When Dagmar was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 59 in 2010, she tapped into her nearly 30 years of professional experience. She not only follows her own wellness and fitness advice but also inspires and teaches others to do the same. Dagmar is a patient columnist at BioNews, writing “Living Well with ALS.” In addition, she is one of the moderators for the ALS News Today Forum and writes a personal blog called “ALS and Wellness.” She lives in Arizona, enjoying finding humor in life's situations, and spends her free time pursuing creative projects in fiber arts.
About four years ago, ALS impeded my speaking ability. Like more than 80 percent of all ALS patients, I now have dysarthria, or what I refer to as my “ALS voice.” It’s a slurred, slow speech pattern with a nasal tone and imprecise pronunciation of consonants. For…
Before ALS, whenever I thought about the future, I assumed my life would continue in a state of health and happiness, filled with lots of interesting activities. But in 2010, when I learned I had ALS, thinking about my future became very dismal and frightening. My mind…
When I learned I had ALS, my whole world changed, because on that day, I officially became an ALS patient. My husband’s world changed as well because, just as suddenly, he became my caregiver. I appreciate his taking on this challenging responsibility more than he’ll ever know.
Living with ALS presents many challenges, and staying mentally motivated is right at the top of the list. Being proactive to prevent our emotions from spiraling downward is easier than picking ourselves up after we’ve hit rock bottom. So, I want to share the five things I…
Have you heard the news? They’re banning plastic straws. Oh, darn! Just when I thought I had my ALS symptoms all figured out, perfect solutions in place, and solid daily routines to follow, a new curveball comes my way. The fact is I need straws! Not just any…
ALS life involves a lot of waiting. We wait for people to help us with daily tasks, we wait for medical test results, and we wait for new ALS symptoms. But it’s the constant thoughts of despair and hopelessness that put us in what I call the ALS…
Life with ALS often feels like a crash course in adaptability but being adaptable doesn’t come naturally for many of us. However, whether you’re the patient, caregiver, or a family member, I believe you can learn how. Read on and let’s get started. In my pre-ALS life…
If you are living with ALS, here’s a question for you: When was the last time you spent the time to learn something? It can’t include watching a TV newscast or scanning the news feed on your mobile device. I mean quality time spent with books or…
For those of us living with ALS, every day can have a stressful event. The key, I believe, is to move through the event and, if possible, remember it with humor. I recently came across a quote from the movie “Slow West” that reminds me that…
My ALS diagnosis was in 2010. In the months following, I tried to learn as much as possible about the condition and how it would affect my life going forward. I discovered that medical experts knew almost everything about the physical progression of ALS and what to expect…
