YOU DO NOT HAVE ALS!!!!!!!

[bertybotts]

GUYS!!! I say all this with the sincerest appreciation and respect for your fears. You are not insane to fear ALS. Your fears are real. Your ALS is not real.
 None of you have ALS! I bet that in the history of this board, not ONE SINGLE PERSON has been on it that has ALS. Maybe I am wrong, but I am willing to bet GOOD MONEY.

None of you have ALS. If you had ALS, you would know. So few people have ALS. The odds are so painfully small, it is like worrying about being hit with a tractor falling from the sky. I imagine someone has died that way, a tractor fell on them out of nowhere. But trust me, I can almost guarantee every single one of you that NONE OF YOU HAVE, WILL HAVE, OR COULD HAVE ALS.
NONE.

I am not a doctor and I am not an expert but my reading of ALS is comprehensive. I have never feared it.

MS is also VERY RARE.

ALS IS MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE RARE THAN MS. MUCH. MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

Big hugs to all of you!!!!

[Cattia]

I have a friend with ALS and she never had anxiety. She was in no doubt that there was something very seriously wrong. Within a few weeks she couldn't use one of her legs. You're right, if you had ALS you would know about it. She's an amazing person who is still fighting and living a totally positive life almost eight years after her diagnosis and her attitude is an inspiration to people like me who waste a healthy life worrying.

[bertybotts]

I have a friend with ALS and she never had anxiety. She was in no doubt that there was something very seriously wrong. Within a few weeks she couldn't use one of her legs. You're right, if you had ALS you would know about it. She's an amazing person who is still fighting and living a totally positive life almost eight years after her diagnosis and her attitude is an inspiration to people like me who waste a healthy life worrying.

Wow 8 years, that is pretty incredible.
I am sure that people with ALS very quickly realize something is VERY WRONG.

[aunjypoo]

My ankles and feet have been feeling very weird lately.  Jerky when I move them almost and they make my foot shake if I flex or extend.  I can walk on my tip toes, walk on my heels, balance on one leg, run up stairs but I still have this horrible feeling I'm I the beginning stages of als. My left ankle seems worse than my right and I can bend my big toe further down on my right foot than I can my left as well as it just seems looser. It's scaring the crap out of me. I had my babinsky reflex tested the other day and I was fine but I was told I have hyper knee reflexes in both legs.

[pensrule]

Yes, I'm very worried about ALS all the time, I slur words, I have cronic sinus issues and phlegm in my throat, now my right forarm feels weak and I have a tremor in my right thumb when I try to text and hand shaking, plus when i sleep my left pinky and ring finger  go numb. I'm so worried about MND all the time, it takes away from enjoying the moment.  I also have heart paplitations so there is that added to it, I'm just a wreck physically and it depresses the crap out of me. I'm going through a very rough time in my personal life right now, so I have a lot of anxiety,  but I can't wrap my head around this not being a serious ALS type issue. The right arm and thumb thing just started the in the last few days, which is really kicking everything in, I'm just feeling hopeless...

[bertybotts]

My ankles and feet have been feeling very weird lately.  Jerky when I move them almost and they make my foot shake if I flex or extend.  I can walk on my tip toes, walk on my heels, balance on one leg, run up stairs but I still have this horrible feeling I'm I the beginning stages of als. My left ankle seems worse than my right and I can bend my big toe further down on my right foot than I can my left as well as it just seems looser. It's scaring the crap out of me. I had my babinsky reflex tested the other day and I was fine but I was told I have hyper knee reflexes in both legs.

Well guess what you don't have ALS. Congratulations. Now seek some anxiety treatment!

[bertybotts]

Yes, I'm very worried about ALS all the time, I slur words, I have cronic sinus issues and phlegm in my throat, now my right forarm feels weak and I have a tremor in my right thumb when I try to text and hand shaking, plus when i sleep my left pinky and ring finger  go numb. I'm so worried about MND all the time, it takes away from enjoying the moment.  I also have heart paplitations so there is that added to it, I'm just a wreck physically and it depresses the crap out of me. I'm going through a very rough time in my personal life right now, so I have a lot of anxiety,  but I can't wrap my head around this not being a serious ALS type issue. The right arm and thumb thing just started the in the last few days, which is really kicking everything in, I'm just feeling hopeless...

These are all anxiety reaction symptoms. Your body is fine, your mind is not. Seek treatment for your anxiety!!

