Another twitcher worried about ALS :(

[Dentalmaniac]

New to this forum, but not new to HA by any means. Have had multiple stints of heart health fear and cancer fears for the last 18 plus years. None have been as devastating as this latest rabbit hole of ALS.

Started with a few twitches behind my shoulder for some time and I looked up dr. google. As i was looking up I was telling myself not to....but alas :( As soon as I came across ALS I thought well now just because of what I've read, I'm sure I'll start twitching all over....sure enough that followed.

Started feeling my left arm wasn't as strong as my right now and started doing all sorts of tests. Started doing dumbells with my left arm and sure enough couldn't do as many with left as I could with right (am right handed), so perhaps should not have been a surprise.

All this started two and a half months ago. I have been twitching all over all this time. About three weeks ago, my husband said well you talk about twitching all over and i do see this weird sensation on your chin....well sure enough i look in the mirror and see my muscle twitching right under my lip. this twitch i wasn't even feeling and it was twitching non stop. That went on for a week and then stopped itself. i was happy but then I noticed a weird sensation in my gums and sort of felt like my ear and jaw were getting tight. i get this feeling all throughout the day on and off. Well a couple of days ago, I started feeling like I'm slurring and now there's no way I can calm myself down :( I'm desperate and just looking for some reassurance from someone who has experienced all this. Scared beyond words at this time!

[2anxious4this]

Hi im dealing with an ALS fear as well. I get teitches all over but mainly my right leg. Ive read that anxiety can cause these symptoms and my doctor has confirmed that as well, although its hard to accept due to anxiety. Anxiety can cause perceived weakness, which is where it might feel weak, but it truly isnt. Have you seen a doctor?

[fidgetninja]

Hi Dentalmaniac - have you check out the posted sticky on why you don't have ALS? Might be helpful! I'm often twitching, and yes, have also managed to convince myself that my speech was slurring (it's not - you're just over thinking it). As I've seen around the forum, ALS is about failing, not feeling. This is from an ALS Support page:

"ALS is about failure—falling down, being unable to stand on your toes, being unable to button your shirt, being unable to lift your hand, etc. It is not about these things becoming more difficult. It is about these things being impossible… no matter how hard you try. If you can do normal things, but it is more difficult, you do not have ALS. If you used to be able to do 100 curls and now one arm can only do 50; that is not ALS. If you used to run 2 miles and now you can only run 1; that is not ALS. If you used to run 2 miles and now you can’t lift up one of your feet, you may have clinical weakness.

It really does happen that something stops working all of a sudden. It is generally one muscle so it will not be a whole limb but the movement done by that muscle is suddenly gone. An example is a calf raise. It won't happen. Think of it like your wifi signal. You are surfing the net, then signal is lost and you can't do anything online no matter how hard you try or how long you wait for a page to load. This is what happens to a muscle in beginning ALS it has lost the signal from the nervous system that tells it to work."

So the fact that you maybe can't do as many exercises on your left side is not indicative of ALS.

This is also from the page:

"If you have muscle twitching and the internet says that is a symptom of ALS, pay attention. Twitching (fasciculations) is sometimes a symptom of ongoing ALS. It is seldom, if ever, a first symptom of ALS (especially if it is all over your body). Twitching is very common and is frequently caused by too much caffeine, Rx meds, fatigue, over-exertion, anxiety, stress, and many other common causes If you have twitching without clinical weakness, atrophy or hyperreflexia, your twitching is probably not from ALS, which is a very, very rare disease.. "

Your twitching is not ALS - it could be anxiety, stress, vitamin deficiency, etc. I twitch all the time and I don't have ALS.

The ear and jaw have lots of tiny muscles around them that tighten and constrict when anxious and I highly suspect that is the "tight" feeling you feel. Happens to me quite frequently.

[Kingdawson]

Near enough every human in the world twitches. Previously i was scared of it but now I rarely think about it. My body wide random twitches coincides with my health anxiety being really high AND gaining weight and bulking up quite considerably in the gym so I think a combination of the 2 but who knows.

[Dentalmaniac]

Hi all, thanks for your responses. I am a super anxious person and obsess over any symptom. My latest one today is my right arm at a very specific angle as I'm working on my computer just starts vibrating. I am hoping this is not an ominous sign!

[elasticheart83]

I’ve had ALS worries in the past too... I’m not sure how old you are but if you are younger than 45 it is almost impossible to get ALS and even more unlikely if you’re under 35. I don’t have the exact statistics but I remember reading somewhere that you are more likely to get hit by an asteroid than be diagnosed with ALS before middle age. It is also less common in women. And of course even if you are older it is still an extremely rare disease. I can totally empathize with your health anxiety though.

[Dentalmaniac]

Hi elasticheart I am past 45 now:( 48 to be exact. I am starting to really panic now! Will be making an appointment with my doctor soon. This has been going on for 3 months now.

[elasticheart83]

Hi elasticheart I am past 45 now:( 48 to be exact. I am starting to really panic now! Will be making an appointment with my doctor soon. This has been going on for 3 months now.

Still, you would be young for ALS and most sufferers are male. I still think it is extremely unlikely. Try not to worry about this very rare disease (I know it’s hard not to though, as we all here worry about unlikely diseases). Keep in mind that twitching is a very common stress/anxiety symptom. Let us know how everything goes. *hugs*

[Kingdawson]

Hi all, thanks for your responses. I am a super anxious person and obsess over any symptom. My latest one today is my right arm at a very specific angle as I'm working on my computer just starts vibrating. I am hoping this is not an ominous sign!

None of what you mentioned sounds anything like ALS.

[Fishmanpa]

Please read this as often as you need to. You use the word "feeling" in your post and the simple fact that ALS is about "failing" not "feeling" blows this out of the water.

Positive thoughts