'd like to get to a place where I'm not consumed by it. At the moment I've convinced myself that I have bone cancer. I'm working though this by utilizing the same techniques that I used for when I thought I had ALS. On a lighter note, today I was watching funny videos with my twelve-year-old son on YouTube and I could not stop laughing! I swear I feel so much lighter from all that laughter. So from here on out I'm going to start watching funny movies/videos whenever I feel I need to take a load off. Wishing you all the best.
Thank you! Great advice, I started off fighting this by killing myself in the weight room trying to prove to myself whether I have this disease or not. I’ve done more harm than good as it was a shock to my body all I put it through, which “ I’m hoping” has increased my symptoms. Work and stress seem to make my symptoms worse, when I’m home and without responsibility they lessen. Clearly can’t live life without work/stress so hopefully proper meds can fill the gaps. Thank you for your advice and kind words.
Ageless50- I’m starting to move passed the ALS fear in the last month I’ve started to have severe back pain lower, middle and neck. I’ve not lost function in limbs at this point which I feel would have indicated ALS by now? I do have radiating pain down my right arm into my hand and the pain in my back is keeping me from sleeping. I’m starting to convince myself of some kind of spinal tumor now. I’ve gone to the chiropractor and xrays show lateral curving of my spine, freaking out because I feel that scoliosis is caused by neuromuscular disease or cancer in my spine. My wife is sick of me and I feel is on the verge of leaving because of my obsessiveness over all this. I’m st my wits end.
Titus,
truly sorry to hear what you’re going thru. I’ve put my wife thru a lot this past year, as well. At first she was annoyed and frustrated with me but after a while I had to sit her down and explain that her negativity does more harm than good.
I’m too prettified of ALS. Almost every day I fear I have it even when countless doctors have told me I do not have it (even with countless tests, the EMG, the golf standard for diagnosing). I was first worried I had MS and when my results came back negative for that I dove into Mr. Google and stumbled upon this wretched disease. I have cramp-like pain at the bottom of my feet, I have twitching, I have muscle fatigue, I have full ache ALL OVER (top of my hands and feet, calves, and more and have had NYC best neurologists say I do not have ALS. They actually tell me to seek psychotherapy and anxiety medication. I hope this helps, I hope this sheds light that anxiety can cause strange symptoms and also similar to what others are experiencing.
truly sorry to hear what you’re going thru. I’ve put my wife thru a lot this past year, as well. At first she was annoyed and frustrated with me but after a while I had to sit her down and explain that her negativity does more harm than good.
I’m too prettified of ALS. Almost every day I fear I have it even when countless doctors have told me I do not have it (even with countless tests, the EMG, the golf standard for diagnosing). I was first worried I had MS and when my results came back negative for that I dove into Mr. Google and stumbled upon this wretched disease. I have cramp-like pain at the bottom of my feet, I have twitching, I have muscle fatigue, I have full ache ALL OVER (top of my hands and feet, calves, and more and have had NYC best neurologists say I do not have ALS. They actually tell me to seek psychotherapy and anxiety medication. I hope this helps, I hope this sheds light that anxiety can cause strange symptoms and also similar to what others are experiencing.
I feel sad that you're going through that. I too feel that I put my partner through a lot and fear that one day it will take a toll on our marriage...but he reassures me that he will be by my side every step of the way. I'm beginning to realize that health anxiety is about control. We can't control anything that will and could happen. That is what I say to myself every day. I want to enjoy my life and stop sitting around waiting for something to go wrong because something will eventually.
My mother said something really profound to me the other day. She said "I wonder how you would behave if something was really wrong with you." Hope you're having a good day...
My biggest thought these days that drives my obsession is the fear of hearing the words “if we would’ve caught it earlier”. So every ache, pain, cough, I think it could be serious and I want to go to the doctor to get it checked. The stories I read of people who ignore a simple symptom and it turns out stage 4 cancer. I wish there was a yearly total body screening you could do to detect cancer. I’ve just been this way for a little over a year, I feel it’s a combination of getting older and knowing people that are going through terminal illness. Having two young kids I don’t want them growing up without their dad I don’t want to see them sad. That’s my biggest fear, I don’t want to see them go through that.
Titus I think we can all relate to this. Ppl suffering from health anxiety think deeply about the future and how potential illnesses can affect their loved ones lives. I’m convinced I have all these diseases dispite doctors telling me I’m fine.. it’s out of our control what happens to us but what you can control is what you eat, your sleep patterns, exercise etc. Combat your fears with research on how to prevent the diseases that scare you most. Maybe supplementation of a vitamin will lower your risk of a certain disease. Good luck