[pensrule]

Yes, I'm very worried about ALS all the time, I slur words, I have cronic sinus issues and phlegm in my throat, now my right forarm feels weak and I have a tremor in my right thumb when I try to text and hand shaking, plus when i sleep my left pinky and ring finger  go numb. I'm so worried about MND all the time, it takes away from enjoying the moment.  I also have heart paplitations so there is that added to it, I'm just a wreck physically and it depresses the crap out of me. I'm going through a very rough time in my personal life right now, so I have a lot of anxiety,  but I can't wrap my head around this not being a serious ALS type issue. The right arm and thumb thing just started the in the last few days, which is really kicking everything in, I'm just feeling hopeless...

These are all anxiety reaction symptoms. Your body is fine, your mind is not. Seek treatment for your anxiety!!

Well if you say so...I pray you are right!

[bertybotts]

Yes, I'm very worried about ALS all the time, I slur words, I have cronic sinus issues and phlegm in my throat, now my right forarm feels weak and I have a tremor in my right thumb when I try to text and hand shaking, plus when i sleep my left pinky and ring finger  go numb. I'm so worried about MND all the time, it takes away from enjoying the moment.  I also have heart paplitations so there is that added to it, I'm just a wreck physically and it depresses the crap out of me. I'm going through a very rough time in my personal life right now, so I have a lot of anxiety,  but I can't wrap my head around this not being a serious ALS type issue. The right arm and thumb thing just started the in the last few days, which is really kicking everything in, I'm just feeling hopeless...

These are all anxiety reaction symptoms. Your body is fine, your mind is not. Seek treatment for your anxiety!!

Well if you say so...I pray you are right!

Dude I will give you my mailing address if you can mail me your ALS positive test results and I will personally send you a million dollars if you have it. Because you DO NOT HAVE ALS!

[aunjypoo]

My ankles and feet have been feeling very weird lately.  Jerky when I move them almost and they make my foot shake if I flex or extend.  I can walk on my tip toes, walk on my heels, balance on one leg, run up stairs but I still have this horrible feeling I'm I the beginning stages of als. My left ankle seems worse than my right and I can bend my big toe further down on my right foot than I can my left as well as it just seems looser. It's scaring the crap out of me. I had my babinsky reflex tested the other day and I was fine but I was told I have hyper knee reflexes in both legs.

Well guess what you don't have ALS. Congratulations. Now seek some anxiety treatment!

Are you backing that statement with any knowledge on the subject, or just a guess....

[bertybotts]

My ankles and feet have been feeling very weird lately.  Jerky when I move them almost and they make my foot shake if I flex or extend.  I can walk on my tip toes, walk on my heels, balance on one leg, run up stairs but I still have this horrible feeling I'm I the beginning stages of als. My left ankle seems worse than my right and I can bend my big toe further down on my right foot than I can my left as well as it just seems looser. It's scaring the crap out of me. I had my babinsky reflex tested the other day and I was fine but I was told I have hyper knee reflexes in both legs.

Well guess what you don't have ALS. Congratulations. Now seek some anxiety treatment!

Are you backing that statement with any knowledge on the subject, or just a guess....

Total knowledge. If you had ALS you would not be sitting here telling me about elaborate tests you can do. You would be suffering from ALS. ALS is not one of those secretive, weird disease you sort of wonder if you have or not. If you have ALS, you would know.

[aunjypoo]

My ankles and feet have been feeling very weird lately.  Jerky when I move them almost and they make my foot shake if I flex or extend.  I can walk on my tip toes, walk on my heels, balance on one leg, run up stairs but I still have this horrible feeling I'm I the beginning stages of als. My left ankle seems worse than my right and I can bend my big toe further down on my right foot than I can my left as well as it just seems looser. It's scaring the crap out of me. I had my babinsky reflex tested the other day and I was fine but I was told I have hyper knee reflexes in both legs.

Well guess what you don't have ALS. Congratulations. Now seek some anxiety treatment!

Are you backing that statement with any knowledge on the subject, or just a guess....

Total knowledge. If you had ALS you would not be sitting here telling me about elaborate tests you can do. You would be suffering from ALS. ALS is not one of those secretive, weird disease you sort of wonder if you have or not. If you have ALS, you would know.

So you are saying with certainty that what I describe does not fit even the very early stages of als at all?

[sixpack]

aunjypoo

if bertybotts answered you saying that "with certainity" you don't have ALS, what would that actually mean to you?    You've asked me that and others.  NONE of us are doctors but what we DO know is that people with anxiety crave ENDLESS and repeat reassurance and then don't believe any of it anyway.  I will tell you what it would mean  if bertybotts was to tell you that you absolutely, 100%, no way in hell that you have ALS,  you *might* believe it for 5 minutes.    Then you would go back to needing another round of reassurance.  in the end your anxious over thinking wouldn't believe it. 

a quote I am fond of:   "you can fool yourself two ways.  One is believing something that isn't true (believing you have X disease with ZERO objective evidence); and the other is refusing to believe what IS true."(you have an anxiety disorder that manifests itself physically and unless or until you address the disorder that you actually have adequately, you will not feel better.  you will continue living in fear and giving away all ofr your joy)

you will not get better until you take the necessary steps to get there.  Yep, I know it is hard.  I've been there.  But I got sick of "being there".  aunjypoo, you need to address your faulty thinking.  THEN things get better.

