January 19, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Recovering the Parts That MS Stole From Me “Who in the world am I? Ah, that is the great puzzle.” — “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carrol Jan. 9 was my 31st birthday. I remember looking outside, watching the low January sun glisten on the frosty ground as its orange haze thawed the earth. I liken this…
December 15, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Learning to Embrace My ‘Hot Wheels’ As I glance over at the lonesome wheelchair skulking in the shadows of my living room, I recall its arrival like it was yesterday, though it’s been more than four years. My husband, and then carer, had paraded it through the house as if it were a savior, there to…
December 1, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I’m Climbing the Hills of Adversity, Just Not in Heels “Shoes are the quickest way for women to achieve instant metamorphosis.” — Manolo Blahnik As the holidays approach, I’m reminded to be thankful for what I have. I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at 26 years old, and when I became paralyzed, I thought I’d never…
November 24, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah MS and Fertility: Conflicts of the Heart and Mind “Rock bottom is the end of what wasn’t true enough. Begin again and build something Truer.” — Glennon Doyle The first of our four pregnancy losses were our twin daughters in 2013, which happened nearly halfway through my pregnancy. Three years later, the first symptoms appeared that would eventually would…
November 10, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah MS Advocacy Gives Me Strength and Purpose I want to help in any way I possibly can. My lonely confusion in the early days after being diagnosed with aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was mentally and physically paralyzing. However, this column isn’t about how “Hurricane MS” battered my body. Instead, it’s about why I chose to…
October 20, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Butterflies and Bridges: The Importance of Perspective and Perseverance With MS The butterfly effect is an idea coined by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz that is based on chaos theory. Lorenz pondered whether the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world could cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. I believe this…
October 13, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Falling Into Fall: How the Changing Seasons Affect My MS Symptoms “You’re my summer that fades/ To these cold autumn days/ You’re my keepsake, my friend, and my fears/ You’re the strength that’s inside and I swear on my life/ I will always be there by your side.” — Amber Pacific Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. I…
October 6, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I’ve Had Both Good and Bad Outcomes With Methylprednisolone for Relapse I am having an MS relapse, my first in three years. In the first two years after I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in early 2017, I relapsed every two or three months. It got to the point that I couldn’t tell where one relapse began and another ended.
October 1, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I Think, Therefore I Am More Than My Mental Fatigue “A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” — James N. Watkins Fatigue is arguably the most disruptive symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). At least it is for me. It has an awful lot to answer for. And it will.
September 22, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Overcoming the Loneliness and Isolation of Aggressive MS “Hurricane MS,” which is how I refer to the aggressive nature of my MS progression, happened quickly and mercilessly. I am aware that my case is particularly unusual, given how aggressive its onset was. This is one of the reasons I feel a sense of purpose in sharing my story…
September 9, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Making It ‘Through the Looking Glass’ After MS Diagnosis Winston Churchill once wrote, “I pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm ground of Result and Fact.” This very much sums me up as a person. It was also how I felt when I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS 10 months…
