Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

I'm just being paranoid of course but so far I've had urine tests, 11 blood tests and a 2 and a half hour EMG and needle test. They are basically all tests to prove that I have or don't have all the million things that cause progressive paralysis. Yep, it's another boring post about being sick. Gotta hate them. Hard to obsess about your mortality if no one gets to hear about it though, right?

Anyway, all tests came back normal. I'm completely healthy... except one. The needle test. Basically they stick a needle into your muscles and make you flex the muscles while a microphone essentially listens to the muscles. It came back abnormal. The reason that's a royal kick in the pants is that Multiple Sclerosis will come back normal on all the tests I've had. ALS will come back exactly the same with the exception of the needle test.

I mean the odds of me having a disease where 99% of patients are over the age of 40 is astronomical. But the fact that my doctors are unable to rule it out and so far the only diagnostic test for ALS has come back possitive. There is no diffinitive test for it. Basically a doctor has to rule out all the other million things it could be until the only thing left is ALS.

The early symptoms are varied. Foot drop (I have two), muscle weakness (got them as well) and dropping things. Believe me, I have that. Twitching (fasciculations). Yep, got them pretty feirce in the foot that's been paralyzed the longest. And thick speech. No, I don't have that. Unless of course that explains the new studder I developed a few months ago.

My MRI is in less than 3 weeks. The purpose of that is to rule out the two major causes they think is causing it. MS and a tumor. If that MRI comes back clean... ALS remains as the most likely again. It can take up to 3 years to diagnose it. With a 5 year average life span with ALS... I really hope it doesn't take that long.

People ask me how I am and I always say fine. But I'm not. I'm scared and I'm fustrated and no one can help me through it.

I really hope I'm over reacting and it's all because of something stupid like a lego man shoved up my nose.