[gcalex]

Don't seek medical advice from anonymous posters on the internet.  What you have to do is develop the tools to understand for yourself that your thinking is distorted.

[bertybotts]

My ankles and feet have been feeling very weird lately.  Jerky when I move them almost and they make my foot shake if I flex or extend.  I can walk on my tip toes, walk on my heels, balance on one leg, run up stairs but I still have this horrible feeling I'm I the beginning stages of als. My left ankle seems worse than my right and I can bend my big toe further down on my right foot than I can my left as well as it just seems looser. It's scaring the crap out of me. I had my babinsky reflex tested the other day and I was fine but I was told I have hyper knee reflexes in both legs.

Well guess what you don't have ALS. Congratulations. Now seek some anxiety treatment!

Are you backing that statement with any knowledge on the subject, or just a guess....

Total knowledge. If you had ALS you would not be sitting here telling me about elaborate tests you can do. You would be suffering from ALS. ALS is not one of those secretive, weird disease you sort of wonder if you have or not. If you have ALS, you would know.

So you are saying with certainty that what I describe does not fit even the very early stages of als at all?

Every doctor on planet earth would tell you that you do NOT have ALS, not even a tiny little bit. If you have ALS, go play the lottery. Same odds. Do you plan on winning the 50 million jackpot anytime soon?

[pensrule]

Yes, I'm very worried about ALS all the time, I slur words, I have cronic sinus issues and phlegm in my throat, now my right forarm feels weak and I have a tremor in my right thumb when I try to text and hand shaking, plus when i sleep my left pinky and ring finger  go numb. I'm so worried about MND all the time, it takes away from enjoying the moment.  I also have heart paplitations so there is that added to it, I'm just a wreck physically and it depresses the crap out of me. I'm going through a very rough time in my personal life right now, so I have a lot of anxiety,  but I can't wrap my head around this not being a serious ALS type issue. The right arm and thumb thing just started the in the last few days, which is really kicking everything in, I'm just feeling hopeless...

These are all anxiety reaction symptoms. Your body is fine, your mind is not. Seek treatment for your anxiety!!

I agree I have bad anexiety, but the right hand thing seems to be getting worse daily, I have pain on the outside part of the palm now and the whole hand feels stiff and weak, along with forarm feeling weak too. I haven't been able to talk right in months, tongue doesn't form words right, I feel like I had a silent stoke or something. I'm right handed so this is making me nuts, it not a percived yhing either, my right hand really is bothering me. Also makes me worry since my start with thiis als fear began with reading sn article about a young baseball player that hurt his arm, went and got it checked, and found out he has als.

[pensrule]

Nose blockage and speech are really bad today, making me anxious as hell, bad thing is is I talk on a phone all day, so tongue not working right is a constant bother, this doesn't seem to be getting any better either.

[bertybotts]

Nose blockage and speech are really bad today, making me anxious as hell, bad thing is is I talk on a phone all day, so tongue not working right is a constant bother, this doesn't seem to be getting any better either.

Of course it won't get better -- you have anxiety, which needs to be stopped and then treated. Stop that feedback loop where you obsess (and yes, you ARE obsessing!) over the sensations. If I asked you, just for 1 week, to live 'outside' your body, you would find that if you didn't think about it, you would feel a hell of a lot more normal.

Like I said, if you have ALS, go play the lottery jackpot. Are you going to win 50 million anytime soon? Probably not, hate to say. You having ALS is less likely than winning a big lottery jackpot. IDK about you but I'd rather look on the positive side.

You certainly with all confidence and physical knowledge and all the power in the universe, DO NOT HAVE ALS. In 5 months, people have gone from "0534 I feel kinda funny" to "I am about to die" with ALS. This means that their symptoms dramatically increase quickly. You would not have time to sit around and type me messages just wondering if you have ALS. If you had ALS, you would be dying of ALS, right now. You are not dying and you do not have ALS, I don't know how else to say it.
You just don't!

