Worried about MS or ALS.

[Concerned-pa]

I'm 34, male, married with two beautiful boys. I've been fairly healthy and active my whole life. I've been battling a bulging disc in my lower back since 2007 that gets irritated a few times a year. Flash back to middle of February and ai aggravated it again, but then again went to pick up my oldest one night and it put me on my knees. It felt like I really messed it up. I couldn't sit very easily for the next day. Eventually, a few days passed and all was good.


Then a few days later, I woke up with tingling in my right leg and foot. Thought nothing of it only to have it return again the next day. It was never debilitating level tingling, just subtle tingles. Then a few nights later, it started in my arms.
That always happened when lying down and would get better after being upright.

I went to my GP who did bloodwork and an XRay and all was good except my Xray showed a straightening of my lumbar region. Then a few days later I started feeling cramping and tightness in my left bicep that would come and go. We were able to schedule a brain MRI but my insurance declined the back until I complete PT. My brain MRI back clean for everything (which can possibly rule out MS but still unsure).

In addition to all of this, I get off and on scratch or prick feelings randomly on my body like as if something is stuck to the inside of my clothes. It's nit daily, but comes and goes. Of course, I start panicking about nerves failing.

I've also noticed my right leg getting fatigued when out running around with my oldest. It never fails, but it's like it would feel after leg days when lifting and it's usually in my thiggt or just above my knee cap. This symptom plua the spasms my chiropractor notes on my back worries me about ALS.

I do go in for an EMG on the 5th, but I can't take my mind off all of this. I know most here may say it's stress, but I honestly don't feel like this all started during a stressful time.

Any insight.from people in my shoes would be great.

 

[JADIII]

Having researched this extensively and having had an EMG from what you describe it's not ALS. With ALS there is no pain at all, something just doesnt work. It would be like you want to pick up your finger and it just wont pick up. From what you're describing I 100% guarantee you do not have ALS.

 

[Concerned-pa]

Yeah but I just have to really wonder what would be causing a noticeable feeling in my knee and thigh region on my right leg only. There is no failure noticeable yet but I can definitely feel something in my knee thigh region that just seems annoyingly there.

 

[JADIII]

Here's what I know from EXTENSIVE research, etc. Feeling is not the thing you should be looking at, it's failing. Feeling has NOTHING to do with ALS. Also, from what I've researched and been told by a neuro, ALS starts in the toes/fingers (extremeties) and slowly works its way towards larger muscle groups. For example, you wouldnt be able to stand on your toes with shoes off, button a shirt, etc. I also thought, wouldnt there be some kind of feeling that it's failing and it won't work soon. No, that's not the way ALS works, it just stops all of a sudden. It's not like one day your running 5 miles and the next day 3 and then 1, it's all of a sudden. Hope that helps.

 

[Ruke343]

I'm 34, male, married with two beautiful boys. I've been fairly healthy and active my whole life. I've been battling a bulging disc in my lower back since 2007 that gets irritated a few times a year. Flash back to middle of February and ai aggravated it again, but then again went to pick up my oldest one night and it put me on my knees. It felt like I really messed it up. I couldn't sit very easily for the next day. Eventually, a few days passed and all was good.


Then a few days later, I woke up with tingling in my right leg and foot. Thought nothing of it only to have it return again the next day. It was never debilitating level tingling, just subtle tingles. Then a few nights later, it started in my arms.
That always happened when lying down and would get better after being upright.

I went to my GP who did bloodwork and an XRay and all was good except my Xray showed a straightening of my lumbar region. Then a few days later I started feeling cramping and tightness in my left bicep that would come and go. We were able to schedule a brain MRI but my insurance declined the back until I complete PT. My brain MRI back clean for everything (which can possibly rule out MS but still unsure).

In addition to all of this, I get off and on scratch or prick feelings randomly on my body like as if something is stuck to the inside of my clothes. It's nit daily, but comes and goes. Of course, I start panicking about nerves failing.

I've also noticed my right leg getting fatigued when out running around with my oldest. It never fails, but it's like it would feel after leg days when lifting and it's usually in my thiggt or just above my knee cap. This symptom plua the spasms my chiropractor notes on my back worries me about ALS.

I do go in for an EMG on the 5th, but I can't take my mind off all of this. I know most here may say it's stress, but I honestly don't feel like this all started during a stressful time.

Any insight.from people in my shoes would be great.

Does anyone in your family suffer from Ms or also?

 

[Concerned-pa]

Does anyone in your family suffer from Ms or also?

No. No one in my family has it, nor do we know of anyone who has it.

I’m 95% sure it’s not MS. I’ve been tested a lot since this post, and met with a neurologist. I do still have occasional ALS fears, and we discovered a skipped beat in my heart during my neurology appointment. Had to wear a monitor for 48hrs. Awaiting results.

 

[Ruke343]

Yeah, those are really benign and very common, even athletes have them! Even I get them when I'm going through some anxiety.

 

[Concerned-pa]

Yeah, those are really benign and very common, even athletes have them! Even I get them when I'm going through some anxiety.

Even if they happen after every few beats then not for a while then again? My holter monitor said I was "borderline" according to the nurse. The PA wasn't in at the time, so I have no idea what that means.

 

[Ruke343]

Oh yeah, they're caused by too much stress. Something is bothering you somewhere or you're too tense. Borderline is pretty much normal. You'll get a weird reading like that for no reason. All of my EKGs say "Borderline". If you're stressed and you get an ekg or are suffering from some type of anxiety you'll get that reading. It really doesn't mean anything and certainly not bad at all! I workout band run all the time and I have zero issues. I promise it's all in your head. Take those thoughts and put them somewhere else. Don't listen to them so much and your body won't search for things that aren't there!