Options and Opinions

I'm still looking at anything I can get on helping to protect and rebuild mom's nerves. Since her doctor isn't entirely sure about the ALS diagnosis, but is sure she is losing muscle due to a neurological disease I am focusing on supplements, nutrition and possible medications to stop the deterioration. I've joined the ALS forums to try to get advice, answers and opinions on different treatments. The general opinion on the forum is that the trip to China is a bust. Since there is no clinical proof that the stem-cell treatment works and since the doctor who performs the treatment can't explain how or why it works, people are understandably skeptical. I'm not closing that door just yet, but I'm exploring less expensive, less distant options.
I've learned through one of the Kindle books I bought and from various ALS forum members that taking B-12 (sometimes b-12 deficiency can have dire effects on the nervous system, including ALS type symptoms) and CoQ10 can help to slow nerve damage/ALS progression as well/better than the one drug approved for ALS. this drug shows only moderate slowing of symptoms (3 months) which isn't very promising.
There are many more drug trials currently recruiting, but most are out of state. There's one in California and almost all the trials are out of Emry in Atlanta. While I'd love to visit Atlanta, I don't know if mom is up for long term traveling for unverified results. I'd hate to tax her already low stores of energy just to get the placebo or have her react badly to the medication(s).
So, mom is going to be asking her doc for a Lyme disease test this week and also asking her to test her vitamin B levels. If we get the ok from the doc we will start her on a supplement regimen to try to help her get back on her feet again.

On the happy end of things; Brandon and Grandma came to visit over the last 4 days. Mom seems to be doing better than she has been in a while. I'm not sure if the family love is helping or if it's that she's almost off the steroids. She's down to a very low dose and she seems to get better and better as the dose gets lower and lower. Isn't it strange that she would have the opposite reaction than is intended with steroids? Looking back it does seem like she got a lot worse after the high dose steroid infusions and continued steroid pills. I'm hoping she will only continue to improve as she comes completely off the roids.