Hi Agate,

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and reply. Unfortunately, I am not taking any medications or supplements, and haven't for some time, so that's not the issue. I also saw several GI and throat specialists when I was initially having swallowing problems. None could spot any abnormalities nor did MRIs or X-rays reveal anything unusual; a few thought I was therefore being a drama queen and just suffering from issues caused by regular old acid reflux (since shown to be incorrect) while one thought it could be a neurological issues. All washed their hands of me after ruling out structural abnormalities. I don't think the one who suspected a neurological problem even referred me to a neurologist himself!

I think you're right that I've just had a bad run of doctors. On the face of it the guy who examined me for possible ALS in February should have been pretty reliable since he specialises in it and also has an interest in early diagnosis. Yet I left with the lingering feeling that he had missed and/or breezed over several really quite important things, and my issues have since continued to get worse. He told me I should expect to get better and although he didn't say so explicitly, seemed largely to chalk up my issues to anxiety and 'natural changes'. This also left me feeling very uncomfortable. I know noone in my family, friends or otherwise who has developed the level of weakness, wasting and exercise intolerance that I have as a result of 'natural changes'. When was the last time a dude naturally lost the ability to chop hard foods or do a press up or pull himself out of bed at certain angles (assuming no massive lifestyle changes, which I haven't had) in his early 20s? It doesn't make sense.

Sorry for slipping into rant mode there. As you can probably tell, this whole situation is proving very difficult. The best way forward does seem to be to pool together my monies and find another specialist, but I might wait until my symptoms are (even) more flagrant, because I don't want to be examined again and just told I'm not weak enough to meet their threshold and sent home.

All best,

Flex