ALS: Lou Gehrig's Disease Took My Father's Life

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, is better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Named after the New York Yankee's player when he was diagnosed in the 1930's. ALS is not just his disease, though. Several other well-known people have had it. Such as Jon Stone, the creator of Sesame Street and New York Senator Jacob Javits. That's just a short list of the famous people diagnosed with ALS. For the most part, however, everyday, not well-known people have been diagnosed. From an airline ticket agent to a housewife, anyone can develop ALS.

It is most common in men between the ages of 40 and 70. Early symptoms may include:
1. Weakness in a limb.
2. Problems walking; clumsiness
3. Problems gripping things
4. Difficulty with speech
5. Twitching muscles
6. Problems chewing and swallowing
7. Difficulty breathing
8. Drooling
9. Loss of bladder control

This disease is a neurological disorder. Specifically affecting the neuromuscular system. As ALS progresses, paralysis sets in. Patients slowly lose the control of their muscles. The "messengers" from the brain have lost their ability to tell the muscles to move. So, in effect, the muscles waste away because they aren't being used.

This is a very cruel disease since the sight, smell, hearing and thinking abilities aren't affected. It is very frustrating to the patient to be fully aware of what is going on, but unable to respond. This disease literally traps a person in their body.

Twenty years ago, the cause of ALS was a mystery. Doctors were convinced that it definitely WAS NOT an inherited disease. With newer studies, though, researchers may have discovered a genetic link. There could be a defective gene. This gene may hinder the production of an enzyme called superoxide dismutase. This enzyme aids in neutralizing free radicals.

Noninherited ALS could be caused by a defect in the protective enzymes. But some researchers believe environmental hazards may play a role. Exposure to heavy metals, animal hides or fertilizers can trigger the disease.

Other studies have shown ALS may be linked to viral infections or major physical trauma. Yet more studies show that it can be linked to excitotoxicity. This is a rare event in which nerve cells controlling movement are over-stimulated by glutamate, a neurotransmitter, and eventually die.

Learning to live with ALS is about the only choice a patient has. No cure has yet been found. Some vitamins, such as B1, may slow it down, but the disease cannot be stopped.

In some patients, time from diagnosis to paralysis to death can be a few months. For others, it may be a few years.

Unfortunately, death will be the end result with this disease. The specific cause of death varies, though, from heart failure to the body shutting down.

It is very important that friends and family do all they can to make the patient as comfortable as possible. Treat him/her as normally as you can.

Closing on a very personal note; spend as much time as you can with your loved one. As difficult as it is for you to deal with watching the disease progress, remember how much harder it is for the patient. Listen to what they may have to say before they lose the ability to talk. Give them a hug even if they can't hug you back. Read a book together. Just remember to make the most of the time left.

My dad was diagnosed in January of 1986 with ALS. He died on October 1, 1986. We had just a matter of months left together. Had I known that, I would have made much better use of our time. So, hopefully, others can learn from my mistake.

Resources used for this article:

Website:

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00112/lou_gehrigs_disease.htm

Book:

"Health and Wellness Handbook" by Timelife
Published in 2001 by the Southwestern Company in Nashville, TN