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ALS is terrifying and brutal. The three letters still give me the shivers. This guy has a very positive and brave outlook. I wish him the very best.

I was misdiagnosed with ALS by four different doctors. I had essentially all of the symptoms, so for once I couldn't really fault the doctors. I was also misdiagnosed with Parkinsons, MS, and Alzheimers earlier in the whole process - based on brain lesions, tremors, memory loss, paralysis, etc. Misdiagnosis of complex, multi-systemic diseases is much more common than one would expect. I would encourage anyone diagnosed with any of these diseases to get a fast second (or even fifth ;-) opinion before you start any treatments. Not to be in total denial, of course, but because some treatments - if wrong - can exacerbate the underlying problems. Steroids, for example, were prescribed for me at one point and they nearly killed me.



If you don't mind me asking, what was the final diagnosis? How was it discovered? And how are you coping?


It's a long, complicated story...so even my abbreviated answer will be very long. I'm going to make a new post about it, because I don't want to hijack this thread.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=868325


Agreed 100%. My grandma was "dying" for years before they decided that it wasn't actually ALS. Death Sentences are always worth repeal.




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