worried about my symptoms and ALS...

[lifeisgoodinpink]

...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. i told my doc about this and he said that i might have an early symptom of carpal tunnel. gave me an arm brace to help at night but it hasn't helped. 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.

[Danterrycol]

I have similar stuff happening and went to a Nuerologist and I am getting testing to ID the issue.  I am in the middle of testing now.  You should probably see a Nuerologist to pinpoint the problem.  But, if you had the symptoms for over 2 years then ALS is pretty much out of the question since ALS sympoms come on fast typically within 2 months and you are well into the bad stuff within 6-8 months.  There are many many nuerological disorders and most have these strange symptoms that are not debilitating at young ages, if not ever.   I was also freaked about ALS and the other deadly motor diseases - I fell more calm not but still not 100% OK until the doctor finishes the testing.

[Capital H]

If the doc says it is most likely Carpal Tunnel, then it is most likely Carpal Tunnel. Carpal Tunnel is very common and ALS is extremely rare, almost unheard of in anyone under 40.

I remember now when my left hand went numb on me for the first time, I thought I had had a stroke and went straight down to emergency, the dx came back as Carpal Tunnel, sure enought that was eventually confirmed by nerve conduction tests.