I've occasionally written about my father in law, who for years has had ongoing problems with his leg on and off. Never was diagnosed with anything.
Now for appx the past year, his leg has been totally numb and hasn't been able to feel anything. He went through all the testing, with several neuros, and still no one can figure out what's wrong with him. An EMG done last March ruled out ALS, it hasn't spread, and if it WERE als it would be progressing a lot faster especially given his age (he'll be 80 in January), right? No changes in all this time other than muscle wasting and losing weight one size (probably because he's basically given up and sits around moping all day and doesn't do anything).
The genetic form runs in the family, his grandfather had it, 2 sisters (a third we know is a carrier), and 2 nephews. Naturally one would assume the worst given the family history, but the symptoms aren't pointing to als and no one can convince him otherwise. He's very depressed and has given up, and has been talking about killing himself. He's totally convinced that he has it even though no doctor has ever said that he does.
He won't travel out of state and he won't even think of seeing a mental health professional. We want him to get to a real specialist, a GOOD one, no more ho-hum basic neuros that probably have gone through their entire careers without ever having even seen a case. I'm hoping another round of tests including an EMG with a ALS specialist will not only put his mind at ease, but get to the root of whatever the problem really is and fix it once and for all.
Can anyone recommend somewhere good to go in Florida? Somewhere where the neuros have more specialized training and have a lot of experience in diagnosing (and UNdiagnosing) als? Where they can figure out the unknown mystery cases? Where is House when you need him?
Now for appx the past year, his leg has been totally numb and hasn't been able to feel anything. He went through all the testing, with several neuros, and still no one can figure out what's wrong with him. An EMG done last March ruled out ALS, it hasn't spread, and if it WERE als it would be progressing a lot faster especially given his age (he'll be 80 in January), right? No changes in all this time other than muscle wasting and losing weight one size (probably because he's basically given up and sits around moping all day and doesn't do anything).
The genetic form runs in the family, his grandfather had it, 2 sisters (a third we know is a carrier), and 2 nephews. Naturally one would assume the worst given the family history, but the symptoms aren't pointing to als and no one can convince him otherwise. He's very depressed and has given up, and has been talking about killing himself. He's totally convinced that he has it even though no doctor has ever said that he does.
He won't travel out of state and he won't even think of seeing a mental health professional. We want him to get to a real specialist, a GOOD one, no more ho-hum basic neuros that probably have gone through their entire careers without ever having even seen a case. I'm hoping another round of tests including an EMG with a ALS specialist will not only put his mind at ease, but get to the root of whatever the problem really is and fix it once and for all.
Can anyone recommend somewhere good to go in Florida? Somewhere where the neuros have more specialized training and have a lot of experience in diagnosing (and UNdiagnosing) als? Where they can figure out the unknown mystery cases? Where is House when you need him?
