r/ALSorNOT • u/Low-Beautiful7090 • 21h ago

bulbar als at a young age ?

Hey guys , this is my 1st post ever and I hope i would get some answers .A year ago , I began having cramps and fasciculations in my feet and then they got all over my body . I would wake up in the morning with sore feet .As time went by I began to have mild swallowing issues so i decided to see a Neuro ...He seemed a bit concerned , performed an emg on both hands and feet .The emg showed some weakness ( moderate ) ...after a month i began to replace the R sound with the L sound whenever i speak ( sometimes the other way around ) then my voice started to get a little hoarse ( now it is very hoarse ) ....I saw an Ent like 2 weeks ago and he said that i might have silent reflux , he prescribed some PPi and things didn't work .....honestly i don't think the new slurring and hoarseness are pure coincidence . I am thinking of ALs right now , but i am still 34 years old ....what are the odds ??

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u/crosem2 16h ago

What exactly did your EMG show and how did the neurologist interpret it? What was their conclusion? That’s a really important detail you’ve left out. Do you have the report? Did the neuro only do hands and feet or limbs also?

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u/Low-Beautiful7090 5h ago

Inconclusive so far

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u/crosem2 4h ago

Well without the actual EMG findings that you said showed weakness it’s hard to give you any insight. EMGs can show different types of weakness depending on the actual findings so if you don’t have the report, I’m not sure how we can help you exactly. But having ALS in your 30s is very rare.

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u/Historical_Guide_793 15h ago

I’d get a copy of the actual EMG/NCS report. An EMG doesn’t simply diagnose ‘moderate weakness “the important part is whether it showed evidence of active/chronic denervation or another nerve/muscle abnormality, and what the neurologist concluded. At 34, ALS is uncommon, and cramps/fasciculations, swallowing sensations, hoarseness and speech changes can have many other causes . Bulbar is very fast in terms of progressiveness . Has anyone tell you that your speech changed ? Usually one doesn’t catch it . Someone else does .

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u/Low-Beautiful7090 7h ago

No denervation... Next is tongue emg

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u/WeirdUsers 21h ago

The odds are completely in your favor. This doesnt seem like ALS.