Symptoms of MS/ALS? Or just anxiety?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hello everyone, 

I’m a 21 year old male. Around July 9th, I was driving and my finger tips started to have that “pins and needles” feeling and it crept up my left arm the entire way home. Then my left leg started to feel heavy a day or two after and then the rest of the left side of my body followed suit. If you draw a line down my body, the entire left side just feels heavy and “disconnected” from my right. There’s some muscles in my leg I can’t flex as hard as the ones on my right. My face is the same way along with my arm. It’s been this way for three weeks. About a week and a half to two weeks ago, I started to get muscle twitches throughout my body and they’re literally everywhere. The twitches usually occur when I’m laying down or not moving like when I’m sitting at a table. I’m also quite tired. 

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I’ve had blood work done, 2 chest x-rays, and an EMG and everything has some back clean. The muscle twitches and the “disconnected” feeling is really freaking me out. My doctor says he doesn’t think anymore testing is needed right now and I’m still over a month away from seeing a neurologist. Could this be MS? ALS? Just anxiety? I’m looking for answers because doctors aren’t really giving me anything but a cold shoulder. 

Thanks!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    I believe you definitely need to see a Neurologist but a good one and one that you can trust. In the last 4 years I had a real bad stretch of neurological issues. I believe if I would have paid a lot more attention to some of the symptoms I had been experiencing in 2011 I, most likely, would not be 100% disabled, only a guess. But those same symptoms continued to get worse with more severity with additional symptoms. But the time I had finally explained to my doctor 3-years ago all the symptoms I had been experiencing since 2011, they did an MRI and found out I had been having Multiple Lacunar Strokes on the right side of my brain. It was just a couple of months after that I began having horrific headaches, sometimes lasting for 3-days where I couldn't get any sleep, I had dizziness issues, balance issues and I began falling down more frequently, these 3-symptoms started in 2011, but now they are happening 24/7 along with the headaches. So my doctor refers me to my first Neurologist. He doesn't take the time to look at any of the MRI copies that were made or read through any of my paperwork. He asked me a few questions and says, "you are experiencing migraine headaches." I said the headaches are what's causing all my other symptoms? He says yes and gives me a prescription for headache pills. My wife and I look at each other because she knows I'm about ready to shove my cane up this guys butt so far up that he will have permanent headaches. So we leave. A couple weeks later I began having seizures but at the time we didn't know they were seizures so while I'm having one of these episodes my wife films me with her camera phone. I happen to have an appointment with my cardiologist a couple days later He asks how everything is going I said fine and my wife says fine? And she pulled out her phone and shows my doctor what she filmed. He says you need to take him to the hospital right now, I will call ahead and let the neurologist know you are coming. So we go, we see the neurologist he watches the video of me and says that's a seizure. So they admit me, took MRI and CT Scans, they placed some electronic device on my head all night long. I was diagnosed with having 2 Ischemic Thrombosis Strokes, Complex Partial Seizure Disorders and Simple Partial Seizure Disorder, White Brain Matter and Cerebrovascular disease. That All happened about 2 years ago or so. And this other neurologist said I was having migraine headaches. I left out in total ive seen 5 different Neurologists. Everything I have I kind of under control. I still deal with dizziness, headaches, balance issues and falling down 24/7. My Neurologist says it's because of my White Brain Matter. I have memory loss and I stutter and there are times that I don't know where I am at, I get all turned around. Once when I was in the hospital I had woken up and I literally didn't know where I was at, I had to call my son and I asked him where I was at and he said dad you are in the hospital and I had to talk to my wife to assure me. Those times are really scary. But my seizures are under control, pretty much everything is ok. When you see the neurologist and you don't trust him or whatever see as many as you need to see, you are very young and your whole life is ahead. This is your life don't let any doctor mess it up for you.

  • Posted

    Hi man hope your doing better.

    I can totatly understand what your going through...my symptoms started similarly around 6 months ago I was 29 at the time.

    I didn't think much of it for the first few weeks putting it down to maybe a virus or something,I have also had all the Neuro work up without any success...dont let them put it down to anxitey,this is what they do if they can't find anything.Im now leaning towards a form of neuropathy and waiting for the skin biopsy results to rule in or out.

    Let me know how your getting along.

    • Posted

      Hey!

      I feel pretty much the same. My memory is pretty awful at times. I can’t really tell what triggers my twitches and what doesn’t. There was a day or two this past week when I only had 3-4 and the rest, I had them all day. Like I said, I still can’t tell when they happen the most or what triggers them, though. 

      I’m still about a month away from seeing a neurologist which sucks. I’m struggling to isolate my vastus medialis muscle which is a little concerning, but it could be completely unrelated. I can flex it if I flex my entire thigh but again, can’t isolate it compared to my right. 

      I’m also having some minor depression/unmotivated days as well which sucks more than anything else, honestly. I can’t tell if it’s because of this or not. I went to see an internal medicine doctor earlier this week and they did a quick exam and said, “You need to see a neurologist”. Like, I know that. I wanted a second opinion. I’m debating on making an appointment with my primary care doctor again and seeing if there is anything more that can be done before the neurologist appointment. It sucks because I move back to campus soon so I don’t have much free time on my hands.

      Any suggestions?  

  • Posted

    I'm also having alot of neuro issues with cognitive issues long and short term memory loss. Twitches ,tremors 24/7 that wont even allow me to close my eyes and sleep I'm tired of doctors and my body is extreme fatigued trying to survive all my symptoms. Doctors can't find anything so they blame anxiety for it but anxiety does not give you alzeimers and that's what it feels like it. Alot of ppl have been complaining about neuro issues. To me it all started after taking antibiotics go figure. Antibiotics ??lyme?? If you search ppl with neuro decline from meds there's a bunch suffering from it and also if you search lyme disease they have the same symptoms. So wich is wich ?? I'm tired of everything. Nothing exists in my mind except extreme confusion and a fuzzy dark cloud in it im on survival mode literally it's no joke I've been in bed for 4months I have 2 Yong kids and can't do anything with them I feel brain dead only ppl in my situation understand what we go through its hard for the outsiders to understand if you know what I mean.

    • Posted

      I know exactly what you mean. Do me a favor do me the best you can to list all your symptoms for me, don't describe, just list them. I forced myself to do the same thing and I had 11 symptoms :

      1) Short term memory loss

      2) Communication

      3) Apathy

      4) Depression

      5) Confusion

      6) mood swings

      7) Vision issues

      8) Sleep disorders/Insomnia

      9) Roaming at night

      10) Judgement

      11) Difficulty following a story line watching a movie or tv show or reading a book.

      I would like you to take your time and use any single words that would best give a title to your Neurological Symptoms. You may identify with some I have and maybe not like for instance you may be really tired during the day, more then someone should be and it's been happening for a while so one of your symptoms will be "Daytime Fatigue." Things like that, that would best give a title description to your ongoing symptoms. There's a specific reason why I'm doing this but I want to wait until you send me your list. Second, on your list rate your symptoms from the worst to not the worst just by placing them in numerical order. I'd like for you to private message me please as well. Thanks, I will do the best I can to help because we are all in this together.

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