Worried, new sub, looking for some reassurance.

[Nvalhalla]

I wanna thank anyone who happens to reply to this first off.

So back in October 2018 I had a bout of tingling feet. It lasted about a week and would come and go, I attempted to link it with a back issue and newly doing a lot of biking.

Then the stomach pains came in November . I had these fully investigated with an endoscopy/colonoscopy and everything came back crystal clear, other than some esophageal irritation/erosion, in which I was prescibed a PPI and didn’t take.

Fast forward to January 2019, I was getting random bouts of nausea so my GI recommended an MRI. After speaking with my PCP about the nausea and feet tingling, she decided to add contrast to the MRI, in which it showed a small white blimp on my left frontal lobe.

This led me to a neurologist and obviously the long google dive into MS/ALS. On top of this I had my hormone levels tested and they were very very low which could explain the elevated stress and weakness. (I was put on TRT, at 27 years old).

Anyway, saw a neurologist who did a clinical exam and then decided to do an MRI of c-spine and EMG of my right arm.

Both came back crystal clear, and he told me I do not need to return for a follow up, but I continued to google als symptoms.

Then the twitching started. Mostly in calves, sometimes random in the chest arms, elbow, back. Just light random twitches.

I will mention I weight train very heavy 6 days a week, to the point of torture just to prove to myself I’m not getting weaker.

However now I feel stiffness in my pointer and thumb fingers along with calve and quad stiffness that comes and goes. In fact I just ran and my shins and calves hurt (probably doesn’t help I’m 220lb, pretty muscular and don’t run often).

Whats really freaking me out is I’ve had some intermittent throat tightness and my tounge just feeling to big for my mouth. Along with constant phlegm swallowing. In fact twice in the past two day I had water “go down the wrong pipe in which I coughed immediately. I am hoping it’s a combo of asthma and acid reflux, but I’m not getting the burning sensations.

My doctor said it’s likely sinusitis/reflux and prescribed an antibiotic and ppi but my nose is clear and I’m still experiencing the phlegm with swallowing.

Looking for help and reassurance. I know I have HA, I just wish I knew I didn’t have ALS/MND.

I am seeing a therapist and using some anti anxiety meds temporarily.

Thank you.

[ankietyjoe]

The first thing to understand is that if you google symptoms, you will NEVER stop worrying about any possible sensation that you experience. Your brain WILL just make up worst case scenarios. Not googling is the most powerful first step you can undertake.

In your post you have explained away almost everything you have experienced anyway, heavy exercise etc.

You are describing vague, common symptoms that come and go over time. This is part of the human condition. Sometimes we feel off, ill, tired etc.

The fundamental issue here is your habit of worrying and checking (it's common, we all do/did it). Change those habits, and you'll feel a lot better. Never, ever google. That's the first step.

[Fishmanpa]

I will mention I weight train very heavy 6 days a week, to the point of torture just to prove to myself I’m not getting weaker.

Proof it's not ALS right there. Read THIS (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?196071-ALS-and-why-you-DON-T-have-it!) as often as you need to. I'll emphasize this part...

Clinical Weakness—ALS is about failing, not feeling.

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


I want to add that heavyweight training 6 days a week is not recommended in general as you're not giving your body and muscles a chance to heal which is in reality contributing to the increased physical anxiety symptoms.

Positive thoughts

[Nvalhalla]

First off thank you so much for replying me. It helps me so much.

I’ve just been freaking out lately because of the bodily twitching, and I’ve had reoccurring water “going down the wrong pipe”.

This morning I woke up, took the dog out, and went back to bed to feel my body twitching going haywire. I fell back asleep and woke up from a horrible nightmare that I could talk or hear and my wife was laughing at me. I woke up gasping and very alarmed.

This especially I think points to anxiety. Woke up, felt more twitching at rest, then had a nightmare.

Decided I was gonna make the day better and went to the gym and benched 345lb even tho my wrist and hands sort of ached when I woke up. Now they feel fine.

I’m just sort of bent up about the amount of mucus I’m producing/swallowing along with the off throat/tounge feelings.

Again thank you for replying. It really means a lot. I am seeing a therapist for anxiety! But once a week just doesn’t seem to be enough.


Oh ps I was googling hard before going to bed. Could explain the very anxious morning.

[Nvalhalla]

Today sometime after training shoulders I had a ryhtmic vibration sensation inside my right shoulder. It would not go away until I laid down to rest and used some anti anxiety medication.

Anyone ever have this?

[ankietyjoe]

I missed your last post, but benching 345lb is not a good idea if you are suffering with anxiety. Anxiety is triggered mostly by stress, and even though on the face of it exercise is good, heavy compound lifts are monumentally stressful on the system.

I would strongly (lol) suggest dropping down to 50% of 1RM and not going to full failure. You're not going to 'lose gains', but you will keep your muscles active at a much lower intensity.

Every single symptom you mentioned is bang on for anxiety, and extremely common. Over stressing your body physically is as bad (was actually worse for me) than mentally. Your are triggering your body to respond to physical trauma, which it does not like.

[Nvalhalla]

Funny you mention that, I took two days off which I never do.

Twitching lessened quite significantly.

But now my anxiety is focusing on things I can’t control like my tounge. And I’m noticing myself dropping stuff.

Just keep telling myself it’s abour failure not being clumsy.

Thanks for your help!