ALS Fears and Manifestation

[vismonkey19 2]

I wanted to share very briefly what I have been going through the last month.

Im a 39 year old male and Ive had HA off and on since I was a child.  Some months are great and some months are bad.

My most recent episode started with me having internal trembling when I was in bed.  Whenever I would wake up throughout the night I would have sensations of my limbs trembling (non-visible).  I've had this off on through the last year, but it was becoming more persistent.  So, I made the mistake of googling what might be the cause.  Of course many things can be the cause, but I zeroed in on ALS (which I guess internal vibrations is not a common ALS symptom). 

This is when all the crazy stuff started to happen.  At the time I started to Google ALS the only symptom I had was internal vibrations.  The more I read the more I started to manifest symptoms.  The first new symptom was that my hands started to feel stiff and I started to have a lot of trouble typing (within one day of googling ALS).  I'm graphic designer so I type and use a mouse all day long.  Next my legs started to become very weak.  Both legs from my thigh to my feet would become very wobbly and felt that I had just worked them out.  My legs felt like they were falling asleep and would be tingling, almost ticklish.  I then started looking for foot drop and I started walking funny and favoring one leg over the other because one leg was weak and tingling more than the other.   Next came twitching and spasms at night mainly, but some during the day as well.  Next I started remembering back that there were times when I had thought I was slurring my words.  The slurring started to get worse and I was concentrating on my voice and speech constantly.  My neck began to hurt and my voice began to be more raspy and hoarse (almost no voice at times).  My tongue started feeling awkward in my mouth and I began to inadvertently bite it.  Next I started checking reflexes and noticed that I was very jumpy and my fingers would constantly twitch when I would fan them out.  This all happened within two weeks from when I first started googling ALS.  My inclination is that many of these ailments/symptoms already existed, but I'm just more aware of them because Im looking for them.

I still have all the above symptoms and I'm still constantly checking all parts of my body and I find new symptoms that I think point to ALS every day.  I'm a little over three weeks into my ALS fears and my mindset and more importantly my body is really feeling the affects of my anxiety.  I'm sore all over and I have the urge to cry and my throat feels tight (can't cry though).

I'm sharing all of this because there is a big part of me that knows a lot of these symptoms are very likely due to anxiety and my ability to manifest very real symptoms.    I also thought it my be therapeutic to express what Im going through and also help anyone else who has had these symptoms and is battling HA.   I look forward to the day that some of my symptoms subside so I can get myself out of this viscous ALS fear cycle (ALS symptoms seem to mimic anxiety symptoms almost perfectly at times).

Thanks for letting me express myself and feel free to reply if you can relate.

[anxietyprince 4]

4 hours ago, vismonkey19 said:

I wanted to share very briefly what I have been going through the last month.

Im a 39 year old male and Ive had HA off and on since I was a child.  Some months are great and some months are bad.

My most recent episode started with me having internal trembling when I was in bed.  Whenever I would wake up throughout the night I would have sensations of my limbs trembling (non-visible).  I've had this off on through the last year, but it was becoming more persistent.  So, I made the mistake of googling what might be the cause.  Of course many things can be the cause, but I zeroed in on ALS (which I guess internal vibrations is not a common ALS symptom). 

This is when all the crazy stuff started to happen.  At the time I started to Google ALS the only symptom I had was internal vibrations.  The more I read the more I started to manifest symptoms.  The first new symptom was that my hands started to feel stiff and I started to have a lot of trouble typing (within one day of googling ALS).  I'm graphic designer so I type and use a mouse all day long.  Next my legs started to become very weak.  Both legs from my thigh to my feet would become very wobbly and felt that I had just worked them out.  My legs felt like they were falling asleep and would be tingling, almost ticklish.  I then started looking for foot drop and I started walking funny and favoring one leg over the other because one leg was weak and tingling more than the other.   Next came twitching and spasms at night mainly, but some during the day as well.  Next I started remembering back that there were times when I had thought I was slurring my words.  The slurring started to get worse and I was concentrating on my voice and speech constantly.  My neck began to hurt and my voice began to be more raspy and hoarse (almost no voice at times).  My tongue started feeling awkward in my mouth and I began to inadvertently bite it.  Next I started checking reflexes and noticed that I was very jumpy and my fingers would constantly twitch when I would fan them out.  This all happened within two weeks from when I first started googling ALS.  My inclination is that many of these ailments/symptoms already existed, but I'm just more aware of them because Im looking for them.

