Columns

Why I Climb Trees

In March 2003, I found myself suddenly unable to drive or even walk a straight line through the house. MS had arrived with several active lesions in my brain, including one in the brainstem, which affected my balance and speech and created significant limitations in my usual activities. One…

Living Just for Today

Last week, I wrote about the incessant emotions of MS and chronic illness. This week, I will focus on living in the present moment. Remaining on a quest to continue the depiction of real life with MS for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month 2018, this weekā€™s column will…

MS Can Be a Kids’ Disease, Too (Part 2)

After I wrote about pediatric MS earlier this month, a reader commented: “I think it would behoove your editorship to follow up to address to audiences…symptoms that typify the early-age demographic.” That’s a good point. So, I drilled deeper into how MS is handled in people younger than…

Out of the Woods?

It’s been a grueling three weeks. Birds ate myĀ breadcrumb trail long ago. I was too tired to follow it anyway. Stumbling about has definitely been beyond me! I’ve just shaved what had become a beard and showered, which, mixing my stories, made me feel like I’d been living on…

Getting Cash Back for Choosing Medical Services

You know about credit cards that offer you cash back for the items you buy. How about getting cash back for selecting specific healthcare service providers for things like medical tests and lab work? Go to your insurance company’s website, then enter your zip code and the service…

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,…