tbuchanan13

Sorry Tammi, daughters are great! I have three of them and my husband is the one with ALS. My girls are so helpful also. Attitude is everything. We are not as far along as you are in our als journey. We live in Indiana too. Rochester, between South Bend and Kokomo. What you are dealing with is so horrific. Your dad seems like an amazing person. What is his name? Prayers and hugs to you. Pam

Love and hugs to you too Dear One. I'm glad you're here!

I know Tammi, I am in the process of finding out what is going on. It's the waiting that killing me as each day I feel a bit worse as if I have more symptoms and I know that ALS progresses rapidly. I just feel like whatever I have read about this disease seems to describe what I am feeling, weakness, twitching and cramping. Take care

Tammi, You can close (lock) your thread, if you like. I believe you will find the tool to do so in the upper right hand corner under "thread tools: close thread." I believe you have misinterpreted our intent. The DIHALS people will peck away, as they will not believe the professionals and then expect us here on the forum to d X them. This forum is like a family and I can tell you, the cALS and pALS here are much better than my husband's family ever was as far as support. I, also hope you will stay. I'll lend you some alligator skin, if you like!

Oh, forgot to add this: I noticed that my left calf, this is the leg that has felt noticeably weaker and stiffer since beg.of February, looks a bit smaller than right calf, and I have a strange dent in my upper thigh of left leg that I don't believe I had before. I feel that my left leg is not as strong and even though I am not tripping, I tried running, and leg doesn't feel normal. Sorry to constantly complain. My husband is sick of hearing about it and thinks that all my computer research is making things worse.

Thanks for getting back to me. I am just curious why you say that my symptoms dont seem like ALS. I have muscle weakness in left leg, both upper outer arms feel week, I have cramps in joints and muscles as well as twitches in both legs, buttocks, occasionally lower back and left hand. To me I have all of the symptoms and I am petrified and consumed by this. I understand what you said about tfogey. The thing with this message board, can anyone read each other's messages even though they are supposed to be private? Please get back to me when you can. I am finding it difficult to cope with this uncertainty.

Tammi, I hope you will not "cut your nose off to spite your face". This forum is fantastic. You will learn so much here, and there will be people available to you 24/7 that truly understand what you are going through.

Sometimes, the people in the "Do I Have" section need to be told candidly to get on with their lives - for example Joy2 below. None of these signs are indicative of ALS. She thinks here family DR is wrong. I know it seems harsh (and I don't really have the constitution for being so harsh), but in the long run, it is so much better for them, and certainly better for the real PALS on this forum not to be subjected to hypochondria.

didn't mean to irritate anyone, sorry

I am 33 and my dad was diangnosed with ALS in November of 2010. I can understand where your coming from. It is devistateing to hear that your father is sick especially when you think of him as the strong and confident man of your childhood. My dad was a forest fireman and worked with the government for years. Dad's muscle tone is almost non existant but he is still able to walk and go up and down the stairs on a good day. But now he can't lift his arms very well. I have to help him take his pills in the evening and such. If you ever need somone to talk to about your dad going through this I would love to talk to you somtime.

Hi Tammy, So sorry about your dad. I thought ALS because I googled muscle twitching and muscle cramps and guess what popped up. So now I am petrified. My symptoms were the reverse. I started with cramps in all joints, still have them, with burning pain in calves and lower arms. Then it progressed to twitching (all within 2 weeks) almost all over but now mainly legs. I do feel that my left leg is weaker and that I am walking differently on it, but I did not start with weakness. I also started with both arms feeling weak when I lift them at around the same time as the joint pain. So from what I read about ALS, it typically starts with weakness usually of a hand or foot with trouble walking or gripping things. I just don't know if ALS can start in arms and legs at once. My husband is supportive to an extent. He thinks I have real symptoms but that they have been exaggerated by anxiety from what I have read about ALS.

Just wanted to say hello! I can completely empathize with your range of emotions and feelings. My Dad is my Hero and also a 22 year Vet...he was diagnosed with ALS a little more than a year ago. It has been so painful and frustrating to watch such a strong, hard-working man become completely dependent. This disease is a brutal one and I can attest that for me, it sure did test my faith in the beginning. This will be a process of good days/ bad days. Just wanted you to know I am here for you if you would like someone to talk to that understands. I am married and though my husband is supportive, he isn't close to his family and really doesn't understand the roller coaster of emotions I am dealing with.

Take Care.
Allison

Hi. I'm very sorry about your dad, but I'm glad you found the forum. There are lots of very helpful people here. A lot of the veterans I know have had a tough time getting the 100% benefits they are due, even though ALS is automatic 100%. Please make sure your mom has been able to push that through. And thank your dad for serving our country. My dad is also a vet and I hope nothing like this ever strikes him, as I lived with it for over 6 years (my husband had ALS). You hang in there!