Swtflwr,
Sorry to hear about your mother's diagnosis. My father was diagnosed three months ago. We have come to find that the most important ally in the fight against ALS is a positive mental attitude -- which is more than just words, because the disease can really have an impact on psyche as much as the body. Staying positive is the starting and ending point of everything related to ALS.
Staying positive is more than just a state of mind -- it is also a by-product of feeling that you are doing as much as you can to anticipate, understand, and work within the confines of, the disease. To that end, I recommend joining local area support groups, sifting through the posts on this board, and checking out the board at ALS TDF, located at als.net. The ALSA website is good, as are university websites like the Johns Hopkins site. The more you read, the more in "control" you can try to feel about a disease that is very much about trying to deprive you and your Mom of control. For example, understanding that a wheelchair may one day be required is initially a scary fact. But once you accept it, learn the alternatives (including how to finance them), and begin to see the wheelchair as a tool, not a lodestone, you are on the road to success.
There are many treatments being examined right now -- and many will fail. One treatment of interest is called EGCG -- which stands for Epigallocatechin gallate, an extract from Green Tea. There are few likely toxicities associated with EGCG, and many PALS hope that it may help important processes at the cellular level. Rather than wait for a clinical trial in humans to prove efficacy, many PALS will take supplements where there are low levels of concern regarding toxicity. (A standard disclaimer is a good one -- you should always consult with a doctor on everything that goes into a PALS body. Right now, you are reading the writing of a lawyer if that tells you anything!) My Dad takes 1000 mg of EGCG every day. We hope that it helps slow the disease.
The last three months have seemed like three years. But getting up the learning curve, doing all that you can to master the information relating to the disease, and doing your best to stay positive is the best advice I can give after three months.
Hang in there.
Steve