Hi everyone
I was wondering if anyone knows the path of als? My mom started with her (r) leg and now she is almost wheelchair bound. (in only 2 months of dx) she gets so very short of breath when she tries to walk. I was wondering if the ALS might skip all other limbs and go to the respiratory system without affecting any thing else? does it skip around or follow a path? PLEASE HELP ME TO HELP MY MOM. WE ARE BOTH SO VERY SCARED!!!!!
Thanks
sue

Hi Sue. Sorry to hear about your Mom. It's scary, I know. Most folks are in shock for a time. You'll probably find that you'll both go through the normal stages of grief. Just bear with it and things will settle down emotionally. Unfortunately nobody can predict how the disease will progress with your Mom. Even if we were doctors, it is impossible to say since everyone is different.

That said, there are ALS Clinic will know if she needs a pulmonary function test and if her ability to take adequate breaths and release them is affected she might be prescribed a machine to help her breath in and out. Do a search for a Pi-Pap machine and you'll see how they work and when folks use them. (Some only use them at rest.)

Good luck and keep us informed. Some of the people on this forum have had ALS for years-even those wo rely on wheelchairs and vents and so forth. Regards, Cindy

Hi Sue. Welcome to the forum but sorry for the reasons you have to be here. I've been using a Bipap machine for more than 2 years now. I just had to start using a power wheelchair a month or so ago. Mine hit my lungs more at first but has stayed mostly the same since then and my limbs have gotten weaker. Everybody's different and there is no real way to tell how long or what path it will take. AL.