Anxiety/stress/or ALS

New to the forum-here goes.I am a 45 yar old male.In good shape as i work out to control stress. Myfather was diagnosed with ALS in dec of 02. He was gone by april 03.(74 yrs old) family history of nerve type concerns-ALS of course the worse his brother who was 80 when he went had lost feeling in his hands and feet. As my father suffered we took care of him so we were close to the effects of ALS. I took over the business while he was sick and after he passed on. I was under tremendous stress. I had been told previous to all this that i had panic attacks-so i exercise and lift weights to control them. With the stress and anxiety i was conviced i had the same symptoms as my father. Left Arm: weak,twitching,burning,cramping,numbness,-Left Leg: weak, twitching in calf,numbness in foot and shin area, Upper body: burning sensations throughout back and chest,numbness, the more i thought about it the worse it got. I went to the same nerouligist my father went to he did the needle emg on me.He said i did not have ALS- they put me on paxil and i slowly got better where i was able to get off the paxil.(with all the electric shocks)In our business the january through july is our busy season and febuary through may the worst. The symptoms have returned and are even in areas that i had not seen before. Left arm: much more weak than before and cramping in the bicep with the ulnar nerve at times in excruciating pain down the arm and twitching. (Ive been going to the chiropractor to get adjusted 3 times a weak for 2 weeks. The area she calls c-5, c-6, on the left side will not heal up as it is still very painfull and is where the ulnar nerve and ribs meet-ive been getting massages as well)The right side of c-5 and c-6 is tender and hurts but no pain or numbness down the right arm or in the right leg. Left leg: numb and weaker than ever before I tread mill and i can feel the weaknes moreso this time than before and the numness remains in the same areas as well as above the knee now. The left calf muscels are more fatigued than the right calf. upper body left side burning sensation, clothes on my left arm and chest and back burn, my seat belt burns into me.Ive had sensation of itching and tingling on my throat and chin as well, left arms fingers: small and next one up are numb, I wake up with numb didgits both hands. I have seen the doctor we are waiting to get back my file on the emg i took 3 yars ago from the neuroligist.It is our busy season and i am expanding our business so again the stress level is high. I need to be the leader for the people i have employed i need to be the optimist and lead by example, however its tough to do when you feel you may have an incurable disease. once diagnosed with ALS most people make it 3 to 5 years. I have a 10 to 50 % chance of inheriting the gene that causes als. They think that stress, lifting weights, smoking, and chemicals can cause ALS. I sprayed chemicals for 7 years with organophosphate poisoning once. what ya think

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

I understand your concerns, and they are legitimate worries re inheriting such a disease and still keep going as if it is not a possibility.  What you have to keep in mind is that it is a possibility, but it is not now a fact.  Given what you said, and your father's illness, and your proximity to it, I would recommend that you spend some time with a good therapist sorting out how much of a factor your fears play in generating some of the symptoms you experience.  Once  you become preoccupied with this problem, its almost impossible to sort it out by yourself.

[maggarwa]

Hello All,
my sister is going through similar stuff as you all right now and i have found a new hope and thats the reason i am posting this. Please look into amino acid therapy, go to your book store, get this book by Julia Ross called "mood cure". There are natural ways of dealing with anxiety and depression and thats through 5-HTP and amino acids and without any side effects.
Also, read this articles,
http://www.naturalhealthweb.com/articles/Nelson4.html
http://www.fibromyalgiacfsstore.com/healthnews305.html

good luck to you all. Please do not stop your medicines cold turkey because you will go through hell. The key is to start amino acid therapy and then slowly wean off the prescription medicine. Amino acids r available in nutrition food stores and GNCs