March 8, 2018 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Symmetrel, Subcutaneous, Sensory Problems, and Other āSā Terms (Part 3 of 5) Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “S.” Third in a series of five. Symptoms of MS Sensory problems Many people with MS experience a wide array of sensory problems caused by nerve damage…
March 8, 2018 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell 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,…
March 8, 2018 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski 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…
March 6, 2018 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson The Ride Doesn’t Stop: MS-related Emotions Revisited āWhat is wrong with you?” I have been asked this question numerous times by significant people in my life. The most recent was a few days ago. The question usually occurs during the times I have an emotional āmeltdown.ā Whenever I hear it, I get defensive, thinking that I…
March 6, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias 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…
March 5, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr Virus, Gilenya, Naltrexone, Medical Marijuana Epstein-Barr Virus Found in Brain Cells of Many MS Patients, Study Reports This study is yet another of several over the years that have suggested that there’s some sort of link between the Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis (MS). (Fatigue and muscle weakness are among the…
March 2, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes Up with the Volume, Down with the Noise Mahatma Gandhi once said, āThere is more to life than increasing its speed.ā Thatās not a lesson modern American culture has taken to heart, is it? Seems like weāre more inclined to take Daft Punkās advice and do everything āHarder, Better, Faster, Stronger.ā And thatās all well and…
March 2, 2018 Columns by John Connor 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…
March 1, 2018 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Solu-Medrol, Side Effects, Scanning Speech, and Other āSā Terms (Part 2 of 5) Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “S.” Second in a series of five. Symptoms of MS Speech problems Itās estimated that nearly half of all people with MS struggle with speech…
March 1, 2018 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Reflective Calm: Finding Peace Amid Progression I have been contemplative these last few days, lost in thought regarding the state of the MS. I am not sad or upset, simply in observation mode. Reaching for what may have precipitated this gentle melancholy, I realize I am on the precipice of my 49th year. While MS continues…
March 1, 2018 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski MS Education and Advocacy Are as Important as Awareness I fell out of sight in February, thanks to a case of the flu. Influenza B and its lingering side effects took me out of action from almost everything except sleeping, but Iāll save those details for another story. As I come out of my flu-induced fog, I see…
February 28, 2018 Columns by Cathy Chester How Searching for Silver Linings Can Help Ease Your Way Itās 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…
February 27, 2018 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson 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…
February 27, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias 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.
February 26, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson Improvements Needed for Better Accessibility for People with Disabilities So many of us are affected by disabilities, and day-to-day we strive to live our lives the best we can. The struggles due to theseĀ disabilities can consume a lot of our precious and sparse energy. Anything that can be modified in the home, at businesses, or anywhere we choose…
February 26, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mediterranean Diet, Medical Marijuana, Ocrevus, Myelin Repair Pilot Study Is Testing Whether Mediterranean Diet Can Help MS Patients There’s been a good deal of news recently about the possibility that bacteria in our stomachs have an impact on our MS. There’s also been talk, for a long time, about whether certain diets can improve…
February 23, 2018 Columns by John Connor 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…
February 23, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias How Bad Are Proposed Changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act? My knee was jerking the other day. It wasn’t my MS, it was my knee-jerk reaction to the passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill called the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 (HR 620). Before the vote, people with disabilities demonstrated inside the…
February 22, 2018 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Swallowing Reflex, Sertraline, Sclerosis, and Other āSā Words (Part 1 of 5) Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “S.” First in a series of five. Symptoms of MS Spontaneous voiding This is another term for incontinence ā oneās inability to…
February 21, 2018 Columns by Judy Lynn ‘Something On Our Minds’: A Book by and for Those with MS Frigid winter weather keeping you indoors? Laid up with the flu? If youāre looking for something to do while you power through this cold slog of February, allow me to recommend a cup of tea and a good book. The particular book that I would like to suggest…
February 20, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias Looking for Healthcare Answers on the Internet Can Drive You Nuts I know, I know. I write about health issues on the internet, so I shouldn’t be discouraging people from looking for answers here. But, searching the internet to match symptoms with a diagnosis can be a real anxiety booster. Emily Sohn makes a solid case for that…
February 19, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson 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,…
February 19, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Trial, Medical Marijuana, Myelin Repair, Tysabri Study Stem Cell Treatment Benefits Three-fourths of MS Patients in Phase 1 Trial This is encouraging news for MS patients hoping to see some action in the stem cell area. A Phase 1Ā mesenchymal stem cell trial is reporting positive results, and a Phase 2 trial is underway in…
February 16, 2018 Columns by John Connor 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…
February 16, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias 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…
February 15, 2018 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell MS and Friends: Not All Are Created Equal I write in an effort to offer enlightenment. Yet, so often I find I am the one to receive an education. Such was the case with my column on relationships and MS ā or more pointedly, the feedback I received. While MS has…
February 14, 2018 Columns by Mike Knight 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, theyāve been in the foreground of my life since I was diagnosed in 2013.
February 13, 2018 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson 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 Valentineās week, so I thought Iād discuss the…
February 13, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias 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,…
February 12, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson The 4 Stages of Metamorphosis: Honing My Reactions to Change At the end of each passing year, I like to give a theme name to the fresh new year. So last year when my sister Kathy asked me what I would dub 2018, I thought for a few moments and said, “The metamorphosis of change.” I previously didn’t have…