Recent content by TypingTerror

Hi Staten, My father-in-law was also recently diagnosed with ALS, although his is bulbar onset. We also have young children (6 & 10), but even though he has always lived with us, they still don't see much of his illness as the only obvious problem is his hoarse voice and feeding tube. Does your...

Hi tanjak, My father-in-law has been diagnosed with bulbar ALS also, and while ALS is an automatic qualification for SSI disability, it still takes time to process. We have been going through the process for about 3 months now, and he currently has no health insurance of any kind as his FMLA is...

There are a couple of food additives to thicken liquids that I believe you can buy at health food stores. People on Atkins use them to thicken sauces or gravies without adding carbs. One is called ThickenThin not/Starch. Another is xanthan gum, which only uses a tiny amount each time sprinkled...

Hi Jackson, we are in a similar situation with my father-in-law. He was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with bulbar ALS. He has had a PEG for a couple of months now, before the diagnosis, but he has not had any new limb weakness yet. We are still trying to cope as well with what is next. Marisa

Al, my FIL is a vet but is not part of any of those organizations. We do live in a very active wintertime retirement community and have a lot of vets, so I will look into those options. Thanks. Jamiet, we live in Florida between Tampa and Lakeland. Charlie missed us at the last minute, but...

Liz, right now we are waiting on his Medicare coverage to do any more appointments, at least routine ones. Today is his last day of FMLA, and the final day of his employment is also the final day of his insurance coverage. The social security disability process has been going on for a couple of...

Hi all, We (meaning my husband and I) have known for about 2 weeks now about my father-in-law's diagnosis, bulbar-onset ALS, fairly progressed. We had the followup appointment with the neurologist to ask any questions we wanted, but the one question I couldn't ask was about telling FIL's...

We had the visit with my father-in-law's neurologist yesterday, and he showed us some of what led him to the ALS diagnosed. Mainly, his tongue has severe fascs and is very weak. He also has less noticeable but still present fascs in his arms, legs, and upper shoulder/chest areas and general...

Thank you so much Beth. This is his regular neurologist, and mainly he is just doing this as a way to ask any questions we may have. This is definitely the type of information I was looking for. We live outside Tampa, and I think the closest ALS clinic is in St. Petersburg, so we will definitely...

My father-in-law was diagnosed with bulbar ALS almost 2 weeks ago. We have an appointment Monday afternoon that is basically a conference with the family to go over any questions we may have. Truthfully, we have no idea what to ask. After his EMG the day of his diagnosis, the neurologist told...

My father-in-law was also diagnosed with bulbar ALS after sore throat/voice hoarseness/difficulty swallowing. It took several months to get to this diagnosis, and he had a feeding tube placed at the beginning of all this. His EMG lit up like a Christmas tree on his tongue area. He was put on...

Hello all, My FIL was just given bulbar onset ALS diagnosis last week after an EMG/nerve conduction study and extensive testing before that to rule out other things. The neurologist only scheduled time for the testing that day and wanted the family to return for a group consultation to discuss...

My FIL has a feeding tube, but his was placed a couple of months before he was diagnosed. At the time, they only knew he was aspirating and had a paralyzed left vocal cord. He had lost 20 lbs at the time, and he was not a big guy to start. His weight has stabilized, and he is doing great with...

Thank you all for the welcome :) I have found out something helpful since I posted. As FIL is approved for disability through social security, he will automatically be eligible for Medicare instead of waiting until May for his birthday, and Medicare will pay for his enteral feedings. That will...

Hi, I just found this forum and joined. My father-in-law was just diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS. He is 64 and has lived with my husband and myself for the past 11 years. In July of this year, he had sudden onset of inability to swallow. His left vocal cord is paralyzed with aspiration of any...