Experience/Suggestions: ALS leg pains and voice problems

[wewillbeatthis]

Hello

Hope everyone is doing well these days... I have a couple of questions and would like to know if anyone has had experience with this and if so any advise on helping the situations...

Issue 1> Dad seems to get a horse voice from time to time. This happens when a combination of things are occuring on a given day. It is cold out, he is really busy and stressed at work, and has been both on the phone all day or in inperson meetings and talking to much. The horseness lasts for a day or so and then it is back to normal. Is there anything we can do to either prevent this or sooth it for when it does happen. Also the fact that this happens does that mean that he is going to have issues with his voice soon?

Issue 2> This is the most bothersome to dad and is actually very scary for him. Dad's main issue was his left leg and now that leg seems to be good and over the course of the last 6 months or so it has been his right leg. His right leg from time to time bothers him in his hip and buttocks. The pain is sharp and does not allow him to put weight on his right leg and therefore he is unable to walk on it. He will take some advil and then he is good for a few hours. The doctor increased his baclofron and it seems that he is unable to get the walk going that he had... Today he had an instance that he was getting into the car and lean back a little to fast and did not fall but pulled something and this in turn strained something and now he is having pain and can't put any weight on it...

What can we do and what does this mean?

 

[Al]

Hi Kim. It could be that your dad is straining the muscles in his throat by talking so much as you say. Not sure what you can do for that other than take it easy. Throat lozenges might help. I use the blue package Hall's when my throat bothers me.
Issue 2 is not an easy one either. Any signs of arthritis in his hips or other joints? Advil helping for a few hours might mean he could use an anti inflammatory. That would help for the pulled muscle as well. I did something a couple of weeks ago and pulled my back muscles and a couple of Robaxisol helped. You can buy it over the counter but it doesn't have the codeine in it like the prescription one. Hope it helps. Al.

 

[Granny]

Hi guys,
Since the topic of the thread seems to be sore backs, I will add my two cents and maybe someone can help.
For the last week or more I have had a very painful hip/buttocks. When I stand for any length of time really bad pain goes down my leg, past my knee and into my calf. The physio thinks it is sciatica and is treating it as if it is. Last day he gave me accupuncture and that seemed to help. The problem with it is when you have ALS you wonder if that is causing the pain, or at least contributing to it. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I
Thanks to everyone for being there with advice and comfort.
Hugs and prayers, Leah

 

[Al]

Hi Leah. Sounds like what my wife gets when her back acts up. She has had 2 discs operated on and still gets the pain almost exactly like what you mentioned when she does too much. The scar tissue from the operation now gets inflamed and presses on the sciatic nerve. Bed rest is usually what helps her.
Al.

 

[Granny]

Thanks Al.
It is so hard not to blame every ache and pain on ALS, but my ALS doctor did stress that just because we have ALS does not mean that we cannot have other things wrong as well, such as arthritis, or sciatica. It is something we need to keep in mind.

 

[Dee]

wewillbeatthis
My father started to get a rough sounding voice a few months before he couldn't speak anymore. He would really have to struggle to sound out words. It could be just that he strained it but I thought I would tell you my experience with it.