Could anxiety be causing this?

[breezie]

Of course my fear is bulbar ALS and I made the mistake of inspecting my tongue. Twitching or quivering don't bother me much but when I barely stick my tongue out without "flexing" it, it looks like worms or waves under the skin. Of course I read that is ALS and I don't read where others really have the benignly. Is this something my anxiety could be causing? My kids tongues both move a lot like mine but the wave worm look thing I've read is ALS. 😕

[tan235]

I have read so much about Als as I'm currently terrified I may have it and I haven't read anywhere about a worm tongue?!
What do you mean exactly?
I've had a twitching eye for two months and now just twitched everywhere and pain and couldn't swallow a couple of times!

[breezie]

Tan it just means the way the tongue moves...like instead of quivering or twitching, it kinda wiggles, so they say it looks like worms under the surface.

But don't worry about eye twitching. I've had that many times in my life and it always passes. And obviously with all symptoms, the more we focus on them the worse they get. And the more I think about swallowing the more impossible it feels.

[tan235]

I just looked at my tongue and not sure what my tongue does!
I really don't think it's an als symptom though.... Thanks for the support and likewise for you - you're fine!

[melfish]

Are you SURE it's moving like that? "Wriggling like a bag of tiny worms" is something you read on ALS boards ... Also, sticking your tongue out is not the way a neuro would look at it. You know that. It'd be in your mouth and fully at rest.

I totally get your fear. I was examining my tongue every time I encountered a reflective surface. (Then I started avoiding reflective surfaces.) And I did not like what I saw in the movement department. Then I noticed other strange tongue things, and then I couldn't speak right, and then my swallow was difficult. And all the while I was reading those boards ...

[Fishmanpa]

Speech and swallowing issues

Many visitors fear bulbar onset. Generally speaking the first symptom of bulbar is slurred speech because the tongue does not work correctly. Sore throat, scratchy voice, food getting stuck are not bulbar symptoms and should be addressed by your doctor as they may indicate another issue but are NOT ALS. Saliva issues occur late in bulbar disease and noting excess saliva is NOT a sign of bulbar onset. The slurred speech of bulbar onset is persistent not a one- time or rare occurrence and will be noticed by others. If you are not being asked " are you drunk?" it is a good sign!

Complaints of difficulty swallowing and or a lump/ something in the throat are very common among our DIHALS visitors. Please look up globus and learn that it is a very common complaint especially among the stressed

Special note of tongue twitches. First if you stick out your tongue it will twitch. Neurologists examine our tongues at rest if they are looking for tongue fasciculations and those fasciculations are persistent not an occasional twitch. If you have been trying to examine your tongue stop!

Positive thoughts

[breezie]

Thankfully my best friend brought me back down to reality last night by sending me a video of her tongue (bless her heart) and it looked like mine. So that feels better. Now if only I could forget about my tongue being my mouth and my hyperfocus on my speech feeling weird (Bc of this stupid tongue in my mouth lol). I did start reading a book about stopping my HA last night and truthfully it made me more anxious...like well this authors symptoms clearly aren't real but mine are. That kind of nonsense. And I'm waiting on an appt for a therapy appt. they should call back today to set it up. Lord knows I need that!

[melfish]

I'm confused. So your best friend's tongue wriggles too?

[breezie]

I'm confused. So your best friend's tongue wriggles too?

Yes! Just like mine! Except she isn't concerned about als lol.

[melfish]

She is lucky. I wish my brain worked like a normie