Worried no one with believe me. Bulbar ALS fears.

[niknakx]

I was in my car last night and I started to whistle along to a songs. I noticed that I couldn’t whistle as well as I normally do. I might be imagining it because I am now focusing on it. My stupid HA brain jumped to ALS and made me panic. Thing is, I can still whistle, it just doesn’t seem as strong. Am I being rediculous?

[BlueIris]

Yes, but I know that doesn't help.



I once got panicky because my flatulence sounded wrong. This was also ridiculous.

[niknakx]

Yeah I feel really dumb, I don't want to fall down the rabbit hole again because I did a few years ago. I mean who gets nervous about their whistle not sounding great

[BlueIris]

An anxious person.

Don't beat yourself up, okay? We all slip up from time to time. If you can, find something fun to distract yourself with.

[Earthmum]

I too have tested my whistling skills out recently and panicked when hardly a squeek came out...but it's like anything if you don't do It alot it can become weaker..its normal you're good x

[jray23]

I don't believe that it's a problem for that thought like that to initially come up. The key is not to give it power and ruminate on it. It's only a thought and let it go and move on.

I actually get these quick thoughts all the time like if I drop something or fumble through a word even though neurological diseases have really not ever been a concern of mine. Perhaps because it isn't a fear those thoughts are very easy for me to let pass and quickly move on and stop caring.

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[niknakx]

Around 2 years ago I had my first big health anxiety scare over ALS due to perceived weakness and muscle twitching. After numerous trips to the doctors, neurologists and therapists I finally got my life back in order after I realized that it was all caused by anxiety. Fast forward to just before Christmas and health anxiety struck again with a lymph node worry (all fine), stomach cancer worry (also all fine) and now I'm stressing about ALS once again. I was in my car the other day and I tried to whistle along to a song and it didn't come out as strongly as normal, my brain went into full panic mode about bulbar onset als. (I know it sound ridiculous). Since then I've been super paranoid about the way I am talking and the way I swallow food. I'm finding it hard to swallow food but I'm hoping it is just an anxiety symptom that is causing my throat to close up. I get myself so worked up that I can't sleep more than about 3-4 hours a night and I throw up nearly every morning because of how worked up I have made myself.
The stupid thing is, currently I can still whistle, my voice isn't slurred and I think my swallowing is normal (with the exception of the anxiety). I'm probably being ridiculous but I can't help it and all my family and friends are getting fed up with my worries all the time. I've gone back on Citalopram 20mg and have signed up for more CBT so we'll see how it goes. I just hate health anxiety so much and I needed a bit of a rant and some reassurance.


Also I forgot to add that during the night I was wiggling my toes and I noticed that I can wiggle them a lot quicker on my right foot and just generally have better control of my toes on that foot. So of course I freaked out. Does anyone else have this? Is it because my right foot is my dominant foot, I'm trying not to freak out right now.

[BlueIris]

Yes, it's because it's your dominant foot.

I used to play the organ, and my left (nondominant) hand was always much weaker and harder to control than the right.

Have a read of FMP's excellent thread on why you don't have ALS, maybe?

[jojo2316]

Bless you and hang in there. Everything you have described I have had (except for the whistling because I’ve never been able to do that). I have previously worried about bulbar onset and then suddenly my swallowing feels all laboured and I find certain words hard to say. More recently I’ve been worrying about spinal onset due to twitching in the arches of my feet. And in the course of that worry I have noticed that my left foot cannot tap nearly as fast as my right. Having bothered my family and friends about this finding (god help them) I have realised this is normal. You don’t have ALS

---------- Post added at 12:30 ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 ----------

Yes, it's because it's your dominant foot.

I used to play the organ, and my left (nondominant) hand was always much weaker and harder to control than the right.

Have a read of FMP's excellent thread on why you don't have ALS, maybe?

You used to play the organ Iris? That is a fun fact! In church?

[BlueIris]

Electronic organ, Jojo - jazz and Latin stuff