Myself, my brother, differences in symptoms.

[monkeybus]

I am a firm believer in the AMN creeping up slowly from birth. Onset in 4th decade means a slow creep. Childhood ALD a quicker one.

All this because I look back and there are so many symptoms I can blame AMN for. Fatigue from the age of 14, for one. I always had an odd gait as well. And I could always run fast, unnaturally fast. Reflexes far too good.

Anyway, I was reflecting on how my brother's and my symptoms are so different.

Me, 46, shocking fatigue. Bad spasticity, shocking all-body spasms.

Him 49, slight limp, legs twitch a bit at night, feels "a bit tired".

This could be nothing, but when I was 11yo, I was climbing on rocks on the beach. Big rocks. I slipped and smacked my head right on a rock. Really went down with a bang. I always remember that, a real head trauma.

It might have started me off.

Then again, maybe it didn't.

[Sue95]

I think there is a theory that head trauma can set off ALD/AMN. My son had a severe bang on the head aged 7 and a couple of years later he started developing cerebral ALD for which he has had a successful BMT. Whether he would have remained stable for longer if he hadn't had the trauma is impossible to say.