Columns

Emotions Run High

I am a sensitive individual by nature. Good, bad, or insignificant, that is part of my genetic makeup. I cry when the dog gets hurt in the movie, at every episode of “This Is Us,” and every time I hear “O Holy Night” at Christmas Eve services. While sometimes endearing,…

Oscar the MS Monkey and His Buddies

While at the ACTRIMS Forum 2018 (which stands for Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in MS), I was surprised to see a colorful display of orange-and-teal colored sock monkeys mixed in with the pharmaceutical company and advocacy organization displays. It was the display booth for Oscar…

MS Can Be a Kids’ Disease, Too

The age at which a person is diagnosed with MS is usually between 20 and 50, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. But it can be diagnosed in people much younger. In fact, of the estimated 400,000 people with MS in the United States, 8,000-10,000 are…

Up with the Volume, Down with the Noise

Mahatma Gandhi once said, ā€œThere is more to life than increasing its speed.ā€ Thatā€™s not a lesson modern American culture has taken to heart, is it? Seems like weā€™re more inclined to take Daft Punkā€™s advice and do everything ā€œHarder, Better, Faster, Stronger.ā€ And thatā€™s all well and…

Going Cold Turkey

Usually, I’veĀ got a fair idea of where I’m headed in my column. This time, I really don’t. I’m confronting something. Maybe nothing. It’s as clear as the clichĆ© involving wet, clingy earth. For the first time since the last week in November 2017, I’ve stopped taking antibiotics. That’s…

How Searching for Silver Linings Can Help Ease Your Way

Itā€™s frightening to feel sick most of the time. Frightening, scary, overwhelming, unnerving, and hellish. Whichever negative words you choose are the right ones to describe how it feels to live with MS. People with MS are snowflakes, and our emotions are quite often the same. After three-plus…

The Sun Shall Rise

I had the flu for several days, and it was disastrous. So, I did not write last week. I hope you missed the column as much as I missed writing it and hearing from you. Several of my friends have the flu as well. This is an awful…

What’s Hot and What’s Not Among MS Therapies?

The newest kids on the MS block, disease-modifying therapies (DMT) such as Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), are attracting a lot of interest these days. But, some DMTs that have been around for more than two decades are still being prescribed by a lot of neurologists.

What’s Going On?

Something is! I had to be carted off to the hospital in an ambulance on Thursday of last week. It was either an infection my home-visiting doctor couldn’t spotĀ or the dreaded relapse. She couldn’t diagnose any illness. At the hospital, they used the words “atypical infection.” One of…

The Power of Resilience

After taking a tumble this week, I am reminded of the power of resilience. Dictionary.comĀ defines resilience as: “1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. 2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity,…

Having a Swell Time

The thing about becoming increasingly immobile is that your consumption of TV, radio, podcasts, books and, indeed, anything writtenĀ goes up immeasurably. Luckily, one of the creative explosions in the recent years I’ve had MS is Scandi drama. I don’t know if it’s really penetrated the U.S. market, although…

Peeking Behind the Curtain at Medical Insurance Decisions

Several years ago, I tried to get my insurance company to approve a functional electronic stimulator (FES). It’s a durable medical device that significantly improved my left foot drop. My request was well-supported by documentation from my neurologist and the physical therapist who was evaluating me for…

The MS Balancing Act: Steady As We Go

Gait and balance issues and MS go together like peanut butter and chocolate.Ā At least they do to me. In one way or another, theyā€™ve been in the foreground of my life since I was diagnosed in 2013.

Intimacy, Marriage, and Chronic Illness

Intimacy is defined as close familiarity and/or friendship. It can also describe an act. We have intimate relationships with the people in our lives. Those intimate relationships strengthen us as we travel the arduous path of chronic illness. This week is Valentineā€™s week, so I thought Iā€™d discuss the…

Where Are the Handicapped Parking Spots?

It’s nice when a negative experience can be turned into one that’s positive. I think that’s the result for a wheelchair-using MS patient following a problem she had at the Mall of America a few days before the Super Bowl.Ā For those not familiar with the Mall of America,…