Nina

Dear Jim, thank you so much for your advice about transfers even though it is difficult to realize there are no easy answers. The time may have come for me to start using mechanical devices. It’s hard to accept. I’m not ready!

Thank you Patty. It sounds like you are in the same place I am. We have a Hoyer lift but we don’t use it because it’s kind of scary. We also have a transfer belt which we should be using. We do use a sliding board for one of our transfers. In the meantime we are trying to refine our positioning and technique and see if we can continue tra…[Read more]

There’s lots of good ideas here. I have poor circulation and DVT so I use compression socks often. I found socks that zip up and it makes it much easier to put them on.

I am exactly where you are Cindy. I am wishing now that I was not a slow progresser! I try to focus on what I am thankful for and to keep staying in contact with friends and family. They uplift me.

Lisa, I agree with Kathy’s comment. I think you should see another doctor ASAP and ask for an EMG. They can diagnose you with “probable ALS,” which I had for almost a year. I even had a specialist at Emory tell me I didn’t have ALS. And it was about a year and a half in that I was finally diagnosed with ALS. Not that I really wanted to hear th…[Read more]

It seems I have gotten many links over the years to studies that claim to be “breakthroughs.” We have no choice but to be hopeful. 😃

I heard that L-serine was used by some natives of Peru or someplace and they never had a single neurological disorder and so the people researching the natives developed it as a antidote for a range of neurological disorders. I took it for almost 2 years with little negligible effect and then I read that it can cause intestinal issues and I think…[Read more]

I am trying to keep up with my journaling since this is a historic moment and worth recording. I am also finally getting around to updating my list of passwords. I will get rid of all the scratch outs and updates. And of course I’m playing Words With Friends. There are so many great computer games these days. Try Two Dots!

I don’t have a solution but I’m looking for one. My legs are getting weaker (as expected) and I am having some difficulty transferring to the commode. But the really hard part is getting my pants up and down. Is there any clever tool that helps with this? I can still pull them up with one hand with effort but I’m starting to feel a little wobbl…[Read more]