ebaumgar
New member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2016
- Messages
- 3
- Reason
- Other
- Country
- US
- State
- CO
- City
- lafayette
Hi,
My mom has some new muscle weakness. First symptom I remember was 2.5 years ago when we were hiking she though she needed a backpack if she was walking a while to help her posture as she felt the need to lean forward. She was able to work for almost 2 years after that as a busy nurse. Then she retired. She's 62. No hx of back injury or back pain.
It got worse. She did 6 months of physical therapy recently. It didn't improve at all. And now she's weaker than when she started therapy. She used to be able to go from sitting to standing without using her hands for support and now she has to use her hands to push herself up. She feels it's hard to stand up straight and has to think about walking around vs it used to be automatic. She feels heavy walking around. She mentioned she uses a shopping cart often when shopping just for extra support to walk around.
Her PCP ordered a spinal MRI, it showed moderate paraspinal muscular atrophy. His nurse called her back, said to make a neurology appointment and see an orthopedic MD. Not sure what an orthopedic MD would do with no back injury or pain.
Now we are awaiting the neurology appointment- likely in March.
Does this sound at all like als? Her first symptom of weakness 2.5 years ago, is that too slow of a progression? Have you heard of it starting in paraspinal muscles? Any advice would be great. She will be scheduled at a university hospital but it’s not listed as an ALS center. Do you think I should try to get her on the list at the closest ALS center or should wait to see what this neurologist says in March?
Thanks in advance.
Beth
My mom has some new muscle weakness. First symptom I remember was 2.5 years ago when we were hiking she though she needed a backpack if she was walking a while to help her posture as she felt the need to lean forward. She was able to work for almost 2 years after that as a busy nurse. Then she retired. She's 62. No hx of back injury or back pain.
It got worse. She did 6 months of physical therapy recently. It didn't improve at all. And now she's weaker than when she started therapy. She used to be able to go from sitting to standing without using her hands for support and now she has to use her hands to push herself up. She feels it's hard to stand up straight and has to think about walking around vs it used to be automatic. She feels heavy walking around. She mentioned she uses a shopping cart often when shopping just for extra support to walk around.
Her PCP ordered a spinal MRI, it showed moderate paraspinal muscular atrophy. His nurse called her back, said to make a neurology appointment and see an orthopedic MD. Not sure what an orthopedic MD would do with no back injury or pain.
Now we are awaiting the neurology appointment- likely in March.
Does this sound at all like als? Her first symptom of weakness 2.5 years ago, is that too slow of a progression? Have you heard of it starting in paraspinal muscles? Any advice would be great. She will be scheduled at a university hospital but it’s not listed as an ALS center. Do you think I should try to get her on the list at the closest ALS center or should wait to see what this neurologist says in March?
Thanks in advance.
Beth