Dead End Ahead?
Contracting ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is among one of life's most troubling diagnosis, it has no cure. Even a veteran neurologist has a tough time reaching this dreadful conclusion. When the testing begins, your surroundings turn to black and white followed by long sleepless nights. Your stomach is put on notice and your appetite disappears. You're hoping for something to go wrong or a medical error that produces a blessing. After two weeks of searching, hoping, and investigating, you're ready for the torture to stop. To relieve the stress you anxiously beg for any decision. All the while you are asking, "How could this be happening to me?"

This alarming decision has taken on the new look of a crisis and will take you to a new crossroad. You have just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS. Your search for answers has only begun and probably by now you have already pushed the panic button. No one is sure what journey they will have or what their suffering level will be. Could it be that you have been harboring this illness for the last several years? This is your new battle, one you have never fought, but one you seriously need to prepare for.

That old adage "The Truth Will Set You Free" is the sword revealing two blades. You will load your mind with tons of medical information and a majority of that may not even apply to you. The progression of ALS and length of survival after disease onset are both highly variable from one person to the other. All this information may be detrimental to our health and can create an unnecessary lethal panic. We wrap ourselves in emotional fear but we forget one important fact. We still must live our life and we need to hope for better days, whatever the age. How is living life going to be possible?

Your first action plan is based solely on knowledge. How can I mentally prepare to take charge of every change that will affect me? There is a long string of medical definitions related to ALS and questions surround all of them. You should start with two basic categories, what are my physical and medical needs going to be in the next few months.

Action plan number two is based on the fact that you still need to live. The life basics are that you need to, sleep, eat, breathe and laugh. Maybe you have family and friends that will support you as long as possible, maybe you don't. You'll need close ties to a support network, if not you should find one quickly. In your search you'll find that a small percentage of ALS patients have lived more than 10 years. You may even have goals and dreams that haven't been met yet. There are ALS patients alive today that have overcome all kinds of odds and each day of life has had a new beginning.

It's not uncommon for you to be stuck at this crossroad but understand soon you must make choices. The real solution is a peaceful mind followed by your choice of religion or spirituality. If it's any consolation, God is not going anywhere, and he'll always be there when you need his consultation and guidance. Believe in Hope.