Hello,
First time poster here (27 - male, USA) - It all started out a few weeks ago - I've had a slightly swollen lymph in my neck for a few years now, and recently started worrying about it, and got it checked out. It ended up being nothing, but during that time, I noticed my legs felt very weak. I hadn't been to the gym in probably a month due to my stress (also had to put a pet down in that time period, so I kind of wrote it off to that.) One night however, I looked up what weak legs could mean, and of course the first thing that popped up was ALS, and it sent me into a tailspin. I had to call out of work twice that week, just so I could stay home and not be near anyone. I was doing a little better, but then this past weekend, I freaked out, and my anxiety levels are back up to where they were before.
My symptoms are - Perceived weakness/stiffness in my right leg and slight pain/weakness coming from lower back. Every step I take, I'm thinking about drop foot/tripping now. Can ALS even start in the back? From everything I've read, most patients have their symptoms start in their fingers/feet. Do symptoms such as foot drop/finger strength die over night? Or do they stretch out over a period of time and progressively get weaker?
I'm constantly doing strength tests to check my symptoms (I sprint up stairs 5 times a day at least, stair jumps, stand/walk on my heels, stand/walk on my toes). I was also able to run 2 miles yesterday, although my leg still felt weird doing so. I'm still able to do 25 push ups no problem too. In my mind, I keep thinking I can't do these things, but am always able to.
Has anyone gone through this before? It's really taking a toll on my life as I'm struggling with work and I get home and don't want to do anything as I'm always in a panic. I realize how rare of a disease it is for someone my age, but it still hasn't reduced my fear.
Would love to hear from others with similar stories.
Tom
