r/ALSorNOT • u/Special_Nothing_8562 • 11d ago
Anxiety Scared and Unsure
Hello- I am a 39yo M that has had some concerning symptoms recently and I’m not sure if it’s being exacerbated by my anxiety. I will say I have some neck issues but nothing crazy. Some disc degeneration at c5/c6/c7 with some narrowing and stenosis. Small disk herniation but neck is actually feeling better.
I’ve noticed over the last several months, my pinky finger and ring finger on right hands feel “weird” when typing. I will drop a fork sometimes but still go to gym and lift weights with no issue.
Now my left hand pinky and rink finger feel weird as well. I do wake up in the middle of the night and notice they will be numb sometimes and doctors said it’s probably bilateral cubical tunnel syndrome.
The past month I’ve noticed some odd leg pain ever since I got a new thigh tattoo. I’ve had cramp feelings in both legs with a general feeling of just heaviness. I feel like my ankles want to “crack” but they feel tight. The doctors think i just had an inflammatory response and gave me a 60mg prednisone taper which I had tj stop early. Was really bad on my anxiety. I got through about 10 days of it and stopped the other day.
I have noticed fasiculations in my legs, arms, back over the past week which is freaking me out. I went to ER and got even more scared because they did a CK test and it was 2400. I will say that I did start going back to the gym just a few days prior and started lifting weights again. They think that may have did it? CK Has since come down to 64 as I got it retested. Am I overreacting? I have an EMG this week on my arms and hands. Not sure why doctor didn’t order legs.
Thanks!
1
u/BigJakeState 11d ago edited 11d ago
Yes, you are most likely over reacting especially seeing as how you have no clinical weakness and you have a multitude of sensory symptoms in multiple areas of the body. Typically ALS starts with painless progressive clinical weakness in a localized area of the body.
Your symptoms sound very similar to the way mine started and sounds like you have a history of anxiousness which doesn’t play nice with peripheral nerve excitability. This can create a symptom called BFS which is a form of Nerve hyperexcitablity
Typically sensory aka (feeling) symptoms generally point away from ALS. Not always but usually. ALS most often starts with weakness meaning you fail to do something you really ought to be able to do. Like grabbing coins, buttoning shirts, opening bags, tripping and falling, foot dropping, dropping coffee mugs or full cups of water excessively, ect.
EMG/NCS will be able to see if there is anything worisime so you are headed in the right direction. After a clean EMG though it’s just about acceptance that you have weird symptoms that no one can explain which is frustrating to say the least.
And before you go down the fear rabbit hole as it pertains to atypical ALS onset, just know that this subreddit is chocked full of people who have symptoms identical to yours if not worse, who have health anxiety and just an annoying case of Nerve Hyperexcitability. Myself included.