About 200 persons become ill annually with the illness amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which can be seen as an increase in the last 30 years. Falling ill in an incurable illness contributes to both physical and psychological suffering. It is important to understand the patient’s experiences of the illness and this is a field where there is little or no information available. The aim of this study was to describe the patients’ experiences of living with ALS from autobiographies. A qualitative content analysis described by Lundman and Hällgren Graneheim was performed. The data material consisted of seven autobiographies. From the data material patient’s feelings and experiences of the illness ALS was discerned in terms of six categories with associated subcategories. The categories were; difficulties of the emerging illness, thoughts about death, sadness, lack of self esteem, to feel deserted and to reach insight into their own illness. The informants described experiences differently due to individual variations of illness. To eventually be able to see positive moments despite the illness was significant. No one knows better than the patient how the most appreciated nursing care should be. Therefore it is of importance to listen to patients’ own experience of the illness. The experiences of the illness varied but similarities could be seen where many experiences were recurrent among most informants.