als?

[Dixon444 7]

I think I'm having als.. around christmas I noticed my body twitches almost everywhere but later on I convinced myself it is not ALS, it's not a persistent twitching... my pinky went numb for once... but now I don't think those are ALS indicators... just because they're not constant and they aren't getting worse but better instead

anyways.. after I convinced myself it is not ALS I thought something like that - "HMMM.. What about Bulbar onset als??" then I focused on my tongue... now my speech seems slurred but no one noticed it besides me... they all say I'm talking just fine... some say I'm actually talking too fast (this I can agree with) but then I read more about bulbar ALS, now I never experienced twitches in my tongue.. just the slurring thing and the feeling as if something's stuck in my throat(occasionaly)...  Not actually sure what slurring is supposed to mean but here I'll explain my experience with it... Occasionaly I'd say a word containing S like Sword and (almost never) I'd pronounce it Shword(started when I thought about the bulbar als..) and the R sound, sometimes I miss it completely but again very rarely and after the thought of bulbar als... I usually take naps when I can and I remember taking a short nap for about 10 minutes when I woke up the slurring and the feeling as if something was in my tongue + the feeling of my tongue being heavy went away then it came back once I remembered.. (This makes me think it is not als but then again I became worried.. it still feels like this and my tongue is very tired I thought about it all day long... maybe when you think about an involuntary muscle actions and try to cntrol them you actually do them bad by "blocking" them, so to speak).What do you all think .. Is this somethiing I should worry about??? It make me worry a lot .... even tho I'm pretty sure its not als

[bin_tenn 1252]

No. ALS is quite rare. You'll be fine. Have you voiced these concerns to your healthcare provider? What did he/she say?

[Dixon444 7]

I'm going to consult with my doctor as soon as he's available but I don't think I'll hear something different than what most people told me (Not als) ;))

[Cubanborn87 42]

I could be wrong but from what I have read time and time again is that ALS does not cause numbness. 

[Dixon444 7]

It shouldn't that's what I've read and heard from people with ALS themselves (poor people.. I want to discover a cure for this disease...)... prob is I don't feel much of that numbness anymore anyways.. I feel as if my tongue is getting weaker.. I can still move it and stuff... but I feel like I'm slurring my words more than I should.. perhaps it is because I constantly think of the tongue that is an involuntary muscle....

[Dixon444 7]

I can move the tongue wherever I want, I can even touch my nose with it.. I don't know if there's really something to worry about in this case...

[Cubanborn87 42]

If it's in your mind and you are actively thinking about it while you talk, it will definitely make you slur your words. That happened to me for some time when my anxiety was at an all time high. 

[Dixon444 7]

You just explained my situation !!! I even had a breakdown yesterday.. I cried so much, barely breathing.... I thought I had ALS... I was shaking in panic... jeez... I'll consult with a doctor as well.. I wanna be reassured.. any ideas how I can treat health anxiety other than a psychologist or a psychiatrist or how I can stop thinking about it??

[Cubanborn87 42]

I am the wrong person to ask unfortunately, I am dealing with it right now as I type. 

[Dixon444 7]

oh.. Did it start after a big stress or anxiety for you? I just started highschool and I felt an enormous amount of stress it led to depression.. gosh I even felt fear at times for no reason... then depression came I stopped eating, and doing anything at all.. I even attempted to harm myself(I was stopped thankfully).. then a few days later after the self-harm thing the ALS fear came cuz of googling the "symptoms"...

[bin_tenn 1252]

19 minutes ago, Dixon444 said:

You just explained my situation !!! I even had a breakdown yesterday.. I cried so much, barely breathing.... I thought I had ALS... I was shaking in panic... jeez... I'll consult with a doctor as well.. I wanna be reassured.. any ideas how I can treat health anxiety other than a psychologist or a psychiatrist or how I can stop thinking about it??

Why not a mental health professional? Do you lack the financial means/insurance to do so, or are you simply putting it off because you don't want to see one? I can understand lack of financial/insurance means, but if you're actively avoiding it "just because", that's not a good reason, IMO.

Here are the things that helped me in my self-help prior to beginning therapy (in no particular order):

* Google / Research - NOT about diseases and symptoms, but about anxiety itself. Try to understand how anxiety works inside the brain, and how all of these irrational and unwanted thoughts are produced from the start. This will help significantly when pursuing further help (see below).

*Acceptance / radical acceptance - these are very important. I learned a lot about acceptance on my own, and when I started therapy, my therapist taught me about radical acceptance.

* Mindfulness / meditation - VERY helpful for me. Tons of resources, including guided meditation videos on YouTube. These are also taught often in therapy for anxiety.

* Deep breathing and other relaxation techniques - these can be very helpful to quell anxiety in the short term, or "in the moment." Look these up as well.

* Research CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) - probably the most common form of therapy for (health) anxiety. It's a lot about training the brain to think and react differently to stressful situations and thoughts, essentially building new "pathways" in the brain that replace the habitual and obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviors.

[Dixon444 7]

Just now, bin_tenn said:

Why not a mental health professional? Do you lack the financial means/insurance to do so, or are you simply putting it off because you don't want to see one? I can understand lack of financial/insurance means, but if you're actively avoiding it "just because", that's not a good reason, IMO.

Here are the things that helped me in my self-help prior to beginning therapy (in no particular order):

* Google / Research - NOT about diseases and symptoms, but about anxiety itself. Try to understand how anxiety works inside the brain, and how all of these irrational and unwanted thoughts are produced from the start. This will help significantly when pursuing further help (see below).

*Acceptance / radical acceptance - these are very important. I learned a lot about acceptance on my own, and when I started therapy, my therapist taught me about radical acceptance.

