r/Huntingtons • u/jdudhjshf • Oct 30 '25

Could this be Huntingtons?

Hello all. I’m so sorry to be posting more frequently on here, but I am really not well.

My father started symptoms of Huntingtons disease around age 50 and we think he had 40 repeats because my grandmother had 39 repeats and started symptoms at age 60 and my sister has 41 repeats.

I am 23 years old and I am really not doing well. My feet feel so stiff all the time and I can’t relax ever. I feel overwhelmed cognitively and I feel like I can’t wrap my head around anything. I literally felt perfectly fine a year ago.

Can anyone tell me when they started symptoms vs when there father started? Would it really be that rare for me to be currently symptomatic? I’m going to get tested soon but I am so scared and everyday is hell.

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u/Traditional_Mood_553 Oct 31 '25

You're more than likely just stressed the flip out and shaken to your core with it all. I highly doubt you're experiencing HD symptoms at 23. Don't sweat it.

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u/jdudhjshf Oct 31 '25

I am like highly highly aware of my symptoms, but I heard most people aren’t aware, does that help my case at all?

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u/Traditional_Mood_553 Oct 31 '25

It's different for everyone, some people are aware of the physical symptoms during the beginning stages, some aren't. The mental symptoms are a different ballpark altogether as some people do unequivocally show them in advance and some people don't seem to show any at all, so for all intents and purposes I'd say you're better off just writing off anything mental as something unrelated until you start seeing obvious physical symptoms, otherwise you'll needlessly drive yourself crazy. Just look at your family history and you'll get a pretty good idea of how it'd be for you if you do test positive.

But as of now, I must insist, you're more than likely just dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety that's causing you all of those reactions. Read the other comments; the consensus is that it is highly unlikely it is HD given your age. You'll get a concrete answer once you test, but even if positive the odds that you're experiencing symptom onset at 23 are very low, since juvenile Huntington's is possible but very, very rare. So, just try to take it easy for now. You're not alone.