My ex-husband was diagnosed 10 years ago and has been bedridden for a year or more. My 40 year old daughter is showing signs but is in denial She says she will be tested before her children are ready to start families. I pointed out to her that pregnancies aren't always planned and she should be tested now. Her daughter is 18 and her son is 16.. My son has tested negative. My daughter is married but has no insurance. I have so many questions on how to help her. She lives near Houston and I know there's a testing center there. How much does the testing cost? If she tests positive, would she qualify for Social Security Disability and Medicaid? What other financial aid resources, if any, are available?

Any help/answers will be sincerely appreciated.

Last I knew testing (private pay) was between $500 and $1000. A person testing positive does not necessarily immediately qualify for Social Security Disability. They must apply and wait about nine months or so for an answer. I would estimate that about 50 % are approved on the first try. Whether you are approved or not depends on several factors. Some of these factors are how far along you are, the quality of your application, and even which state you are applying from (I really believe that different states have different biases). Basically the decision is based on whether or not the board making the decision believes the person is capable of gainful employment or not. This is why the quality of the application is so important. Medicaid has nothing to do with disability. It is a means tested program and is based solely on one's income and assets. You don't even have to be disabled to receive it. Parameters vary slightly from state to state. Medicare is the program that is contingent on disability. Medicare starts two years after Social Security Disability. If your HD Center of Excellence has a social worker, that would be a good place to learn more about these programs.

Thank you so much. Now if I can just convince her to do it.

What affect does alcohol have on the disease and/or the drugs used for treatment? My daughter is using alcohol as a hiding place. She's been alcoholic for several years but had pretty good control until the HD symptoms became more evident.

I've had limited experience, but I noticed when my FIL drank (and not even much...like one drink in the evening) he got much worse. It was like he was drunk on one or 2 drinks. But I can't say long term how it might have affected him. He wasn't a big drinker and then he stopped altogether, so it's a bit different story from your daughter. Maybe someone will be able to answer you better.

It's not good to take alcohol with those drugs. They are similar to muscle relaxers and Xanex. Alcohol doesn't mix well there. If I were you, I'd take it one step at a time. First we get her to the doctor, then deal with the rest.