ALS fear

[jderecho33]

Hi my name is John and i'm so scared about ALS that i don't know what to do.

My first symptom is Muscle spams, i don't know if this spams because when i stand quickly and move or move after standing it occurs like there's a sensation that my right calf will stiffen and after two seconds it happens, my calf stiffened, my right hand move towards me uncontrollably, my tounge curls and my posture is awkward it usually last around 6 seconds. The thing about this first symptom is there's no weakness and no pain just uncontrollable muscle spasm that produce awkward posture like dystonia.

Second is full body twitching, like really full body. It does not last long only about 10 to 15 seconds and usally switch places and the only place where there is no twitching present is in my tounge. And this is my symptoms and I suspect that it's ALS.

I google my symptoms and find out it's ALS, MS or stiff person syndrome and because i'm a big hypochondriac i've been 2 doctors and they conclude it's calcium deficiency both gave me calcium tablets and sent me home. I didn't believe them and the vitamins did not work. I contemplated whether to find another doctor or just wait till I die, gathered enough strength and made my final desicion that i should find another doctor. This doctor ordered me to have my blood check (Electrolytes, CBC, Creatinine, BUN, ALT etc.) Urinalysis, drug test, ECG and this doctor and another 1 conducted physical examination on me (reflexes, strength, etc) and all of those has no findings, all of those are negative. Of course i was shocked because the symptoms we're real. And the only thing she said is "it happen because you anticipate it to happen" (and that's true because before i stand or move I always think that what if it happen again? Like everytime, everyday i think about it and it happens after I think about it! ) They didn't diagnose me about that because there's no medical basis on why it's happening and all of my test are negative and diagnosed me with GAD and hypochondriasis she gave me sertraline and sent me home. I didn't believe her and now I'm thinking what if she missed something? What if she's wrong? And that's the reason i post this.

And also think that the muscle in my right calf is wasting away because it's slimmer but my creatinine is normal and no weakness is happening.

And now the endless debilitating cycle begins and the thoughts is destroying my life, and at this i point i want to die.

(About the spasm the more i think about it the more it happens, like one time i didn't think about it i just remember that it didn't happen today and after thinking it occurred because i think about it. And when i think about it, it usually happen around 10 to 20 times a day and it only happens at the right side of my body, right leg excluded)

Is it real that it happens because I anticipate it?
Is this ALS?
Am I dying?
Please help me.

[Fishmanpa]

Read THIS as often as you need to.

Positive thoughts

[axolotl]

Please take the time read the link in Fishman's post - it puts things way better than I could. To be blunt, your symptoms are the hypochondriacs' version of what we think ALS is, not the reality. It's like a boogeyman we have for vague neurological-style symptoms, but a doctor would spot the real signs.

[jderecho33]

Please take the time read the link in Fishman's post - it puts things way better than I could. To be blunt, your symptoms are the hypochondriacs' version of what we think ALS is, not the reality. It's like a boogeyman we have for vague neurological-style symptoms, but a doctor would spot the real signs.

I've read fishman's post a lot before joining this site and at this point I can't even help my self.

[axolotl]

I've read fishman's post a lot before joining this site and at this point I can't even help my self.

Then you really need to get professional help for your catastrophising as that's one of the most clearly put and logical documents on here and it's hard to know what else to say. Have you ever explored therapy?

[jderecho33]

I'm currently waiting for my first CBT session.

[axolotl]

I'm currently waiting for my first CBT session.

Brilliant, good luck. That will certainly help address some of this thinking.

It's really hard when HA has you in such a tight hold it won't let the logic seep in and keeps on hitting you with the "yeah buts...".

[jderecho33]

yeah that's what i'm experiencing right now! if I may ask is this ALS HAHAHA!

[coolman832]

Alright calm down my guy you will be healthy I myself have been twitching everywhere for what like 6 months now I was so scared of ALS at first but I started to do my research. The reason I was scared was because I googled my symptoms and that is something you should never do. Googiling your symptoms WILL kill you so take a break from that. Anyways I realised that the time I started twitching was when I had a blood test and my vitamin levels were low. I am still twitching because my vitamin levels are still very low from my recent blood work. You mentioned you had no weakness, this points away from ALS because the first thing people notice is the weakness not the twitching. Also twitching doesn't mean anything when diagnosing ALS. Its true most people with ALS do twitch but it is just like saying most people with ALS are right handed so please calm down we all are perfectly healthy here Try magnesium supplements eat more fruits. Heres something to calm you down, Twitching has never been the FIRST symptom of ALS to prove it I challenge you to find a case where it was the FIRST. Also if you are under 18 or under you shouldn't even worry since the only time ALS was diagnosed in that age range is due to a familial history of it. So unless someone in your family has it you are worried for no reason. If someone in your family did have it your chances would still be pretty low, I wouldn't buy a lottery ticket for 2$ each with those chances. Hope this helps remember you are healthy (Edit) Atrophy which you mentioned cannot be judged by yourself or others only by a doctor now live on with your healthy life(Edit) Also if you have facial twitching specifically eyelid twitching the twitching as a whole is one hundred percent a vitamin deficiency, Also if you twitch only when in a stationary position where you are not moving such as sitting down or lying down it is one hundred percent anxiety also no need to worry

[jderecho33]

Alright calm down my guy you will be healthy I myself have been twitching everywhere for what like 6 months now I was so scared of ALS at first but I started to do my research. The reason I was scared was because I googled my symptoms and that is something you should never do. Googiling your symptoms WILL kill you so take a break from that. Anyways I realised that the time I started twitching was when I had a blood test and my vitamin levels were low. I am still twitching because my vitamin levels are still very low from my recent blood work. You mentioned you had no weakness, this points away from ALS because the first thing people notice is the weakness not the twitching. Also twitching doesn't mean anything when diagnosing ALS. Its true most people with ALS do twitch but it is just like saying most people with ALS are right handed so please calm down we all are perfectly healthy here Try magnesium supplements eat more fruits. Heres something to calm you down, Twitching has never been the FIRST symptom of ALS to prove it I challenge you to find a case where it was the FIRST. Also if you are under 18 or under you shouldn't even worry since the only time ALS was diagnosed in that age range is due to a familial history of it. So unless someone in your family has it you are worried for no reason. If someone in your family did have it your chances would still be pretty low, I wouldn't buy a lottery ticket for 2$ each with those chances. Hope this helps remember you are healthy (Edit) Atrophy which you mentioned cannot be judged by yourself or others only by a doctor now live on with your healthy life(Edit) Also if you have facial twitching specifically eyelid twitching the twitching as a whole is one hundred percent a vitamin deficiency, Also if you twitch only when in a stationary position where you are not moving such as sitting down or lying down it is one hundred percent anxiety also no need to worry

Thank you for the reply! I'm a 16 year old left handed male and no one in my family has ALS. My muscles on my face also twitch (lips, eyelid etc) excluding the tongue, and i don't think this is vitamin deficiency because my blood test came normal and i only twitch when i'm in a relaxed position (sitting, laying down etc) and when i think about it. But the only question in my mind is my cramps are weird like a mini stroke in the right side of the body or a dystonia that only last for about 3 to 7 seconds it has no pain and occurs frequently when i think about it (like 10 to 15 times a day) but don't happen when i don't think about it, I don't know what this is nor google? hope you understand.

edit: My cramps happen when i anticipate it like before standing i think about it then it will occur, my cramps doesn't happen when i don't think about it but when i start to think about it i can't stop thinking about it.