Degeneration of the Cerebellum

My father has recently been diagnosed with Degeneration of the Cerebellum.  Is there a specialist in this field to help this type of patient?  This is a very sad disease.  It doesn't seem that many know much of the cause.  Is there any medications to slow the process?  What is the long term outlook for my dad?

[Kimber63]

My father has this disease also and has even been to Cleveland clinic to see specialist and there is no treatment for it.  It is however we are being told there is it is very slow moving.

Yes it is a very sad disease.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Cerebellar degeneration is a blanket term. There are many causes that lead to degeneration of the cerebellum. Some of these are Alcohol, drugs (Lithium), congenital malformations and degenerative disorders.

There may not be a cure, but there surely is treatment available. This depends on the cause behind the degeneration. The long term outlook also depends on the cause.

Regards

[mickimouse]

My husband has recently been diagnosed with cerebellum degeneration and he is having a lot of trouble eating.  He can talk well and in a short amount of time he starts slurring his words.  When he starts to eat, he can only get a few mouthfuls and then cannot talk without slurring badly.  He has to stop and rest a while and then continue to eat.  I'm wondering if anyone has had this problem with their cerrebellum degeneration.  It is so frustrating and no ones seems to know what to do.  Any comment from anyone would be appreciated if you have this problem.

[Jazhzay]

My Father was diagnosed with this disease back in 2001. The firdt thing that was a visible symptom was his equalibrium was out of whack. He then went from a cane to a walker, from a walker to a wheelchair. During this period his speech was impaired. He was still aware of what was around him but its like his body slowly began to give up. He then began to loose control of his bowls and needed help being cleaned. This is a very slow process, and for my dad it took 6 years before he passed of heart failure. My heart goes out to the families that have to go through this with a loved one. It is a lot to swallow when the doctors have no clue on how this disease is formed and why. 6 years of doctors visits and the Mayo clinic and NO ONE had answers. Best of luck and best wishes, don't give up there has to be someone out there who has answers.