ALS Scared Again

Albert Aguilar said:

Hello all, I have been having this fear of ALS for the past few years. Just to jump into it. I was home on Saturday napping on my couch. I get a call from my mom. We talked for a couple minutes. A few hours later I saw her, she asked me if I had been drinking because she said I sounded drunk. Since I had done all the research on ALS I saw that the first bulbar symptom is slurred speech and that others would notice before you did. Am I overreacting? I asked her yesterday over the phone if I sounded drunk, she said no that it was only that one time. Is it normal to slurr speech a little bit when waking up from sleep? Please help!! Thank you.

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Hi @Albert Aguilar welcome
I think you should not worry too much about this. Just imagine, you are sleeping, dreaming and then you get a call. Your brain needs to restart and before that happens, you will be slurry and confused. Happens to me a lot, even when I'm in not asleep , and I really do not have ALS.

Reading that you had an alcohol problem, your mom might be sensitive to any form of change in your behaviour because of concern over you and might have interpreted your sleepiness as being drunk.

Albert Aguilar said:

Thank you guys for your input, it's been a hard few years for me. I lost my wife because of these issues I've had. I just feel super depressed too because I've realized that no one wants to be with a sufferer like me. I've alienade myself from everyone I know because of my high anxiety. I just sometimes wish I could be normal. I don't care if there was anything wrong with me as long as I thought like a normal person.

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Hi Albert,
Anxiety can be a condition that controlls ones life and the ones of the people you love. Sadly enough being with someone who has those issues can be very stressful, draining and sometimes feelings of hopelessness can start breaking the relationship.
It is important for you, I think to work on getting the control over your life back. At the moment anxiety controlles your life with every step you take and everywhere to go.
I felt similar until I decided for myself to take control back.
This is something I think you might need to do too. Everyone who suffers from anxiety and depression needs to come to the point, I personally think, where you decide that you don't want to give up your life, that you want to control your life.
It's the only one we have, so take control and live your life that way you want it and not how anxiety and depression dictates it.

Easier said then done, but I think the fight is worth it.
I felt lost and alone for a long time until I have decided to fight back and now I start to take month by month more control over my life again. It's hard work, frustrating and has a lot of set backs, but what I have earned so far is all worth it.