February 2, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Eating Comfort Food Can Be Uncomfortable With MS Summer is one of the cruelest times of year for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thanks to Uhthoffās syndrome, it’s hard to enjoy all the fun that comes with warm temperatures. I donāt seem to sweat anymore (not that it helps much in our high humidity), so I…
January 26, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister MS Makes Me Feel Like a Child Again, and Not in a Good Way The other day, my middle child opened the door while I was in the bathroom. If you have children, a surprise visit in what should be a sanctuary isn’t unusual, but in this case, what he said was. He observed me aboard my toilet and shower chair, which progressive…
January 19, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Multiple Sclerosis Memory Issues Force Me to Use New Methods Before multiple sclerosis (MS), I was pretty proud of my memory. For the most part, I still am, but like many others with this disease, I now have trouble recalling information. For me, it’s one of the most irritating, (sometimes even infuriating), cognitive issues associated with MS. I…
January 5, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How I Respond to Typical Questions About MS From Children, Adults As Iāve probably mentioned before, my wife and I have three boys in grade school. This means that between school events, sports, and play dates, Iām around a lot of kids. Considering I use a wheelchair, my multiple sclerosis (MS) isnāt exactly invisible, so I’m often asked…
December 29, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister This New Year, I Resolve to Let Myself Hope The new year is just a few days away, so if you haven’t already, you might want to start thinking about resolutions, if you’re so inclined. Although I personally don’t bother these days, about half of American adults do, although that number is declining. One study suggests that…
December 22, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister ”Twas the Night Before Christmas’: A Multiple Sclerosis Parody The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year. Multiple sclerosis (MS), of course, has a way of sucking the joy out of anything, but it can’t have my family’s Christmas. I might miss sleeping in, but our three boys have really brought the magic…
December 8, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Being Able to Laugh at Yourself Is Vital When Living With MS I had a glass of wine thrown in my face on the evening of my wedding anniversary. I was taken completely by surprise ā well, maybe not completely. After all, the person who threw it has a reputation for that sort of thing. I was pretty irritated, though, because a…
November 17, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Striking a Balance Between Self-pity and Giving Yourself Grace They say that if you happen upon other people talking about you, you shouldnāt listen in. I have no idea who ātheyā are. Iāve searched for a quote to give someone the proper credit, but have had no luck. The most likely scenario that comes to mind is that I…
November 3, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Relief From Multiple Sclerosis Sleep Disorders Is a Dream Multiple sclerosis (MS) and a good nightās sleep seem to be mutually exclusive. I seriously doubt that anyone with MS will reply in the comments that the disease has blessed them with the best sleep of their lives. Yet I used the word “seem” because when writing about any…
October 20, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Why Do We Turn Into MS Monsters Just Before an Ocrevus Infusion? Something is happening to me. All four limbs have become heavier than usual over the past two weeks. My arms and fingers are stiffer and less responsive, and Iāve somehow managed to effect a shuffling gait in my wheelchair. My eyes tire quickly, to the point it seems like Iām…
October 6, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Don’t Let the Past and Future Be Obstacles While Living With MS While helping me get dressed this morning, my wife handed me a T-shirt from a dresser drawer across the room. It happened to be a shirt commemorating an event from my pre-multiple sclerosis (MS) past. Itās what you might call a ābeen there, done that, got the T-shirtā kind…
September 22, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Uncomfortable Liminal Spaces: When We’re Caught Between Here and There Every time I find myself in a multistory building, I end up on an elevator. Itās not as though Iām too lazy to take the stairs ā well, OK, I am lazy ā but in this case, itās because my wheelchair wonāt climb one, much less a flight of them.
September 8, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister My Stubbornness Has Helped and Hindered Me in Life With MS Thereās a slight chance that I might be stubborn. I donāt really see it, but my wife, parents, siblings, relatives, friends, and former teammates all seem to think so. I personally think that theyāre mistaking my drive and strong willpower for stubbornness, but I suppose I respect their opinions enough…
August 18, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister My MS Makes Getting Sick With a Viral Infection 10 Times Worse School started last week for our three kids. They got to see friends from the last school year, meet their new teachers, and sit at a new desk in their new classrooms. Per tradition, there was no homework assigned the first week, but they still brought home plenty of papers…
August 4, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How My MS Diagnosis Journey Became My Origin Story If I were a superhero (or a supervillain, for that matter), Iād have an origin story. As it stands, Iām not even a minor hero in real life, and only a mediocre one when appearing in my own stories. Iām just a guy with multiple sclerosis, and all I…
July 21, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister A Friend Under the Skin: My Intrathecal Baclofen Pump In my last column, I mentioned that I had an intrathecal baclofen pump. Iād make a bad pun, but I donāt have it in me. Spasticity, spasms, and hyperreflexivity were some of my first symptoms, which steadily got worse as my multiple sclerosis (MS) progressed.
July 7, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister The MS Paradox Results in Many Conflicting Feelings āThanks, I hate it.ā Odd way to begin a column, I know. I suppose Iād better explain myself. That phrase regularly appears in memes and other pop culture media as an expression of dislike for an image or tweet. No one seems to know where or from whom it…
June 23, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Comparing Cases of Multiple Sclerosis Leads to a Logical Fallacy If you werenāt aware (I wasnāt), last Friday, June 17, was National Eat Your Vegetables Day. The day wasnāt created to tout any special diet per se, but to increase awareness of the benefits of vegetables in a healthy diet. If you were already aware of those benefits, then…
June 15, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister I No Longer Feel Guilty for Sharing Good News I’m heading to the beach with my family soon. Not a resort, or any sort of popular, touristy destination. Far from it, in fact. We like to go to the old family beach house on Floridaās Forgotten Coast, where I went as a child and now want my…