Hello, friends,

Coming to this forum feels more and more like a good reunion. My best friend/husband Roger was officially diagnosed with ALS on June 18, 2007, but he was totally prepared for the grim news due to his personal symptomology and investigations. Retired from school teaching for one year, he had been experiencing fasciculations, altered gait, vocal fatigue, and crazy cramping as his professional career was drawing to a close. At this time, he is awaiting the arrival (tomorrow) of a more sophisticated bipap machine to make sleeping a sustained experience. On Friday I will learn if his medical team at Strong Memorial (Rochester, NY) will recommend lithium carbonate for his use. I have been devouring all the reports from this helpful site to be as informed as I can be. We have been married since 1973; we have no children; we thoroughly delight in our time together. I am a retired English teacher with 27 years of classroom experience and education of my own. I was privileged to teach with a team approach at the middle school level with an uplifting group of teacher/friends. I left the job a few years earlier than expected due to spinal problems and fibromyalgia. I am an only child, and my parents are currently in need of assistance due to my father's advancing Alzheimer's disease and my mother's limited vision. Roger's two sisters live out of our immediate area, and their parents are deceased. Interestingly, Roger's dad believed that he had ALS prior to his passing, and his older sister Judy (a nurse) has episodes of fasciculations, cramping and weakness that have us concerned on her behalf.

As I enter this valuable conversation, I wish to express our gratitude for your straightforward information and unique intimacy which helps our daily desire for trustworthy news and insight.

I will share the next phase of our decision-making when I have been in contact with our medical helpers.

You travel with us in the conscious moments of our changing days.

Welcome to NeuroTalk Mrs. V.

There are lots of friendly helpful people here. I hope you check out the ALS forum. Here's the link to it so you can jump right over there:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum6.html

Mrs V,

Welcome to Neurotalk and I am glad that you have found us. I see that you already have the link to the ALS forum. Some very informative posts there.

I would also recommend to keep an eye on the PD forum as sometimes there is information there about treatments that might also have benefit for ALS patients like stem cell treatments. Here is the link.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum34.html

Please let us know if we can help you in anyway as you navigate around the forum

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Great to see you have come to be with us. You will find a great number of caring, supporting members here willing to help each other as they can.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

Welcome to the board Mrs V.

How sad for you that this is happening to your husband. You sound like you two have such a close friendship - your soul mate! I can't think how it must feel for you.

I am on this board because I have had very similar symptoms to your husband but I do not have ALS. Probably only Small Fibre Neuropathy but sometimes I still worry where it will lead. My husband and I are close and do everything together (although he still is working) but I do worry for him sometimes how he will manage if I become more debilitated.

Gosh life can serve us up some unexpected surprises but then there are no guarantees either!

I'm sure you are among friends here and the information and inspiration on the ALS board should be a welcome companion for you.

Kind regards

Megan

Hi there Mrs. V and welcome to Neuro Talk!

Hello Mrs V and hubby and Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am sorry about your hubby's Dx, but your love and friendship w/each other touched me.

I am glad you found us and hope you can continue to gather info that may be of help to your hubby. You will find many caring and friendly members here, so don't hesitate to jump in anywhere...

Hi Mrs V!!!
and to Neurotalk!!!


I hope to see you around the boards!!! If you need anything please let us know... someone will be around shortly to help you in any way that we can!!


Abbie