Feel so sick majorly panicking!

[tashbarnes87]

Hi all, i am still mid ALS fear and am convinced my twitches are the start. I have just had a shower and i was standing in a mirror and to my horror i noticed just below my knee cap is a sucken bit which from my googling looks like muscle wastage. I cant breath at the mo im that scared. When standing its really obvious like a 10 pence piece sized dip. Please can anyone tell me if this is normal. I cant stop crying & cant get through to My partner :weep:

[Mamfa85]

hi im not sure what als fear is, but i will talk if u want.

[LisaLisa]

Hey hey calm down sweeetie!!!

Can you imagine......serious condition diagnosed by fact that a knee dimple was found!! ........No it just doesnt happen. I think if you went to the drs with that idea they would most certainly be struck off if they diagnoses als from that.

I have uneven kneecaps too!! Propoably lots of people do. How closely have you examined your kness in the past? Could it be the way that you are standing, putting mire pressure on one joint than the other? Have you lost or gained weight or body water since you last looked so closely at your knees?

I once found what i was convinced was a lymph nodes on my knee cap . I was at a party and rushed into the loo and was absolutly petrified....but luckily ..although looking back i must have looked like a complete loon....i was able to compare my knee with others at party and lots of folk had it. Whats more there isnt t lymph node where i was looking..... but i was really really convinced and worried....!!

Its just anxiety luv, dont feed it...feed yours calmness instead and once your mmind is calm you will see that it isnt a problem

Lisa
xxxx

[tashbarnes87]

thanks lisa you always help me. My partner has had a look and he says its jus my knees wish it was that easy for me to believe. tbh i have never examined my knees and if i had i gues i wouldnt think anymore. Its just with these dam twitches scares the hell out of me xx

[lauren6]

Tash...please try to get out of this state you're in. Our bodies are full of irregularities, lumps, bumps, dents. Nobody is perfectly symmetrical.

I don't know if this will help you but it helps me...my parents never thought about this stuff. They ignored their body for the most part, just went to dr. when something looked really bad or hurt, which was almost never. Had their checkups.woke up in the morning with a smile and thought "health" all the time. I wish I could be like them, I don't know what went wrong with me :-( BUT sometimes it helps me to "fake it" and pretend I am just like them. Then I realize...what a waste of my life to obsess all the time.

For example, I have a fear of appendicitis. I also have IBS and get terrible pains where the appendix is. I have posted here when I freak out about it. But now, if I am having a good time, out with friends, I don't run home. I just say if it were my appendix, I'd know it by now and ignore it.

You are fixated on ALS...I don't know your age but don't you think it's highly unlikely? Can you get your logic to overcome your emotions? I know how hard it is and despite how smart we all are, it's tough to shake health anxiety...have you read the books on health anxiety?

[tashbarnes87]

Hi Lauren thank you. I used to be soo un interested in my health i remember once barely being able to breath cos of chest issues and i didnt go and see a doc and it went on its own. Now i would be convinced its lung cancer. I hate it! I am 21 so i do know its unlikely but i just worry cos of the high profile cases. Steven hawkins got diagnosed at 21 etc messes with my head. Now my partner has been come and looked my sensible side has come in and im feeling a lot calmer. I havent read any books do you recommend any? if i could shake the twitches i would be so much happier :( x

[LisaLisa]

Tash

Just to say the twitches are anxiety and overawareness of your body. We all get them and if we dont then we just arent noticing them.

I have symptoms that it really hard to ignore..like dry mouth...things that are in your face wether you check for them or not.
My psychologist said to me about symptoms like that they are going to be there as long as you are worried about them!!

Let them happen and just carry on as though they arent happening. Its not the twitches that are the problem its the meaning and fear that you are giving them.

The fact that these twitches are happening is not a sign that you have a neurological disorder...it is a sign that you suffer from health anxiety and are paying too much attention to minor normal, stress and anxiety driven muscle contractions.

'Steven Hawkins was 21 when diagnosed' .....is 21 the magic age for als? .....is no one diagnosed at say...30? I dont know of anyone else with als to compare and i think that is an important factor here dear.

Your okay , twitches and all :hugs:

Lisa
xxx

[rebeccad]

hi tash can t believe i am going to give you advise on this as i totally have the same fears as you, i to have the twitches but also a whole load of other issues. If you had real muscle wastage believe me you would not be able use your muscle or even stand up without your knee giving way. |Honestly i think als is the last thing you have as the twitches come at the end of the disease anyway. Please go and see your doc to put your mind at rest xxx

[lauren6]

Hi Tash,
I posted the books but maybe forgot to push Send. The titles are Stop Worrying About Your Health and the other one is It's Not All In Your Head. They really help me in the midst of a panic but it takes a while to internalize the teachings.