ttsparty
New member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2014
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Loved one DX
- Country
- US
- State
- Michigan
- City
- Lansing
My dad is in his early 70s and has been having symptoms for about 9 months. It started with slightly slurred speech, nothing major but he sometimes sounded drunk. He has been experiencing a lot of saliva and mucus. He clears his throat all the time and sometimes feels like it's closing and he has a hard time swallowing. He also has occasional cramps and twitches in his lower legs. None of the symptoms occur all the time - some days are almost normal and he feels great. Other days the symptoms kick in and he gets really depressed. He has not lost any marked muscle strength and I believe the fatigue he has comes from his more depressed moments. He has had multiple MRI, blood tests and an EMG. All have been normal. Three neurologists have ruled out ALS (as well as the doc that did the EMG) and have been treating him for MG. A 4th neuro insists that she sees muscle twitches that the others have not and has scheduled a 2nd EMG. Her demeanor causes my dad tons of stress and I worry that her personal bias (her own dad has ALS) is interfering with her ability to be objective. Some days are great and others are horrible. The mucus/throat clearing is the most obvious symptom now but others occur occasionally. Based on others' experience, does this sound like ALS? What stands out to you? Any advice on how to handle the doctors? Thanks tons - I'm worried about the stress for both of my parents at this point.