worried about als? please help?

...female age 27 and i guess like many people i'm panicking or worried about things i've been feeling lately. well for maybe 2 years now i've had this problem w/ my hands and fingers. it clamps up or starts to feel uncomfortable when i use it too long. for example...if i'm writing it'll start to cramp or clamp or freeze up. or if i'm doing a simple thing as peeling an apple or just doing something w/ my hands my hands will clamp up and freeze into a deformed position for a couple of seconds. well last time i had this happen was maybe 2 years ago? hasn't happened since then. now this year i started to get some twitching. twitching w/ one of my toes on my left side and twitching w/ my ring finger or small finger also on my left side. my left ring finger and small finger now doesn't flow smoothly when you bend it normally. kind of has a popping movement. today i felt as if my left arm had a tingling sensation. and as i'm typing i feel as my inner wrist has a slight burning sensation.  so i did a google search and came across als and scared the heck outta me. so if anyone w/ als please tell me if my symptoms sound similar or familiar during their first early signs or if anyone can help ease my mind and maybe my symptoms sound similar to something else it would greatly be helpful. any advice and comments will be much appreciated. thank you.

[FloridaSunshine]

Hi,
You are so young to worry so much.
Go to your family doctor, get it checked out,

I wonder if you could have a bulging disc in your neck?  I have Degenerative disc in my neck and it effects my hands and arms from time to time. It presses on my nerves.  Dr ordered Celebrex and it helps my neck pain and arm pain.

[alsadvocate]

I agree with FloridaSunshine make sure you don't have any pinched nerves and bulging disc.

I have a brother with ALS, I am very familiar with it.

ALS Symptoms

Initial or Early Symptoms of ALS
The onset of ALS is often very subtle - these are the initial ALS Symptoms to watch for:

twitching and cramping of the muscles, especially those in the hands and feet

muscle weakness in the arms or legs
loss of motor control in the arms or legs
general weakness and fatigue
tripping and falling
dropping things
slurred or thick speech
difficulty chewing or swallowing
uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying
The parts of the body affected by early symptoms of ALS depend on which muscles in the body are damaged first. For instance, one person may experience trouble grasping or lifting, another person notices that he is stumbling or tripping more often, and a third person may notice episodes of slurred speech.

Muscle weakness is a hallmark initial sign in ALS, occurring in approximately 60% of patients. About 25% have bulbar (throat) onset, which means that voice and swallowing are first affected. About 50% have arm onset, and 25% leg onset.

[Willito84]

hi there i have a question about als i have been feeling some weird things on my left arm it started with tingling and now it just feels swollen a lot but it doesn't look swollen its a really weird feeling but i still have strength on my arm and i don't drop things can this be als

[daycaretrouble]

Hello.  I am a Hospice nurse with an ALS patient.  that teaches me so much.   I have actually asked my patient the same thing because I have semilar s/s.   The tinglin and feeling swollen actually sound like a circulation problem. or  neck/disc problem or nerve damage possibly from a neck injury or bulging disc that may be pressing on the nerve.  making your hand feel as of they are asleep.   I have severe cervical neuropathy from a water skiing accident.  My hands "go to sleep"especially when I lay down.  I would problably get things checked in that area first.   After 2 yrs of trying to find a cause,  when they did.  They placed me on neurontin to calm the damaged nerves.   It was a miracle drug..  your symptoms really dont sound like als to me.   hope it helps

[Willito84]

Thank you very much your comment helps me out a lot i have one more question though do patients with als get pain because something i have a pain in the same arm in the upper to elbow area