[hypotypo]

long time twitcher here...in June it will be two years.  had the mri and all that stuff, showed nothing.  Doctor said it was stress and anxiety.  To this day, i still compulsively worry about it.  I drop things...i am wobbly when i walk, i get my words mixed up, i have funky vision....BUT I am human.  I'm gonna mess up, I'm not perfect.  I'm gonna drop things, I'm not the most graceful person and my vision sucks from looking at a computer ALL DAY (work related).  I have completely sworn off Dr Google and havent looked up anything for over a year now.  The thing that freaks me out is just this incessant twitching and I'm sure sixpack will rip my booty for it as she has advised me several times in previous posts, however, my anxiety due to the symptoms continues.  Does that make sense?  I have anxiety because of the symptoms ...  I think that i've gotten past the ALS fear but then i will have a week where i twitch so much it literally causes the anxiety.  Sickening really!  I think, oh, by two years of twitching i would have significantly more symptoms of ALS/MS (since the average death rate is 3-5 years) by now!  But, wait a minute....then i a read on here that somebody knew somebody that has had it for eight years and another that has had it for 20 years!  Holy Cow!  Can that be real?  I read in all the posts...twitching comes after signifcant muscle weakness...well, i don't have that, so it's not ALS....BUT WAIT A MINUTE....somebody has had it for 20 years, surely their first onset of symptoms much have been really mild, possibly like mine?  Good Lord....I need a drink....

[pensrule]

Nose blockage and slurred speech are not going away, if this is not the beginings of ALS then wth is it? I was out having drinks and my buddy told me is was slurring,  that has me all freaked out now...

[sixpack]

Nose blockage and slurred speech are not going away, if this is not the beginings of ALS then wth is it? I was out having drinks and my buddy told me is was slurring,  that has me all freaked out now...

WHAT kind of rationality is THAT???

how is nose blockage ALS?  I mean I live with that every FREAKIN' day.   and you were slurring with drinks?  UM how unusual is that?   AND did you know that anxious over thinking amps up a nervous system?  An amped up nervous system can and WILL slur up speech.  It has happened to me.  It has happened to anyone who gets nervous.  believe me that is true.  the difference with the average run of the mill person with a nervous episode and a person with anxious over thinking disorder is that the average joe doesn't jump to catastrophic conclusions.

my question to you is:  how COULD this BE ALS?  I mean really?  HOW could those equal ALS?  I'm not trying to be condescending, but it is pretty ridiculous for you to jump to that conclusion.

so what are you going to do about your amped up nervous system?  what are you going to do about your anxious over thinking? 

[pensrule]

Sixpack, I have read that nasal sounding and slurred speech are bulbar onset issues, that is what has me very worried,  am I wrong about that?

[sixpack]

Sixpack, I have read that nasal sounding and slurred speech are bulbar onset issues, that is what has me very worried,  am I wrong about that?

most folks who end up irrationally fearing ALS almost always end up going to the Bulbar onset.......  Why? because that one tends to be the one that is the worst or fastest killing type.

are you wrong about nasal and slurring being symptoms?  hmmm don't know, I don't tend to look up diseases because it only feeds/fans the flames.

are you wrong about your having ALS?  yes.

so what are you going to do about your thinking disorder?  remember doing nothing but reactive things will only hinder your ability to get better.

[jerry2]

hypotypo, I totaly feel with you, as I have same problems. I am 16 months into twitching, wierd tingling, wierd hand and leg pain that moves around, dizziness, bad sleeping., nightmares, tremor at early morning also etc. I cough now for 1 month, I can not seem to get rid of any infection etc. Pain is sometimes deliberating. Certanly twitching is the least of my body problems but I am still obsessed I may have ALS :-( I refuse to go to doctors any more, I had a normal clinical 21 days into twitching and no EMG, doctor just found atrophy in hand but it is there for 2 years now. Ok, I see it is getting bigger, but the photos I am taking seems the same, but I notice it more and more. I am weak, but not of weakness but of pain, my wrists hurt me so much. Some parts of my body hurt so much to movement, preassure, like my tendons and nerves would be inflammed. But it is the twitching which really kills me. I was over ALS fears for some times, but it allways return because my symptoms got worse. I now have back, neck, thumb hotspots, this surely can not be nothing... I really don't know. I don't want to live like that. But I only feel anxious because of my symptoms, nothing else. So my anxiety is because of my body problems not the other way around. I refuse to believe body is in pain and twitching because I am depressed. I am depressed when the symptoms take a worse turn for me. I get full of hope if one day it is better. When things are worse, I fall into anxiety and depression.

[colls22]

This post comes at an interesting time for me. I suffered with this fear for about a year, until summer 2012. Such a relief to have gotten past it! But, sadly, it's come back. Coincidentally, the exact same issues I've already been tested for (EMG) within the last year. Primarily concerned about left shoulder weakness am trying to be logical and am telling myself that what I'm feeling now is exactly what I was feeling in the past, that turned out to be nothing, so hopefully this is the same issue. But am having a bit of a difficult time believing it.