Hi all,
My mother was diagnosed with possible Bulbar ALS few weeks ago. We're praying that it's something else that can be treated. Wanted to share her symptoms and hear your thoughts/suggestions please.
She started having voice issues, mainly hoarseness, since about 8-9 months ago. Few months later, she started choking on liquids often. My parents consulted several ENT doctors and most of them mentioned some inflammation in the vocal cords and suggested she rest her voice as much as possible and go on speech therapy. The choking improved but she still needs to be very careful while swallowing, however her voice didn't improve at all. One of the ENTs suggested visiting a Neurologist at that point because he mentioned her uvula movement wasn't as expected.
Since then, my parents have consulted a few neurologists in Asia who say her MRIs are clear and EMG shows slight muscle weakness in hands/feet. Therefore, they suspect it is Bulbar ALS. My mom has had weakness in hands/feet due to rheumatoid arthritis for several years but she says she doesn't think her hands/feet have got any more weaker in the last several months.
She will be travelling to the US, where I live, and has an appointment with a neurologist next week who suggested we retake an EMG test. I also booked an appointment with an ENT specializing in voice/swallowing issues few days later, and am really hoping he finds some other cause of her issues.
Has anyone had similar experiences? Do you all have any suggestions on what to ask the doctors/what to expect?
Thank you!
My mother was diagnosed with possible Bulbar ALS few weeks ago. We're praying that it's something else that can be treated. Wanted to share her symptoms and hear your thoughts/suggestions please.
She started having voice issues, mainly hoarseness, since about 8-9 months ago. Few months later, she started choking on liquids often. My parents consulted several ENT doctors and most of them mentioned some inflammation in the vocal cords and suggested she rest her voice as much as possible and go on speech therapy. The choking improved but she still needs to be very careful while swallowing, however her voice didn't improve at all. One of the ENTs suggested visiting a Neurologist at that point because he mentioned her uvula movement wasn't as expected.
Since then, my parents have consulted a few neurologists in Asia who say her MRIs are clear and EMG shows slight muscle weakness in hands/feet. Therefore, they suspect it is Bulbar ALS. My mom has had weakness in hands/feet due to rheumatoid arthritis for several years but she says she doesn't think her hands/feet have got any more weaker in the last several months.
She will be travelling to the US, where I live, and has an appointment with a neurologist next week who suggested we retake an EMG test. I also booked an appointment with an ENT specializing in voice/swallowing issues few days later, and am really hoping he finds some other cause of her issues.
Has anyone had similar experiences? Do you all have any suggestions on what to ask the doctors/what to expect?
Thank you!
