rmt
Distinguished member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2019
- Messages
- 376
- Reason
- Lost a loved one
- Diagnosis
- 07/2019
- Country
- US
- State
- WA
- City
- Seattle
My husband currently has a probable PLS diagnosis (the VA called it UMN Dominant ALS which allows us to get benefits, but his last EMG was normal in February). Over 2 years in and still just bulbar symptoms. His speech is unintelligible mostly and his swallowing is an issue. He does ok with most food and is actually choking less lately because he is making better choices about what he eats. The problem is he is losing weight, I think because he can't eat enough. It takes him a long time to eat and he doesn't like feeling overfull at night. He's always been a healthy eater so he doesn't get a lot of empty calories, which would be helpful right now!
His weight loss seems to be general, not from a specific body area. And he doesn't have any limb weakness in either his arms or legs. So I'm hoping the weight loss is from not enough calories and not muscle atrophy. Is that possible or am I just fooling myself?
Does anybody have any weight gainer products they recommend for getting extra calories? He tried protein shakes, but they seem to increase his secretions, which keeps him from eating anything else after he has a shake. He is very unexcited about the thought of getting a PEG tub or something like that, so I'm hoping we can find something to keep that from being necessary at least for now.
His weight loss seems to be general, not from a specific body area. And he doesn't have any limb weakness in either his arms or legs. So I'm hoping the weight loss is from not enough calories and not muscle atrophy. Is that possible or am I just fooling myself?
Does anybody have any weight gainer products they recommend for getting extra calories? He tried protein shakes, but they seem to increase his secretions, which keeps him from eating anything else after he has a shake. He is very unexcited about the thought of getting a PEG tub or something like that, so I'm hoping we can find something to keep that from being necessary at least for now.