I started noticing my symptoms during June and July of 2024, but what convinced me something was wrong was when people started telling me “you look good.” On a number of occasions over the course of the summer people said this or some similar compliment. At a gathering with my wife’s family, a couple of her sisters commented on how good I looked and during a standing weekly meeting a customer wanted the details of the work out routine that had resulted in me being in such good shape.
As a guy who carried too much weight for most of his life it felt good to hear these compliments. Unfortunately, I knew “looking good” was not the result of exercise routine or diet. My exercise routine focused on riding a stationary bike for about an hour or taking a four mile walk four to five days a week. While laudable in my eyes I knew this routine coupled with a diet that had not changed was not enough for me to achieve “looking good” status.
I had lost weight in my face, neck and legs, but unbeknownst to those complimenting me, I also had difficulty swallowing, getting out of chairs and climbing stairs and pain in my arms when raising them above my head. All told I knew these symptoms were likely a medical issue but I did not understand how they were connected.
Given my crusade to avoid doctors, I resorted to Google for a diagnosis. I knew this was dumb, but I was hanging onto the hope that something benign and easily resolved caused my symptoms. As most medical professionals will tell you, relying on Google for a diagnosis is a bad idea. The results included many causes for my symptoms. A few were benign, but most were not, including the predominant diagnosis of ALS.
I made an appointment with my primary care physician.
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