The Rabbit Hole of rumination | ALS (don't read if easily triggered)

[tan235]

Hi All!
It's been a while and that's a good thing because that means I've been ok.
I find myself in ALS rabbit hole again.
I found myself noticing again that my uvula (dangly bit back of throat) leans towards the left and is not in the centre, then I started panicking and googled it and someone on here mentioned ALS and BOOM! back down the rabbit hole I went.
Then I realised that If I sung it only rose when I hit high notes and I start panicking that that mean't I had the dreaded ALS and I found myself in full stream panic, which I haven't felt in a few years.
I realise now that the uvula doesn't really rise unless you're singing high notes - or so I HOPE, please tell me this is true.
So here I am, thinking I have the startings of one of the most terrifying diseases for all us Health Anxiety types and man does it suck big time.
I'm sick and completely blocked up so chances are it's all just because of that.
I just had to share as No one else will understand me if I talk to them about my fear.
Thank you for listening, share if you'd like to share xo

[tan235]

Anyone? x

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239

[Scass]

I don’t have the exact same concerns, but I absolutely do have the rumination. It helps to write it down.

[kyllikki]

Oh dear.

How much do you know about hard/soft palate anatomy and physiology in the first place? I am going to politely guess not too much.

The uvula isn't the world's best diagnostic bit of kit. It just kinda flops around looking slightly silly until you do something that is IMPOSSIBLE to watch in a mirror.

That thing is: Swallowing.

During a swallow, the uvula gets pulled upwards to complete seal off "up" from "down", routing food and especially liquids to where they need to go: Down.

When the uvula malfunctions, it usually does so in a really noticeable way, and two critical things happen, which I'm not going to describe to you, because then you'll magically "develop" them.

There is a another way better, simpler, at-home, easy-peasy, non-gross test that speech language pathologists use to determine if there's even a little air escaping up the soft palate during speech, but I'm not going to tell you about that either, because...

...you don't have bulbar ALS. I promise.

All my best to you, you CAN dig yourself back out of this, and no doubt you will.
Best wishes!

[tan235]

I don’t know who you are Kyllikki but I love you - thank you - this knocked me out of my crazy. I’m not even going to google to try find the tests!

[kyllikki]

Good on you, tan! Keep it up!!