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The disagreement from my doctors is whether or not the MND is related to the lung cancer. I've been seeing several different neurologists at Mass General Hospital in Boston and an oncologist at Dana Farber. The added complication with me is that my paternal aunt died from ALS in her 80s while my father died from Lewy Body dementia. I was told by the head of the Neuromuscular ALS clinic at MGH that these two disease are related genetically. A slight genetic difference can result in having either disease. So in his opinion my condition was due to this genetic problem, though testing he ordered proved negative. At the same time I began seeing another neurologist at MGH who ordered the CT scan that resulted in the discovery of my lung cancer. He then referred me to yet another neurologist at MGH who was also an oncologist. His specialty is cancer-related neurological disorders or paraneoplastic symptoms. He told me that there is a high prevelance of cancer among ALS patients and that he suspects that the cancer causes the motor neuron damage in many of these situations. The theory is that the body produces antibodies in defense against the cancer and these antibodies then attack the central nervous system. Unfortunately, once again, he can't prove it. I had several blood tests to find signs of antibodies, but apparently they are very difficult to detect. There are also some therapies to cleanse the blood of antibodies, which could improve my leg weakness, if the theory is correct, but could also damage my defenses against the cancer that is still in my lungs. The growths remaining are too small to treat and so far aren't growing, so a form of stasis has developed that no one wants to disrupt. My leg weakness seemed to be stable, though it is in fact progressing at a slow rate. On the other hand, my cancer isn't growing, and that is considered more significant. So that is where my condition remains for the time being. Though either could change at any time.

I'm due to have my arm muscles checked again soon to see if any muscle deterioration is occurring that I haven't noticed. Since I do still have cancer in my lungs, then presumably my body is still producing antibodies that are presumably still attacking my motor neurons. Either that or I have a MND that will cause further damage. There is nothing much to be done in either case but wait and see.