* Mindfulness / meditation - VERY helpful for me. Tons of resources, including guided meditation videos on YouTube. These are also taught often in therapy for anxiety.

* Deep breathing and other relaxation techniques - these can be very helpful to quell anxiety in the short term, or "in the moment." Look these up as well.

* Research CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) - probably the most common form of therapy for (health) anxiety. It's a lot about training the brain to think and react differently to stressful situations and thoughts, essentially building new "pathways" in the brain that replace the habitual and obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviors.

I can afford it and I eventually will do it, I accept anxiety as the cause for it, in fact I completely deny ALS at this very moment ... It's a matter of time for the anxiety to hit back on me.. I was just being curious.. I've always been curious about alternative ways to do something .. (Being a scientist be like...)

[bin_tenn 1252]

3 hours ago, Dixon444 said:

I can afford it and I eventually will do it, I accept anxiety as the cause for it, in fact I completely deny ALS at this very moment ... It's a matter of time for the anxiety to hit back on me.. I was just being curious.. I've always been curious about alternative ways to do something .. (Being a scientist be like...)

There's no shame in self help, just as there's no shame in seeking external help (e.g. therapy). If you want to go the self help route, I recommend devoting some time to the things I've mentioned previously. Just keep in mind that you need to be aware of how well it's doing, without being too prideful or biased, if you will. Understand that there may be a time when it's time to say "okay, self help is nice, but I still need an extra push" - and recognize it and act on it. IF self help does not suffice on its own.

[A11yance 43]

2 minutes ago, bin_tenn said:

There's no shame in self help, just as there's no shame in seeking external help (e.g. therapy). If you want to go the self help route, I recommend devoting some time to the things I've mentioned previously. Just keep in mind that you need to be aware of how well it's doing, without being too prideful or biased, if you will. Understand that there may be a time when it's time to say "okay, self help is nice, but I still need an extra push" - and recognize it and act on it. IF self help does not suffice on its own.

Agree with what Bin said. I actually look forward to my psychologist appointments. Just think, there has been a 400% increase in anxiety meds from 2008-now. This means that you’re just ahead of the game in getting real help rather than bandaiding with meds.

[Spazmom 19]

These same symptoms happened to me just as short as a week or so ago. I started with other symptoms like heavy legs, which dissipated. Then fatiguing arms, my left thumb looks smaller than my right etc etc. then I started to feel the heavy tongue symptoms. Painless, no fasciculations, soft palate still moved fine. I just felt like when I would say words like sugar, passage or even slur - that it would sound heavy, like my my tongue wasn’t too big inside my mouth. I even came to this forum and asked about it. Got some tough love about it. And just tried to go about my life.  That was probably a week ago. Like on Christmas Day maybe.  This week a zero tongue problems. 

I do not have als. And neither do you! It will pass. 

[Dixon444 7]

1 minute ago, Spazmom said:

These same symptoms happened to me just as short as a week or so ago. I started with other symptoms like heavy legs, which dissipated. Then fatiguing arms, my left thumb looks smaller than my right etc etc. then I started to feel the heavy tongue symptoms. Painless, no fasciculations, soft palate still moved fine. I just felt like when I would say words like sugar, passage or even slur - that it would sound heavy, like my my tongue wasn’t too big inside my mouth. I even came to this forum and asked about it. Got some tough love about it. And just tried to go about my life.  That was probably a week ago. Like on Christmas Day maybe.  This week a zero tongue problems. 

I do not have als. And neither do you! It will pass. 

OMG exactly the same !!! Even the timeframe !!!!! I'm just experiencing the tongue thing !!! Isn't the mind amazing??!!? It can trick itself, how fascinating !!!

[Spazmom 19]

It may be because the holidays are like hella stressful for everyone. Christmas music even makes me tense, even though I do enjoy the holidays. But it seems to exacerbate any issue I’m having - especially about my health. But yeah, if you look in the mirror and say AHH and your soft palate is very responsive you’re good. Stick out your tongue - if you can do that, you’re already way ahead of anyone with als. I have to tell myself that shit all the time. It’s not easy getting past this kind of mental stuff but it just takes time. 

[Dixon444 7]

12 hours ago, Spazmom said:

It may be because the holidays are like hella stressful for everyone. Christmas music even makes me tense, even though I do enjoy the holidays. But it seems to exacerbate any issue I’m having - especially about my health. But yeah, if you look in the mirror and say AHH and your soft palate is very responsive you’re good. Stick out your tongue - if you can do that, you’re already way ahead of anyone with als. I have to tell myself that shit all the time. It’s not easy getting past this kind of mental stuff but it just takes time. 

That's very reassuring !! Thanks !!!

[Dixon444 7]

Just a question.. a very responsive soft palate would always move when you say AHH right? Perhaps that's a stupid question with an obvious answer but Health Anxiety destroys the rational mind...

[Spazmom 19]

Yes! Try other vowels too. You’ll see it contract consistently. Trying singing a song too and holding long chords. If your voice doesn’t give out before your breath you’re good. Also, any contraction means it’s responsive. That’s why neuros check it for like a second. Honestly, you would be speaking very very slowly and forcefully if there was a bulbar issue. I’ve researched this into the ground. 

[Spazmom 19]

Like literally trying to spit words out and you can’t. But I suspect any doctor, family member or friend would have already caught that! 

[Dixon444 7]

Thank you very much !!!!!!! I even recorded myself speaking and it doesn't sound slurry at all.. perhaps it is really deep into our minds !

[Jremtx 120]

@Dixon444 I would worry and only worry when you hear someone say: “why do you sound drunk.”