Could it be nothing

[wewillbeatthis]

Hello my second family... I know it has been a few weeks. I have been reading and posting here and there but other then that pretty quite...

Ok Ok after the whole fender bender and being put in place for over reacting I knew that this is the right place for me. I have another of those issues and need some advice.

Dad is doing well! Then this weekend he was in a mood. Not wanting to walk on grass but then when doing it and talking he did just fine. Of course he is slow and the gait is off but he does it. Then he wants to shuts the windows in the house that is even hard for my husband to do and he gets a black nail doing it :x Then he has a horrible golf day and due to the bad mood he was in and the fact that he was swinging so hard.. He then came home last night with a painful case of golf elbow. Sort of like tennis elbow you know pain when curling it and stiffness when using it. Well me I go overboard and assume it is the ALS. However on most days he is lifting weights and doing eveything fine... So family am I over reacting could this be the ALS or just a case of golfers elbow? Do things happen quick like this? I was told that the progression usually stays the same through out is this the case? If it begins slow it will remain slow.

Oh one question he has asked me to ask is that normally he gets up to urinate once in the night but for some reason the last few nights he has gotten up two or three times. Is this a side effect of one of the medications or does anyone else have any input?

I appreciate all of response and remember that faith, hope, and patience cause a cure is on it's way.

 

[Al]

Well for one thing if he can still grip and swing a club he can't be too bad off. I would think that if he is trying to murder the ball thinking that he is weaker then it might be just golfers elbow.
Sometimes the disease stays the same for quite a while and then picks up for a bit and hits another plateau. It is hard to tell.
The frequent trips up in the night could be anything from prostate to kidneys to diabetes or an infection. Or even drinking more fluids in the evening than usual. If it continues for more than a few days I'd be sending him off to the family doc. A simple blood and urine test can rule out most of the other things.
I've never heard of anyone complaining of that from ALS but you never know. It sure is a crazy disease.
Glad you're feeling comfortable here. Al.

 

[Countrycouple]

Hi again..
I am very very glad I found this discussion group.. You are very very helpful people..

Another question has arisen in my brain..

My Mother has had trouble withthe thumb and finger, and thats when she went for tests and seeing Specialists when they told her last week it was ALS.. She has pain in her upper arm of the bad fingers.. Do you get a warning before things start going bad? Or is it, you wake up one morning, and it's not functioning any more.. Sorry if some of my questions seem so simple to some.. But it is concerns I have..

Thanx again..
Mike

 

[Al]

Hi Mike. Usually you don't wake up in the morning without the use of a limb. It kind of sneaks up on you. OK today and tomorrow a little worse and another day it might be a lot worse. But usually it doesn't just go all at once.
Don't be afarid of asking questions. This is a weird disease and a lot of us have different symptoms. Most of us are reasonably well read on the subject so if we can't answer we know where to find some answers.

 

[Carol Deboer]

Hi Mike, I agree with Al. You just do not wake up and find that the use of your limbs are gone. Henry had severe pain in his forearms and cramping and twitching. This was a sure trigger that his hands and arms were getting weaker. They were the first to go. His legs stayed strong until 3 years ago, and it was more gradual than his arms and hands. Until the night that Henry died, he was still bearing his own weight. As said earlier on, there are no given rules to this als thing, and everyone presents their own symptoms and signs that something is amiss. Keep the faith and stay strong. Say hi to your mom from me, and give her a big hug too!

Love, Carol