Caring Mom Needs Help...

[Sherry Shipley]

My son is 24 & has been experiencing problems which could point to ALS (among many other things) - these include weak leg with twitches, cramps - resulting in a smaller calf, cramped toes - and now he has twitches in the other leg, at the calf...

he keeps going on about his mattress. he had a party in his room in Ottawa where he was going to school - he ended up throwing up on his bed - the next day he cleaned it with some All Purpose Cleaner & Comet and sprayed it with a Freshner-Spray... he said he just splashed it with some water afterwards and let it dry - he's been sleeping on it for nearly a year now... could these chemicals have stayed in his mattress and maybe caused this? I know him and he doesn't use sheets all the time - what if he was breathing this stuff in? I know it sounds so far-fetched but it's something I can't get out of my head, and neither can he...

why this is happening to my son at this age is terrible. we're taking him to a Neurologist next month. He's starting to notice weakness in his arm too. I'm frightened for him.

 

[Al]

Hi Sherry. Welcome but sorry for the concerns that have brought you here. I'd be inclined to think that the minimal exposure to that chemical mix wouldn't be causing his problems. While environmental toxins may play a role in ALS it hasn't been proven yet and is thought to happen after long term exposure. There are many things that it could be. Are you going to McMaster to see a Neuro?

AL.

 

[Sherry Shipley]

Thanks Al. Well I certainly hope that that chemical mix hasn't tampered with my son's neuro-health. The scary part is we'll never really know, will be. It's already been a full year he's been sleeping on it... sigh...

and no, I'm taking him to a Neuro in Ottawa, actually. I've read some reviews of her, and a lot weren't really that good. More due to her being quite unsympathetic and too clinical. I hope that this isn't the case when James goes. I want some answers.

 

[Sherry Shipley]

So Al, everybody - I really shouldn't worry about my Son's mattress? I mean, have you heard of these chemicals causing neurlogical problems? He did wash his mattress with hot water afterwards - I'm just worried about the Comet and Cleaner that was absorbed, maybe he was breathing that stuff in - it was over the period of a year or more... I know you guys are probably just as clueless as me, eh. I wish I knew he had done that!

 

[lydia]

Sherry,

I can imagine what you are going through worrying about your son and forever wondering if whatever it is stemmed from that "exposure". We fostered a feral cat that was found to have a disease that I was told could spread to my own cats unless we took drastic measures....so on the advice of someone who shall forever remain nameless/blameless, we sprayed LYSOL on our clothes and hands after handling the cat in isolation and before returning to our regular living areas. I believe I am an intelligent person, yet I did that and had my kids do it...for a good 3 weeks...before I glanced at the can and read the small print. I have never forgot that we did that and have wondered, especially lately, if it will come back to haunt any of us.

Keep us posted about your neuro appt.

Lydia

 

[Sherry Shipley]

yes, I can't stop obsessing over whether this has caused it or not - I just bought him a new mattress now... he was sleeping on the Lysol + Comet for almost a year + a half! I don't know why he just didn't use a little bit of dove soap and hot water - instead he uses hot water mixed with that crap!

I hate not knowing whether I could have done something a lot earlier... he told me this after and I just laughed - now these symptoms - it's possibly not ALS at all - but if it is something serious, I'm never gonna let this down. Ever.

 

[Sherry Shipley]

Also, I pray that your family is okay too! God Bless You.

 

[planningguy]

Sherry,

I know it can be scary as we learn more about the different chemicals in the environment around us. Keep in mind that neurological and muscular diseases are often complex with a wide variety of factors acting together (genetic, environmental, past health issues, and sadly chance). If there was a single event or substance that could be pointed to, it would make understanding these diseases and looking for treatments a lot easier. As Al indicated most of the work in finding a correlation with ALS has revolved around long-term exposure to high concentrations of chemicals.

Take care,

Robert

 

[thelma313]

Sherry,

I am sorry that your son is experiencing these symptoms and I pray this points to a treatable condition. He is so young!

Based on the research that I have done, which by no means makes me an expert, I have read that exposure to toxins over a very long period can cause neurological damage. There is, as of yet, no medical proof that this can cause ALS but common sense dictates that exposure to harsh chemicals is not healthy. My Dad was an electrician for over 40 years. Soldiers who have been exposed to Sarin or nerve gas (a chemical weapon) have been found to have higher occurrences of ALS. Firefighters like Al, can be exposed to toxins over a 20 plus-year period and although a year and a half on a chemically sprayed mattress seems like a lot it is highly unlikely that that could cause a condition like ALS. After a month that one application of Comet will have dissipated significantly. Even if your son sprayed Comet on his bed nightly for a year and a half it would be unlikely. Think about it. How many cleaning ladies would have ALS if this were the case?

I wish you much strength and support to get you through this time.

 

[wheeler641]

sherry, I wish you the best in getting an accurate diagnosis for your son. I am not sure of the chemical reaction thing. This summer my 2 cats even though they are inside cats got fleas and a pretty bad case of them. I bathed them in flea shampoo about 4 times with my son assisting(it is very hard to give a cat a bath) I also flea bombed the house 3 times in one week and when that was not working fast enough for me, I resorted to roach bombs. I did not feel well for awhile after that and keep wondering if it has anything to with my symptoms now. To my knowledge I do not have ALS, just a lot of twitching and pain in all my joints, still searching for a DX, Good Luck, margaret

 

[lydia]

Sherry,

And I suspect that the amount of Comet he was actually exposed to was nothing compared to what many of us are exposed to who obsessively clean with Comet on a weekly basis. He wasn't laying in a bed of powder, right? (or was he? these boys and the things they do.....!:smile It is the only thing that cleans my tub the way I need it, despite having to gasp and cough on my knees the entire time. And before I was doing that in my own home, my mother had me doing it in hers. So that is a good 30 years of breathing in Comet...Try not to be afraid about that as a cause of whatever he is experiencing....it seems so unlikely (of course, it may explain all my problems :lol

Lydia