I still have all the above symptoms and I'm still constantly checking all parts of my body and I find new symptoms that I think point to ALS every day.  I'm a little over three weeks into my ALS fears and my mindset and more importantly my body is really feeling the affects of my anxiety.  I'm sore all over and I have the urge to cry and my throat feels tight (can't cry though).

I'm sharing all of this because there is a big part of me that knows a lot of these symptoms are very likely due to anxiety and my ability to manifest very real symptoms.    I also thought it my be therapeutic to express what Im going through and also help anyone else who has had these symptoms and is battling HA.   I look forward to the day that some of my symptoms subside so I can get myself out of this viscous ALS fear cycle (ALS symptoms seem to mimic anxiety symptoms almost perfectly at times).

Thanks for letting me express myself and feel free to reply if you can relate.

Hello, I am a 21 y/o male and am on the same exact 3 week timeline as you. This is one of my first times really experiencing the symptoms of anxiety physically and I am also scared - even though I have been told many times it’s not ALS, PD, or MS I always second guess. My left hand feels weaker and “vibrates”/tingles/shock wave feelings when I extend my fingers. They also twitch, mainly my pinky but twitching has spread into my feet/toes & other fingers in left hand. For about 3 weeks - month now. My calf’s also feel like I worked out sometimes. Not sure if these are all symptoms of anxiety but any help would be appreciated. You’re not alone.

[DoxieMoxie 316]

6 hours ago, vismonkey19 said:

I wanted to share very briefly what I have been going through the last month.

Im a 39 year old male and Ive had HA off and on since I was a child.  Some months are great and some months are bad.

My most recent episode started with me having internal trembling when I was in bed.  Whenever I would wake up throughout the night I would have sensations of my limbs trembling (non-visible).  I've had this off on through the last year, but it was becoming more persistent.  So, I made the mistake of googling what might be the cause.  Of course many things can be the cause, but I zeroed in on ALS (which I guess internal vibrations is not a common ALS symptom). 

This is when all the crazy stuff started to happen.  At the time I started to Google ALS the only symptom I had was internal vibrations.  The more I read the more I started to manifest symptoms.  The first new symptom was that my hands started to feel stiff and I started to have a lot of trouble typing (within one day of googling ALS).  I'm graphic designer so I type and use a mouse all day long.  Next my legs started to become very weak.  Both legs from my thigh to my feet would become very wobbly and felt that I had just worked them out.  My legs felt like they were falling asleep and would be tingling, almost ticklish.  I then started looking for foot drop and I started walking funny and favoring one leg over the other because one leg was weak and tingling more than the other.   Next came twitching and spasms at night mainly, but some during the day as well.  Next I started remembering back that there were times when I had thought I was slurring my words.  The slurring started to get worse and I was concentrating on my voice and speech constantly.  My neck began to hurt and my voice began to be more raspy and hoarse (almost no voice at times).  My tongue started feeling awkward in my mouth and I began to inadvertently bite it.  Next I started checking reflexes and noticed that I was very jumpy and my fingers would constantly twitch when I would fan them out.  This all happened within two weeks from when I first started googling ALS.  My inclination is that many of these ailments/symptoms already existed, but I'm just more aware of them because Im looking for them.

I still have all the above symptoms and I'm still constantly checking all parts of my body and I find new symptoms that I think point to ALS every day.  I'm a little over three weeks into my ALS fears and my mindset and more importantly my body is really feeling the affects of my anxiety.  I'm sore all over and I have the urge to cry and my throat feels tight (can't cry though).

I'm sharing all of this because there is a big part of me that knows a lot of these symptoms are very likely due to anxiety and my ability to manifest very real symptoms.    I also thought it my be therapeutic to express what Im going through and also help anyone else who has had these symptoms and is battling HA.   I look forward to the day that some of my symptoms subside so I can get myself out of this viscous ALS fear cycle (ALS symptoms seem to mimic anxiety symptoms almost perfectly at times).

Thanks for letting me express myself and feel free to reply if you can relate.

