Mom's Journey

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My mother has been diagnosed with MSA.  We went through a long process of several local doctors not being sure what was wrong (mini-stroke, brain tumor, MS, Parkinson's, etc.).  We then moved on to specialists outside of our area.  Finally, we found a neurologist which was able to give us a diagnosis two years ago.  We have been to other neurologists since to confirm the diagnosis.  We believe the first symptoms started about four years ago, but started off minor.

Mom has been losing her mobility.  Two years ago she started sometimes using a cane, but now requires a walker or handrails to navigate.  Other days, her lack of strengh requires a wheelchair.  We were able to get a special narrow one for their house that works well.  In addition to mobility issues, mom has started to lose her ability to pronounce words at times and to speak at an audible level.  Things that have helped with this include taping her on our tablet and showing her speech. She doesn't realize how quiet her voice is at times.  We also enrolled her in a program called Big and Loud, which is meant for Parkinson's patients.  This helped with her clearness and volume for the short term.  

Mom is on medication which has helped with the frozen face and her rigidity.  We have also utilized physical and occupational therapy.  Also, we tried some other suggestions such as acupuncture, diet changes, and hypnosis cds (to help her anxiety over falling).

We believe she has had the disease for about four years.  If you have questions or would like to connect, I would be happy to share any information.  

Best wishes for you and your loved ones afflicted by this disease.