View Full Version : Als worry going out of my mind
Braveheart1984
10-02-21, 23:08
I feel really stupid writing this but I have suffered all my life with health anxiety but been fine for a good while now , 3 weeks ago my friend was diagnosed with mnd since then I have obviously googled what it was as didn’t really no much about it and since then I have had a twitch that won’t go away above my nose and In other parts of the body and now I feel like I am slurring some words and numb around the mouth I have asked friends if I sound different but they say no the same but feel I can’t pronounce some words properly and find myself reading paragraphs and struggling with some words , I’m so confused to if I should be worrying about mnd or if health anxiety can really cause all these symptoms , because I haven’t been hyperventilating or having attacks I have just been thinking and googling a lot
If you look through the threads, you'll see you're definitely not alone and you definitely don't have anything medically wrong, just like everyone else that posts about this fear.
Read THIS (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?232384-ALS-and-why-you-DON-T-have-it!) as often as you need to.
Positive thoughts
Braveheart1984
11-02-21, 05:40
Read through that for the last couple of days and it says speech can be the first thing to to start slurring so it didn’t really help :(
Braveheart1984
11-02-21, 07:30
Anyone else who has maybe had these symptoms or can explain more how anxiety actually is causing me to think my speech is slurring ?
It is so obvious what is happening here. You are hyper aware because of your poor friend. You noticed these symptoms AFTER you started looking for them. I have been down the als rabbit hole (and still hover dangerously close to it!!) so I know how easily this can happen. I think I can be entirely confident in saying you DONT have it; given it’s rarity and how the symptoms developed AFTER your worry.
Ps. If you search my posts you will find that I too have worried about slurring (and still do when I think about it). My ALS worry got so bad, I eventually ended up in front of a neurologist. So I know from personal experience how ALS symptoms can very much be triggered by a combination of hyper awareness and anxiety.
Braveheart1984
11-02-21, 09:53
Thank you for taking the time to get back to me , think I will just have to work out how to forget about it just hard when the symptoms are happening all day every day :(I will have a look now at your posts and thank you again
Yes. All you can do is wait, and over time the fear will lesson. But while it is happening, it can be unbearable. So I feel for you very much.....
Read through that for the last couple of days and it says speech can be the first thing to to start slurring so it didn’t really help :(
It says nothing of the sort!
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!
Positive thoughts
Braveheart1984
11-02-21, 15:58
I’m a little confused the 4th line down says slurred speech is the first sign and that is what I think I have ?
I’m a little confused the 4th line down says slurred speech is the first sign and that is what I think I have ?
Braveheart... Respectfully.... I know you're new to the forum but I've been around for many years and have replied to pages of this fear. Not one person in all that time had ALS or MND. Not. One! You "think" you have slurred speech. Slurred speech due to ALS is caused by your tongue not working and actually failing. It wouldn't be sporadic or here and there. It would be all the time. People would notice. The same would be if it were any other part of your body. The muscle stops working. Think it as your Wifi going out. No matter how many times you try to navigate the web, nothing happens.
You have a friend who was recently diagnosed (sorry to hear about that) and that is the trigger to your anxiety spiral. You've engaged in classic HA behavior, self testing, consulted Dr. Google and most of all, you're posting on an anxiety website looking for reassurance. That link is all the reassurance you need. It's up to you to accept it and look at treating the real issue here.
Positive thoughts
Braveheart1984
11-02-21, 17:51
Sorry I meant no offence I was just a bit confused , I have just had a hour zoom meeting with my old anxiety councillor and have some things to try out to help me with the anxiety , thanks for the reply tho , very much appreciated
No offense taken at all. I just happen to have seen so many in the ALS rabbit hole. There have been many members that have joined ALS forums and post there only to be told the same thing. Most get banned as their HA becomes apparent. You did the right thing speaking with your counselor. Better to nip this in the bud rather than allow it to consume you.
Positive thoughts
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