raystown90
New member
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2008
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- CALS
- Country
- US
- State
- PA
- City
- Huntingdon
My dad is a 76 year old, who was always the epitome of good health until about a year ago, suffering only from arthritis. In May 2007, he was diagnosed with a slow, irregular heart rate after a routine physical. He had a heart catharization and numerous tests done and nothing showed up other than the slow, irregular rhythm.
On March 30, 2008, he had a TIA, or mini stroke. Doctors couldn't really find a reason, so started him on some "preventitive meds." They also admitted him to the hospital because he had pneumonia. Two weeks to the day on April 13, he had a stroke that affected his right side. The stroke was caused by his heart being in an a-fib state where it was beating too fast and throwing clots. Thankfully, he recovered almost completely from the stroke and was doing fantastic. He did fall when he had the stroke, injuring some ribs and collapsing a vertebrae in his back. He continued to have aches and pains from these injuries and his arthritis got drastically worse after the stroke because they stopped his Celebrex arthritis medicine due to the risk of bleeding since he is now on the blood thinner Coumadin.
During a CT scan, lesions showed up on the bones of his skull. We were sent to an oncologist, since doctors feared bone cancer. However, all scans and tests came back negative and the lesions were contributed to numerous injuries to his ribs and spine over the years from construction accidents and falls.
A few weeks after the stroke, while still doing out-patient rehab, he started to get so short of breath and to feel sort of weak all over whenever he tried to do anything physical. He was always very active and being short of breath was not typical. We ended up in the ER one night when he could hardly breathe. Doctors at first suggested congestive heart failure, but ruled that out. Then they checked for a pulmonary blood clot and ruled that out. Finally, they treated him like he had COPD. That seemed to help for a little while, but not for long. They referred us to a pulmonologist, who said the COPD is mild. He continues to treat him with Advair and a nebulizer. However, his breathing has not improved very much.
He ended up having his oxygen levels monitored overnight with the company who set up the nebulizer. It showed his oxygen levels were dropping while he slept. So, we had a sleep study done on Thursday. It showed he has Central Sleep Apnea, which was most likely caused by the stroke.
While discussing the sleep study results with the neurologist, I asked if using a breathing machine at night would help with his shortness of breath and overall weakness. The doctor asked some questions, studied his hands, and asked him to stick out his tongue. He promptly told us that he suspects he has ALS. He ordered some blood work (I'm not sure for what...am still trying to get to the bottm of that one) and another sleep study. He also mentioned the possibility of rheumatoid arthritis that has moved into the muscles.
Whatever this is, it most definitely started after the stroke. I have researched a-fib, ALS, COPD, RA, CSA, and even Lyme Disease, because my dad had the vaccinations which have caused problems for others. They all carry symptoms that include muscle weakness and shortness of breath. I can find no mention of ALS being tied to a stroke, and was wondering if anyone else has had or knows of similar circumstances. Obviously, we're just getting started in the diagnosis process. We thought his weakness was just being caused by the arthritis taking control since the stroke. His arthritis is predominantly in his hips and knees (probably from years of finishing cement on his hands and knees). His fingers are also drawn from it too. It's the shortness of breath no one can explain. My dad is not experiencing any marked weaknesses (he's just tired/weak all over), fasciculations (unless the doctor saw one with the tongue), or muscle cramps. I know this is a lot of information, but if anything strikes a cord or anyone has recommendations on what sort of tests we should ask for, I would greatly appreciate it. It's all pretty overwhelming at this point.
Thanks for your thoughts.
On March 30, 2008, he had a TIA, or mini stroke. Doctors couldn't really find a reason, so started him on some "preventitive meds." They also admitted him to the hospital because he had pneumonia. Two weeks to the day on April 13, he had a stroke that affected his right side. The stroke was caused by his heart being in an a-fib state where it was beating too fast and throwing clots. Thankfully, he recovered almost completely from the stroke and was doing fantastic. He did fall when he had the stroke, injuring some ribs and collapsing a vertebrae in his back. He continued to have aches and pains from these injuries and his arthritis got drastically worse after the stroke because they stopped his Celebrex arthritis medicine due to the risk of bleeding since he is now on the blood thinner Coumadin.
During a CT scan, lesions showed up on the bones of his skull. We were sent to an oncologist, since doctors feared bone cancer. However, all scans and tests came back negative and the lesions were contributed to numerous injuries to his ribs and spine over the years from construction accidents and falls.
A few weeks after the stroke, while still doing out-patient rehab, he started to get so short of breath and to feel sort of weak all over whenever he tried to do anything physical. He was always very active and being short of breath was not typical. We ended up in the ER one night when he could hardly breathe. Doctors at first suggested congestive heart failure, but ruled that out. Then they checked for a pulmonary blood clot and ruled that out. Finally, they treated him like he had COPD. That seemed to help for a little while, but not for long. They referred us to a pulmonologist, who said the COPD is mild. He continues to treat him with Advair and a nebulizer. However, his breathing has not improved very much.
He ended up having his oxygen levels monitored overnight with the company who set up the nebulizer. It showed his oxygen levels were dropping while he slept. So, we had a sleep study done on Thursday. It showed he has Central Sleep Apnea, which was most likely caused by the stroke.
While discussing the sleep study results with the neurologist, I asked if using a breathing machine at night would help with his shortness of breath and overall weakness. The doctor asked some questions, studied his hands, and asked him to stick out his tongue. He promptly told us that he suspects he has ALS. He ordered some blood work (I'm not sure for what...am still trying to get to the bottm of that one) and another sleep study. He also mentioned the possibility of rheumatoid arthritis that has moved into the muscles.
Whatever this is, it most definitely started after the stroke. I have researched a-fib, ALS, COPD, RA, CSA, and even Lyme Disease, because my dad had the vaccinations which have caused problems for others. They all carry symptoms that include muscle weakness and shortness of breath. I can find no mention of ALS being tied to a stroke, and was wondering if anyone else has had or knows of similar circumstances. Obviously, we're just getting started in the diagnosis process. We thought his weakness was just being caused by the arthritis taking control since the stroke. His arthritis is predominantly in his hips and knees (probably from years of finishing cement on his hands and knees). His fingers are also drawn from it too. It's the shortness of breath no one can explain. My dad is not experiencing any marked weaknesses (he's just tired/weak all over), fasciculations (unless the doctor saw one with the tongue), or muscle cramps. I know this is a lot of information, but if anything strikes a cord or anyone has recommendations on what sort of tests we should ask for, I would greatly appreciate it. It's all pretty overwhelming at this point.
Thanks for your thoughts.
