nerdtastic
New member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2012
- Messages
- 1
- Reason
- Loved one DX
- Diagnosis
- 04/2012
- Country
- US
- State
- Tennessee
- City
- Nashville
My mother was diagnosed with ALS. I do not believe she has ALS.
Evidence that she has ALS
My doubts
My plan is to convince her to get a second opinion. I don't know what else to do.
Evidence that she has ALS
- Her speech is slurred.
- She drools and has trouble swallowing.
- She claims to laugh and cry uncontrollably, though this seems very subjective to me.
- A neurologist has diagnosed her with ALS.
- She has had several tests for other diseases including blood tests and imaging tests. These have all been negative.
My doubts
- She is an alcoholic. She drinks all day. She smokes cigarettes all day. She smokes marijuana and becomes mentally debilitated. This makes conclusive observations and communication really difficult.
- She told me, last spring after she was first diagnosed, that she thought the slurring speech was a result of binge drinking around the time she first experienced her symptoms.
- She has no apparent trouble walking or moving.
- No muscle twitches or atrophy.
- There is no family history.
- She refuses to get a second opinion citing the cost. (She is uninsured.)
- She is emotionally distressed about other things. She has no desire for the doctor to be "wrong" about this.
- She doesn't eat well, only things that are easy to swallow. She seems healthy but definitely does not get sufficient nutrition.
My plan is to convince her to get a second opinion. I don't know what else to do.
- Are there other steps I can take?
- Is this undoubtedly ALS?
- Could it be a stroke? or some sort of brain damage brought on by years of substance abuse?