dad recently diagnosed

[weezee]

Hi My 87 yr old father has recently been diaganosed with bulbar als. At the present time we have not given Dad a name to his disease. He has been told this is a progressive disease and symtoms will only get worse. His speech is very slurred. He is now eating pureed meals. I feel like I don't know what to do next. He is extreamly intellegent and I can't believe he hasn't figured itn out. He is on the computer every day and is a Ham Radio operater. He is having difficulty having bowel movements. He takes stool softeners and laxatives and somedays no luck. I really need someone to talk to. Thanks for listening

 

[JulieWise]

He probably knows more than you give him credit for. But I've found my mother doesn't really care what it is - she is just glad we've quit dragging her to different doctors all the time. She is 89 years old and was wonderfully healthy until a year ago. In February, the speech problem became pronounced and within a few months they narrowed down the diagnosis to PBP. In June she went on a feeding tube and accepted that someone would have to be with her most of the time. We have caregivers in the morning for 8 hours and the evening for 8 hours. She gets 4 hours at a stretch twice a day to have the house to herself. She too is a computer user, thank goodness! Being 1000 miles away, and since she has lost her ability to talk, that is our only reliable means of communication.

I hope your dad takes all the changes as well as can be expected. It's our job as their children to love them and let them know they still matter - no matter what happens. Hang in there and talk here. This is a wonderful group of folks. I've been reading this board since early summer and it has given me hope and courage. I hope it does the same for you.

Julie

Hi My 87 yr old father has recently been diaganosed with bulbar als. At the present time we have not given Dad a name to his disease. He has been told this is a progressive disease and symtoms will only get worse. His speech is very slurred. He is now eating pureed meals. I feel like I don't know what to do next. He is extreamly intellegent and I can't believe he hasn't figured itn out. He is on the computer every day and is a Ham Radio operater. He is having difficulty having bowel movements. He takes stool softeners and laxatives and somedays no luck. I really need someone to talk to. Thanks for listening

 

[Al]

Hi weezee. Sorry to hear about your dad but glad you found our forum. If you use the search tab at the top of the page and type in constipation there are a few threads where that issue was discussed before. It might give you some ideas what has worked for others.Take care. AL.