Brandon713
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2023
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 1
I just want to start off by saying I really appreciate this forum. It’s very informative and definitely an eye opener for myself. I’m a 37 year old married man with 2 boys. Before I start off with naming my symptoms just to inform you guys that I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation in 2010.
I’ve been worrying about my health for the past 2 1/2 years. I think a lot of it have to do with being a caretaker for my mother as I watched her struggle. She had Scleroderma. She transitioned in May 2018. At one time I thought I had scleroderma as well. Some of the symptoms I was having was similar to hers. I thought I had stomach cancer, I thought I had congestive heart failure, I thought I had throat cancer. I’ve had so many doctors appointments, hospital visit, so many blood work and test and everything comes back normal with the exception of me being overweight. My sister told me that I could have health anxiety. At that time I had never heard of it.
Fast forward to May 2023. One night I had a nightmare that I was in the hospital and someone told me you have ALS. I woke up panicking. At that time I didn’t know what ALS was. Instead of going back to sleep, i immediately google ALS and went straight in a rabbit hole. A few days later, I notice one morning that my left arm felt really heavy and weak. I didn’t pay it any mind because sometimes I like sleeping on my arm at night.
A week went by and notice that my arm was still feeling the same. I went back to google and and saw ALS. I was sick to my stomach. I was still able to do my daily task, lift heavy objects, type on the computer, ect. Mentally I was a reck. I couldn’t focus at work or anything with my family. I was always googling and on YouTubing stories and symptoms. Certain videos stuck with me and I was loosing my mind because it seemed identical in what I was going through. Eventually both arms start feeling weak but I was still able to do things. The weakness goes and come.
A few weeks later both of my legs started feeling weak. One Saturday my right calve got extremely tight. I could barley walk. The tightness went to my shins. I went to the ER numerous of times for this manner. All blood work came back normal and they said there was nothing they can do and to make any appointment with a Neurologist. Eventually I started feeling the same tightness in my left leg. The tightness goes and comes. I also have back issues for a few years. My back hasn’t hurt for a while. Hear are my MRI from my back;
L4-L5 disc desiccation annular tear mild to moderate central, stenosis attributed to disc protrusion.
L5-S1: Disc desiccation. Annular tear with associated central discprotrusion with mass effect upon ventral thecal sac. Bilateral facet hypertrophy with resultant bilateral foraminal stenosis
Impression:
1. MILD TO MODERATE SPINAL STENOSIS L4-L5
2. ANNULAR TEAR L4-5 AND L5-S1
3. CENTRAL DISC PROTRUSION L5-S1 WITH MASS EFFECT UPON VENTRAL THECALSAC
4. BILATERAL FORAMINAL STENOSIS L4-5 AND L5-S1
I made an appointment with my neurosurgeon that I was seeing for my Chiari. He did 3 different MRIs: my brain w/o contrast, cervical spine w/o contrast, and thoracic spine w/o contrast. I explained to him my symptoms and all the googling I was doing. He said that I need to stop googling and recommend that I see psychiatrist to help out. Ive been in tune with my health, especially in the last 2 years. No doctor has diagnosed me with Health Anxiety but I think I have it. He confirmed that he seen no signs of ALS in lab work or MRI. He referred me to a Neurologist because he saw that I was still concerned. It’s so hard to get an appointment. I’m still waiting for them to get back with me.
I’ve recently had 3 doctor visit with another neurologist. She was very pleasant, great bed side manners, and she listened to me. Each time she did a physical exam and said I was strong as a bull. She told me that als is about failure not feeling. Her and another doctor performed an emg and everything was normal. I still have symptoms that come and go and I keep thinking I may have it, even after the doctors told me that I’m ok. Right now I’ve been dealing with a burnt, raw, weak feeling in my tongue for over a month. It comes and goes but it’s been consistent for a week. I’m in a slump and lost.
I’ve been worrying about my health for the past 2 1/2 years. I think a lot of it have to do with being a caretaker for my mother as I watched her struggle. She had Scleroderma. She transitioned in May 2018. At one time I thought I had scleroderma as well. Some of the symptoms I was having was similar to hers. I thought I had stomach cancer, I thought I had congestive heart failure, I thought I had throat cancer. I’ve had so many doctors appointments, hospital visit, so many blood work and test and everything comes back normal with the exception of me being overweight. My sister told me that I could have health anxiety. At that time I had never heard of it.
Fast forward to May 2023. One night I had a nightmare that I was in the hospital and someone told me you have ALS. I woke up panicking. At that time I didn’t know what ALS was. Instead of going back to sleep, i immediately google ALS and went straight in a rabbit hole. A few days later, I notice one morning that my left arm felt really heavy and weak. I didn’t pay it any mind because sometimes I like sleeping on my arm at night.
A week went by and notice that my arm was still feeling the same. I went back to google and and saw ALS. I was sick to my stomach. I was still able to do my daily task, lift heavy objects, type on the computer, ect. Mentally I was a reck. I couldn’t focus at work or anything with my family. I was always googling and on YouTubing stories and symptoms. Certain videos stuck with me and I was loosing my mind because it seemed identical in what I was going through. Eventually both arms start feeling weak but I was still able to do things. The weakness goes and come.
A few weeks later both of my legs started feeling weak. One Saturday my right calve got extremely tight. I could barley walk. The tightness went to my shins. I went to the ER numerous of times for this manner. All blood work came back normal and they said there was nothing they can do and to make any appointment with a Neurologist. Eventually I started feeling the same tightness in my left leg. The tightness goes and comes. I also have back issues for a few years. My back hasn’t hurt for a while. Hear are my MRI from my back;
L4-L5 disc desiccation annular tear mild to moderate central, stenosis attributed to disc protrusion.
L5-S1: Disc desiccation. Annular tear with associated central discprotrusion with mass effect upon ventral thecal sac. Bilateral facet hypertrophy with resultant bilateral foraminal stenosis
Impression:
1. MILD TO MODERATE SPINAL STENOSIS L4-L5
2. ANNULAR TEAR L4-5 AND L5-S1
3. CENTRAL DISC PROTRUSION L5-S1 WITH MASS EFFECT UPON VENTRAL THECALSAC
4. BILATERAL FORAMINAL STENOSIS L4-5 AND L5-S1
I made an appointment with my neurosurgeon that I was seeing for my Chiari. He did 3 different MRIs: my brain w/o contrast, cervical spine w/o contrast, and thoracic spine w/o contrast. I explained to him my symptoms and all the googling I was doing. He said that I need to stop googling and recommend that I see psychiatrist to help out. Ive been in tune with my health, especially in the last 2 years. No doctor has diagnosed me with Health Anxiety but I think I have it. He confirmed that he seen no signs of ALS in lab work or MRI. He referred me to a Neurologist because he saw that I was still concerned. It’s so hard to get an appointment. I’m still waiting for them to get back with me.
I’ve recently had 3 doctor visit with another neurologist. She was very pleasant, great bed side manners, and she listened to me. Each time she did a physical exam and said I was strong as a bull. She told me that als is about failure not feeling. Her and another doctor performed an emg and everything was normal. I still have symptoms that come and go and I keep thinking I may have it, even after the doctors told me that I’m ok. Right now I’ve been dealing with a burnt, raw, weak feeling in my tongue for over a month. It comes and goes but it’s been consistent for a week. I’m in a slump and lost.
