Columns

Hair We Go Again

I can’t quite remember when I got hooked on the writings of Jack London, but I don’t think I’ve ever quite shaken off his Nietzschean-inspired “Superman” ethos. It comes in handy for surviving in the wilds of the winter in the Yukon and forcing yourself to build a…

Need to Know: What Is Gait?

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “How Do You Manage MS-Related Balance Issues?” from…

Breaking Down the Silos in the MS Community

In the research world, references to breaking down silos abound, and weā€™re not talking about those found on the farm. These figurative silos are where information is contained and not shared outside of a particular area. Researchers work within their own organization, rarely sharing their work with others doing…

The More Things Change ā€¦

An awesome friend of mine at work who is learning to master Spanish as a second language has been using a podcast called “News in Slow Spanish” to increase fluency in conversation and learn cultural nuances. (And this isnā€™t the first amazing thing sheā€™s done. Homegirl can run…

Relapse, Relapse, Relapse

Relapses can be sneaky. They can scythe you down. I’ve been dealing with multiple sclerosis (MS) since 2006 and I only consciously remember two relapses. The first relapseĀ was two years after I had been diagnosed with sclerosis. There was the possible hope from my first neurologist that nothing…

My Lemtrada Journey and a 90-minute School Bus Ride

My wife and I joined our son and his family on a tour of a Southwest Florida nature preserve today. It required riding on an old school bus-swamp buggy for a little over an hour and a half. There were plenty of gators, wild hogs, egrets, and storks in…

Need to Know: What Is Remyelination?

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “New MS Therapy Company to Focus on Rejuvenating Coating…

I’m Living With MS, I’m Not ‘Battling’ It

  A former colleague recently asked me, “How are you doing in your battle with MS?” It was a legitimate question, not one of those throwaway lines of mock concern that we often hear. We were discussing the death of a former colleague who had been diagnosed with MS in…

Being Kind to Others with MS Can Help Our Own Well-being

Sometimes I feel that some in the multiple sclerosis (MS) community do not show kindness to each other. Perhaps they canā€™t relate to others’ MS realities because their symptoms are dissimilar or they have a different disease type. I have witnessed interactions between people with MS in which one…

Stuck in Delivery Limbo Land

Take a minute … and relax. It’s been a fraught few weeks of numerous solo hospital visits, as my wife was first dealing with a dying fatherĀ and then helping to organize his funeral, estate, and her own turbulent emotions. Her mum had died only four months ago.

4 Things I’ve Learned About Paying for MS Medications

Are you having trouble paying for MS medications? If so, you’re not alone. People change or lose their insurance, and plans change the medications they cover from year to year. Your neurologist may change your medication without realizing that moving you from an injection to an oral med may…

Need to Know: Do Children Get Multiple Sclerosis?

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about multiple sclerosis? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic, “Are you a parent caregiver of a child with…

MS Boosts the Importance of Avoiding a Sedentary Lifestyle

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can make our bodies experience pain, become weak, and easily fatigue. We can find it difficult just to walk. These challenges can steal our motivation to be active. But without regular activity, we become sedentary, which can increase weakness and fatigue symptoms that cause additional health…

I Want to Be Alive, Rather Than Just ‘Not Dead’

ā€œI’m alive,ā€ said Shadow. ā€œI’m not dead. Remember?ā€ ā€œYou’re not dead,ā€ Laura said. ā€œBut I’m not sure you’re alive, either. Not really.ā€ This snippet of a longer conversation in Neil Gaimanā€™s “American Gods” is a strange and wonderful moment in the book ā€” and not only because Laura…

Wrap Up Warm: It’s Colder than Mars!

OK, I’ve used a typical tabloid headline to draw you into a column about dealing with lymphedema. Well, the topic is not exactly sexy! Though my calves are now extremely toasty due to being effectively embalmed. Lymphedema has been plaguing me for years now. There seems to be…

Need to Know: The Importance of Self-advocacy

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic, ā€œWith MS I have learned the importance of…

The Moment I Realized Things Could Get Worse

Life never lets me forget its fragility. Sometimes my challenges seem like mountains to be scaled. Adversity has become the elephant in the room; it is ever present even when I refuse to acknowledge it. A few weeks ago, I faced what could potentially have been a medical crisis.

Have You Joined Our MS Forums Yet?

It’s been about nine months since we created the MS Forums section on the Multiple Sclerosis News Today website. It’s a placeĀ designed to host conversations about our MS experiences and to find some answers from reliable sources when you have a question. You can even begin your own…

Is There a Connection Between Fibromyalgia and MS?

I’ve often wondered if there may be a connection between fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other neurological conditions. BackĀ in the early 1990s, my doctor suspected fibromyalgia as the culprit for my fatigue, aches, and pains. At the time, doctors diagnosed fibromyalgia by the use of tender points.