Odds and chances

[wingo22]

Hi everyone,

I feel like being couped up at home has gotten me thinking about terrible things. I was able to get an EMG and nerve conduction study in December which all came back normal. Then I was fine. Now I am worried about getting some terrible disease in the future. I am big on statistics and numbers. I have been reading a lot of different things that show the chances of getting ALS and MS and all these things. For some reason I am stuck on ALS and trying not to go down the rabbit hole. Does anyone know or a website or have knowledge of the chances of getting ALS vs something common like Cancer or heart disease? I know its a rare disease and I am only 30 but for some reason I have been worried about the future and what the chances are of getting it later on in life.

I have read that getting cancer in your lifetime is like 1 in 4, and ALS is like 1 in 50, 000. Is that correct?? But for some reason I am focusing so strongly on it I just need some help and words of encouragement.

thanks everyone and i hope you stay safe

 

[Bobnnat]

There are about 5,000 new cases of ALS per year and at any one time, about 30,000 people are living with it. The average age for dx is in the 60's I believe. Even looking at the numbers straight up, with no consideration for age-specificity, eliminating those under 18, there are about 275,000,000 people in the US. 5,000/275,000,000 = 1 in 55,000 so your number is accurate.

Between cancer and cardio-vascular disease, over 80% of us will eventually go that way.

Perspective.

 

[wingo22]

There are about 5,000 new cases of ALS per year and at any one time, about 30,000 people are living with it. The average age for dx is in the 60's I believe. Even looking at the numbers straight up, with no consideration for age-specificity, eliminating those under 18, there are about 275,000,000 people in the US. 5,000/275,000,000 = 1 in 55,000 so your number is accurate.

Between cancer and cardio-vascular disease, over 80% of us will eventually go that way.

Perspective.

Thanks for the words! I understand what you are saying, it’s just hard to get my brain to shut off sometimes and stop thinking about it. Especially now when there is very little to distract myself.

 

[JADIII]

You know what worked for me. I looked at a picture of Ohio State stadium when it was full of people. I then thought to my self, is it really me who is going to get picked out of that amount of people?