February 9, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How multiple sclerosis leads to what I call ‘microinjuries’ “scabulous adj. proud of a scar on your body, which is an autograph signed to you by a world grateful for your continued willingness to play with her, even when you don’t feel like it.” — John Koenig, “…
February 2, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Eating Comfort Food Can Be Uncomfortable With MS Summer is one of the cruelest times of year for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thanks to Uhthoff’s syndrome, it’s hard to enjoy all the fun that comes with warm temperatures. I don’t seem to sweat anymore…
January 26, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister MS Makes Me Feel Like a Child Again, and Not in a Good Way The other day, my middle child opened the door while I was in the bathroom. If you have children, a surprise visit in what should be a sanctuary isn’t unusual, but in this case, what he said was. He…
January 19, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Multiple Sclerosis Memory Issues Force Me to Use New Methods Before multiple sclerosis (MS), I was pretty proud of my memory. For the most part, I still am, but like many others with this disease, I now have trouble recalling information. For me, it’s one of the most…
January 5, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How I Respond to Typical Questions About MS From Children, Adults As I’ve probably mentioned before, my wife and I have three boys in grade school. This means that between school events, sports, and play dates, I’m around a lot of kids. Considering I use a wheelchair, my…
December 29, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister This New Year, I Resolve to Let Myself Hope The new year is just a few days away, so if you haven’t already, you might want to start thinking about resolutions, if you’re so inclined. Although I personally don’t bother these days, about half of American adults…
December 22, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister ”Twas the Night Before Christmas’: A Multiple Sclerosis Parody The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year. Multiple sclerosis (MS), of course, has a way of sucking the joy out of anything, but it can’t have my family’s Christmas. I might miss…
December 8, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Being Able to Laugh at Yourself Is Vital When Living With MS I had a glass of wine thrown in my face on the evening of my wedding anniversary. I was taken completely by surprise — well, maybe not completely. After all, the person who threw it has a reputation for…
November 17, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Striking a Balance Between Self-pity and Giving Yourself Grace They say that if you happen upon other people talking about you, you shouldn’t listen in. I have no idea who “they” are. I’ve searched for a quote to give someone the proper credit, but have had no luck.
November 3, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Relief From Multiple Sclerosis Sleep Disorders Is a Dream Multiple sclerosis (MS) and a good night’s sleep seem to be mutually exclusive. I seriously doubt that anyone with MS will reply in the comments that the disease has blessed them with the best sleep of their lives.
October 20, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Why Do We Turn Into MS Monsters Just Before an Ocrevus Infusion? Something is happening to me. All four limbs have become heavier than usual over the past two weeks. My arms and fingers are stiffer and less responsive, and I’ve somehow managed to effect a shuffling gait in my wheelchair.
October 6, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Don’t Let the Past and Future Be Obstacles While Living With MS While helping me get dressed this morning, my wife handed me a T-shirt from a dresser drawer across the room. It happened to be a shirt commemorating an event from my pre-multiple sclerosis (MS) past. It’s what you…
September 22, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Uncomfortable Liminal Spaces: When We’re Caught Between Here and There Every time I find myself in a multistory building, I end up on an elevator. It’s not as though I’m too lazy to take the stairs — well, OK, I am lazy — but in this case, it’s because…
September 8, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister My Stubbornness Has Helped and Hindered Me in Life With MS There’s a slight chance that I might be stubborn. I don’t really see it, but my wife, parents, siblings, relatives, friends, and former teammates all seem to think so. I personally think that they’re mistaking my drive and strong…
August 18, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister My MS Makes Getting Sick With a Viral Infection 10 Times Worse School started last week for our three kids. They got to see friends from the last school year, meet their new teachers, and sit at a new desk in their new classrooms. Per tradition, there was no homework assigned…
August 4, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How My MS Diagnosis Journey Became My Origin Story If I were a superhero (or a supervillain, for that matter), I’d have an origin story. As it stands, I’m not even a minor hero in real life, and only a mediocre one when appearing in my own stories.
July 21, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister A Friend Under the Skin: My Intrathecal Baclofen Pump In my last column, I mentioned that I had an intrathecal baclofen pump. I’d make a bad pun, but I don’t have it in me. Spasticity, spasms, and hyperreflexivity were some of my first symptoms,…
July 7, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister The MS Paradox Results in Many Conflicting Feelings “Thanks, I hate it.” Odd way to begin a column, I know. I suppose I’d better explain myself. That phrase regularly appears in memes and other pop culture media as an expression of dislike for an image or…
June 23, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Comparing Cases of Multiple Sclerosis Leads to a Logical Fallacy If you weren’t aware (I wasn’t), last Friday, June 17, was National Eat Your Vegetables Day. The day wasn’t created to tout any special diet per se, but to increase awareness of the benefits of vegetables in a…
June 15, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister I No Longer Feel Guilty for Sharing Good News I’m heading to the beach with my family soon. Not a resort, or any sort of popular, touristy destination. Far from it, in fact. We like to go to the old family beach house on Florida’s Forgotten…
November 30, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Is multiple sclerosis everywhere, or am I just more aware of it now?
