Could this be fALS?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Bg1989

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2020
Messages
1
Reason
Learn about ALS
Diagnosis
00/0000
Country
US
State
CA
City
Pleasanton
Hey everyone, I recently discovered FTD being linked to ALS and wanted to see what your opinions are on potentially being in a FALS family.

My grandfather on my dads side past away in his 70s from ALS in the 90s.

He had 4 kids and they have also had children and none of them have developed ALS. No other history of ALS that we know of. No genetic testing has been done.

My dad has had some issues that make me think he could potentially have behavioral FTD but he has never been diagnosed.

He has had depression ever since I was a child (I am 31), he was diagnosed as bipolar and he has had issues with manic episodes of spending money, getting into debt, etc. He doesn’t do much but sit on the couch all day. He is now 77 years old and has had memory loss issues as well the past few years. Physically, he has had a tremor in his hands ever since I have known him and sometimes has trouble with balance. With all that being said, he is still coherent and if you had a conversation on the phone with him, you probably couldn’t tell that anything is wrong. You could go out to dinner and have a nice time, and he can still do tasks like baby sitting our dogs and be by himself at home. Sometimes he will be outgoing in public settings and comments on things but it’s only ever is a positive way to draw up conversation with a stranger. You would notice something might not quite be right if you spent a few hours with him.

What makes me question him not having FTD, is that he was an alcoholic, and he’s also had strokes, a heart attack, and type 2 diabetes. I remember when he went through the stroke that the doctor had mentioned that one of his arteries in his brain was completely blocked. Which leads me to think that there is a good chance of vascular dementia.

Sorry for rambling, but my question is what would you do in this situation? Does this sound like potential FALS? Should I live my life not worrying about this or should I research it deeper and discuss it in depth with my family? I do not want to scare my family and make them worry if the risk is low. I know you guys can’t obviously diagnose or anything, but I just want your opinion since you have experience with the disease. Thank you very much for your time.
 
Only his doctor could begin to answer on a complex case like his, but the likelihood of it being FALS is pretty much not on the page at all.
 
Sorry for all you and your dad have been through. He has many risk factors for dementia, balance and tremor issues. Bipolar is a whole separate thing. I agree that ALS doesn't sound applicable in the least. Keeping his glucose even and blood pressure down can help.

Best,
Laurie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top