Living with multiple sclerosis has taught me that some of the hardest symptoms to explain are the ones no one else can see. For me, one of those is itchiness. Not the kind that comes from dry skin or a mosquito bite, but something deeper, more unsettling. It…
Authentically Human - Desiree Lama
Desiree Lama is a 20-something-year-old PhD student living in Austin, Texas. She was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis during high school at only 17 years old but began experiencing symptoms at 14. Since a young age, she has found a safe haven in writing because her grandma fostered her love for words and learning. Desiree lives her life through being authentically human in a superficial world. In this column, she will share personal memos of being a disabled, bisexual Mexican woman in an overcritical world. Desiree hopes that this column will encapsulate the captivatingly burdensome feelings of human existence, especially for those with MS.
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Every year, warmer weather arrives with a collective exhale as people spend more time outdoors, enjoying sunlight that stretches into the evening and patio dinners. But for me, living with multiple sclerosis (MS), the arrival of summer lands more like a quiet tightening in my chest. I find myself…
I have written about how much I enjoyed helping my grandma tend to her garden as a child, in the years before I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. She instilled in me a great love for plants and for being outdoors. But with multiple sclerosis (MS)…
As I write this, the April showers that bring May flowers have brought forth a string of gloomy days here in central Texas. During days like these, I cannot help but be reminded of my grandma, who passed away about a year ago after a battle with dementia. I remember…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological condition wherein the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves. This clinical definition accurately portrays the medical reality, but it doesn’t encapsulate the lived reality. It doesn’t account for the ways in which fatigue can feel like gravity doubling overnight…
Dealing with multiple sclerosis (MS) — including the numerous symptoms that manifest differently for each person, the grief, and the uncertainty — is grueling. On top of all that, there’s the added challenge of navigating the American healthcare system. As I have written before, I’ve dealt with migraines…
Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is often described in medical terms — lesions, relapses, progression curves, and other jargon — that don’t always register in my mind. But a diagnosis is also associated with grief, a quieter and oftentimes silent reality that doesn’t hit all at once, but…
Bladder issues are one of those symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that nobody really prepares you for. People often talk about mobility problems, fatigue, or vision changes — not the sudden, urgent need to find a bathroom or the constant awareness of the one closest to you. They don’t…
Pain and I are well acquainted. I would not go so far as to say we are friends, but we do see each other every day. It isn’t always first thing in the morning; sometimes it’s midafternoon, right after I think to myself, “Wow, pain hasn’t shown up at my…
About two years after my multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, I began having hand-related symptoms that interfered with my daily life and caused significant stress. I’m a college student and remote employee, so I spend a lot of time typing, which is considered a fine motor skill because of the…
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