Eighteen years old and I'm concerned that I have ALS.

[RainbowQuartz2.0]

It's difficult to recollect when it first happened, but it began what what I thought was a simple case of indigestion that began sometime last summer, perhaps in August. I ate and drank something right before lying down, and a few minutes later I suddenly felt nauseous and my abdomen felt like it was on fire. I don't know if it is worth mentioning that I had a chest infection that I contracted sometime during the end of the winter months that left me with a lingering cough, however last November I had another case of indigestion after eating two bowls of soup. The next day I would have hyperactive stomach growling and constipation that would persist for months. I was able to manage it with a protein shake that contained many probiotics. It helped my stomach growling and regulated my bowel movements.

In the beginning of Janurary this year, I believe I experienced Malabsorption. Large, bulky and floating stool that left me feeling chills and nausea. This would occur three times.

Now the beginning of February. It seems like my stomach growling has stopped mostly, And I wasn't feeling any pain. But I was still passing abnormal, clumpy stool. My next symptom would be twitching that occurred on the right side of my face, near the side of my nose. Eventually it would spread to my legs, And then my entire body. I also recall having pain in my eyes when I moved them too far to the left or right for a few days when the twitching began. I started feeling pain in my hands due to cramping, And then my upper back thighs, calves, and my right bisep. The pain would leave one area, and around two days later appear in a different part of my body. My newest symptom feels like I'm having food caught in my throat even though I have no difficulty swallowing, it feels like I can swallow just fine.

My worst thought was nerve damage. I read up on neurogenic colon. The thought that I had was that I have some sort of neurological condition that is eating through my colon and has decided to jump to my motor neurons and effect my skeletal muscles.

I'm pretty terrified. I live in a low income family and I can't afford to seek out a doctor or a specialist. If I go to the ER I will be in several thousands of dollars in medical debt and they probably won't even perform the proper screening. I live in the typical rural family and they wouldn't believe that something is wrong with me unless I start experiencing foot drop or start to regurgitate the food I eat.

If anyone could lend me some advice and medical opinions, I would be extremely grateful. I hate to admit that I have actually considered going out and doing some pretty demeaning things just to get the money I need. No one I applied for will hire me because we don't have an extra vehicle and many places see this as I don't have reliable transportation.

[RainbowQuartz2.0]

Update: It looks as if my palate has drooped on the right side. It feels as if I am getting food caught in my throat and I am having cases of dry heaving. I also have had twitches in my tongue for a while.