i am scared to death that i have ALS. i go through periods were im not so bad, then as soon as i get a symptom im past myself. i Google constantly i know i shouldnt but i cant help myself its like an addiction. here is a list if my issuess. twitching that comes and goes jerking of limbs and jumping mostly when im falling asleep issues with my throat, (it closes up sometimes and i cant breath or speak) and sometimes my voice has been cracking and giving out when im talking. numbness and tingling in hands and feet. joint and muscle pain and terrible stiffness and on top of that i have brisk reflexes and after googling i found out you have this with ALS. as you can imaging i am absolutely past myself, its now 2.15 in the morning because i cant sleep and my heart is racing. i cant live like this much longer. im 52 and also going through perimenopause so this just adds further panic to my problems. can anyone else relate to this. thanks for taking the time to read this x
so sorry to hear you are going through this , I have had similar problems to you and I have convinced myself I've had a number of different cancers , I will Google all day ans just drive myself insane , my anxiety then gives me the symptoms of the cancer I think I have , it's just awful :(
many of your symptons seem to be linked to anxiety rather than something serious. but obviously that is just my opinion
just want to let you know you are not alone and there is lots of us going through this horrible anxiety:(
It sounds like you are having a tough time. Firstly, i would say that if you have genuine physical health symptoms then see your Dr (if you haven't already) - any therapist will tell you to get any new concerning symptoms that stick around checked out before treating it as anxiety. If you have already been to the Dr and they have said that you are physically ok then you need to start working on some of the safety behaviours that you are carrying out e.g. googling symptoms, scanning your body for symptoms, seeking reassurance for symptoms. These behaviours may feel like they are keeping you safe and may even reduce your anxiety in the very short term but they are keeping the anxiety going in the long term. I have had health anxiety for about 5 years and understand how awful it can be. I am only just learning the right way to deal with this through CBT sessions and a wonderful podcast called The Anxious Truth - there is a new podcast episode on there on health anxiety and a lovely supportive facebook group. Wishing you luck!!
Lisa, are you on any meds or more importantly, coming off any meds? Had a med change in dosage recently ? My first guess is some type of withdrawal or side effect of a medicine you are on. Before i go any further, i need to know the questions above. All these symptoms you describe could definitely be caused by anxiety and you are not alone. But i cant help but to think there may be an underlying cause that we havent identified yet. So please get back to me.
hey ,very similar situation here,weird headaches,nerve twitching under my eye,i actually recorded.it,it was so visible, tingling in my head,muscle spasms and twitching.i did countless blood tests- nothing,even went to hospital because my blood pressure was through the roof,did CT scan,EKG - nothing,recently pain in my stomach,gas, indigestion,did CT scan - nothing, recently last 2 weeks I've been having lump in my throat.ENT assured me that it is nothing to worry about,byt in 2 days im going to see neurologist.i started on buspirone yesterday and xanax as needed. Healt anxiety is no fun, usually,like in my case anyway it is part of GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER,i have tendency to catastrophise everything,worry all the time,dwell on things and events.another possibility is what is called Somatic disorder.either way ,try to get professional help.good luck ,let us know how it goes.
https://www.alsforums.com/community/threads/read-before-posting-answers-to-common-concerns-about-possible-symptoms.26591/
Read this, it really helped me. It is from an actual ALS forum of people who actually have it.
I have muscle twitches constantly, have done for 5 months. I get them head to toe, no muscle spared. Sometimes my toes move around. I am healthy, 24 years old except I went through a terrible trauma last year that gave me horrible anxiety, PTSD and panic disorder.
I have had every single thing you listed, the jerks falling asleep are called "HYPNIC JERKS" - very common during stress and perimenapause.
Twitching is a result of anxiety. The main symptom of ALS is weakness, not perceived weakness but clinical. You would no longer be able to walk, button a shirt or easily hold a pen. There are some rare cases on the internet of people who say the twitching came first but honestly its EXTREMELY rare. The disease itself is very, very rare and muscle twitches are common.
Problems with the throat are another very common symptom of anxiety and muscle pain is not a symptom of ALS nor is tingling.
When I was at my LOWEST with anxiety I would wale up 3 times a night with numb tingling hands, I went to neurologists and there was no clinical reason for it. Once my anxiety eventually lessened my symptoms DRAMATICALLY reduced.
Please try not to worry, If you had ALS you would know 100000%.
hi thankyou all for your replies, the twitching and jerking have been going on for years, i have no new changes in any medications thanks
Milao thankyou so much for your reply i have read the forum, and yes it has helped, i have a terrible fear of this disease, i go through stages when im ok but then get another symptom and im back to square 1. what started me off this time was i damaged my knee and ive been in bad pain with it, it definitely feels different like its now not as strong as it was before and feels like if i put too much weight on it that its going to give way underneath me. i know that you get weakness with als and that your leg or ankle gives way on you so obviously on top of everything else i put 2 and 2 together. to be honest ive had the twitches and jerks for years and they come and go, depending on my anxiety i suppose and what stress im suffering in my life. i recently went to see a pysio about my back and she tested my reflexes, she said they were brisk, again after reading all about als i know this is a sign, i thought i was going to be physically sick, i was that bad my partner rang her up when i got home to get some answers. she said my reflexes didnt worry her because they were the same all over and not just on 1 side, and that anxious people can have them. but its just 1 symptom after another. i know this doesnt mean i have it but when you are that frightened of something its difficult to focus your mind on something else x
I completely relate. I may be 24 but I wasted so many years already constantly worrying about illnesses. Health anxiety is a real problem, it is a disease in itself. FYI - I was told a year ago I had brisk reflexes, neuro said it was because I was a bundle of nerves. I was even admitted into hospital with suspected stroke, I have been through it all with health anxiety believe me. Sometimes I am so rational and other times utterly CONVINCED I will die soon, its awful. Just remember ALS progresses fast, people are normally dead within 3 years. Months might not seem like a long time but in ALS terms that is a long time for things to have progressed a lot! Pain is a common thing, people always have pain especially muscular! I had horriffic shin pain at 18 - convinced myself it was bone cancer. It was shin splint! LOL! Don't waste anymore precious time worrying over something you do not have, none of us know what tomorrow brings. Take care xx