Vismonkey,

I was exactly where you were 2 years or so ago.  It is a horrible place to be.  But I am very confident you don't have ALS, which just doesn't present the way you describe AT ALL (going all over, that fast, shortly after you read about the symptoms).  Indeed, many of your symptoms (vibrations, tingling, aches, etc.) are sensory and point away from ALS.  Twitching is common and meaningless diagnostically; many normal people twitch and don't notice it, and once you are anxious, it just drives the twitches way up.  You cannot test your reflexes, and even if you could, brisk reflexes can be caused by many things, including anxiety, and can occur in normal non-anxious people too.  Also, unless other people have noticed and commented about your speech, you don't have slurred speech.

One cause that accounts for all of your symptoms and the way they present: anxiety.  You have a very real and serious disease, which can cripple your life if you don't get appropriate treatment.  But it is not ALS.      

 

[vismonkey19 2]

14 hours ago, DoxieMoxie said:

Vismonkey,

I was exactly where you were 2 years or so ago.  It is a horrible place to be.  But I am very confident you don't have ALS, which just doesn't present the way you describe AT ALL (going all over, that fast, shortly after you read about the symptoms).  Indeed, many of your symptoms (vibrations, tingling, aches, etc.) are sensory and point away from ALS.  Twitching is common and meaningless diagnostically; many normal people twitch and don't notice it, and once you are anxious, it just drives the twitches way up.  You cannot test your reflexes, and even if you could, brisk reflexes can be caused by many things, including anxiety, and can occur in normal non-anxious people too.  Also, unless other people have noticed and commented about your speech, you don't have slurred speech.

One cause that accounts for all of your symptoms and the way they present: anxiety.  You have a very real and serious disease, which can cripple your life if you don't get appropriate treatment.  But it is not ALS.      

 

DoxieMoxie,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.  It's comforting to hear your input and I look forward to getting to the point where I can also be the voice of reason for others who are dealing with health anxiety.

Thanks again.

[TenLettersRap 22]

How is everything going, i've been like this for some time now, twitching over a month 

[vismonkey19 2]

So its been over two months, and I'm finally coming out the other side of my massive bout of health anxiety related to ALS.  

Things got much worse before they got better.  As mentioned at the start of this post, I was able to manifest a lot of symptoms.  I've always struggled with health anxiety, but I had never spiraled that out of control and I had never caused so much damage to body and nervous system.  I now realize just how strong our mind is and the physical affect it can have on your body.

I was prescribed some medication for my anxiety and once it began to kick in, my anxiety went down and along with it the many ailments/symptoms also decreased.  I'm not back to 100%, but I'm in a much better place than I was two months ago.  

For anyone that is currently on a spiral, keep your head up, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[TenLettersRap 22]

44 minutes ago, vismonkey19 said:

So its been over two months, and I'm finally coming out the other side of my massive bout of health anxiety related to ALS.  

Things got much worse before they got better.  As mentioned at the start of this post, I was able to manifest a lot of symptoms.  I've always struggled with health anxiety, but I had never spiraled that out of control and I had never caused so much damage to body and nervous system.  I now realize just how strong our mind is and the physical affect it can have on your body.

I was prescribed some medication for my anxiety and once it began to kick in, my anxiety went down and along with it the many ailments/symptoms also decreased.  I'm not back to 100%, but I'm in a much better place than I was two months ago.  

For anyone that is currently on a spiral, keep your head up, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

did/do you have alot of sore muscles? I have sore calfs, quads, thighs and forearms currently and its been going on for weeks

[vismonkey19 2]

14 minutes ago, TenLettersRap said:

did/do you have alot of sore muscles? I have sore calfs, quads, thighs and forearms currently and its been going on for weeks

Yes,

I had sore muscles in every area that you mentioned.  I really put my body through the ringer.  I really struggled to come to the conclusion that it was anxiety related, but sure enough once I started to relieve the anxiety the multitude of ailments started to also go away.

[TenLettersRap 22]

my forearms dont twitch yet they are sore too... atleast i think its a muscle unless i strained the tendons doing these constant strength tests

[K_love 1]

I’m wondering if anyone on this thread has experienced muscle twitch in one area and sore muscles. I have sore shoulders and a twitch in my right shoulder  I have also developed sore ankles and feet and achy legs. I also have EXTREME anxiety and have had for 7 months