community

I’d spent about five years trying to figure out what was wrong with me and then treat it when I got the phone call. During that time, I’d had three surgeries to repair old injuries and had been treated for chronic Q fever. I’d also been diagnosed with multiple…

During my hospital stay earlier this year, all I could think about was the relief that would come when I finally went home. I pictured sinking into my own bed, exhaling for the first time in weeks, catching up with all that had happened inside my body. I needed…

I never could afford to be a one-trick pony. That’s mostly because I wasn’t good enough at any single thing. Also, it benefited me, and those around me, if I was skilled at a variety of things. I’m not saying there’s no place for people who are masters of one…

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) often means constantly balancing what your body needs with what your life demands. Some days you’re managing symptoms like fatigue, while other days you’re trying to keep up with work, relationships, and other responsibilities that don’t pause for flare-ups or doctor appointments. Amid all…

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has changed almost every part of my life, which sometimes feels overwhelming. Simple tasks are more complex than before. One thing that has helped me cope is being a dog mom. I have a 12-year-old rescue dog that we adopted in 2014. He is…

“We’ve always done it this way” was the phrase I most despised in the Army whenever I questioned a tactic or technique. I’m not saying routine and doctrine aren’t important or can’t help streamline a task, but they should also be common sense before they’re applied. My problem was the…

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) can sometimes feel like living with a trickster who changes the rules without warning just to amuse himself. One day, you are walking fine, and the next, your legs feel like they’ve been replaced with overcooked spaghetti. There’s fatigue, brain fog, and…

I’m not sure what age people begin to care about the lives of birds, but I think I’ve reached that point. I’m not quite at the stage where I name them or talk to them as if they understand me, but I’m getting close. I have several bird feeders in…

I love to travel and have a bucket list of places I want to visit and things I want to see and do in my lifetime. For example, I want to see the pyramids in Egypt. I want to go ice fishing in Minnesota. I want to stay in an…

I celebrated my mid-century birthday two weeks ago with an online dance party with friends, family, and patients in “The Myelin Room” — a monthly Zoom event. At 50, I’ve officially grown up. I no longer think of myself as a “girl.” The more dignified “woman” feels more appropriate.

I’ve written in the past that I thought I could stand to lose a few pounds. Well, I finally put a little effort into it and have managed to do exactly that by making some changes to my diet. I’d hoped that losing weight would reveal the washboard stomach…

Psychological testing indicates that I’m not crazy, but when I share some of the things I’ve done in the Army, people sometimes wonder. I never say that I’m not, because that’s what a crazy person would say. Instead, I provide a three-point answer: One, would I even know? Two,…

Life with multiple sclerosis (MS) is unpredictable, involving many unknowns. Symptoms can come and go, flare up without warning, and affect every aspect of our health, from movement to memory. Managing MS is already a full-time job, and the added weight of life’s uncertainties often makes it even more…

I recently got my yearly influenza vaccine, which protects against the flu. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In an average year, thousands of people in the United States die from flu, and many more are hospitalized. Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and…

At a recent social gathering, my military career came up, including the more than 100 parachute jumps I’ve done in my life. As usual, someone remarked that I must have enjoyed parachuting, and I had to say that I didn’t because I was actually afraid of heights. That brought the…

One of the things my occupational therapist uses to strengthen and improve the coordination of my hands is a type of moldable therapeutic plasticine. I call it “serious” putty, as there is nothing silly about it, and the way we “play” with it isn’t particularly fun. She has me use…

One of my more unusual symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is itching that is unrelated to skin irritation. It occurs randomly, maybe once or twice a month, and lasts about 30-60 minutes. I have only experienced this symptom in my upper extremities, such as on a finger, thumb, or…

If I were to ask a random person to name the favorite catchphrase of Charles M. Schulz’s character Charlie Brown, the answer would almost invariably be “Oh, good grief!” Although Charlie used it for any number of situations and possibly in place of something stronger, he may have had a…

Last week’s column almost didn’t happen. I’m trying out a new-to-me medication for cognitive issues, and it affected my writing process. About halfway down that medication’s list of possible side effects was “abnormal dreams,” reported by 10% or less of users. As luck would have it, I’m in that…

New or worsening symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are often part of the disease’s unpredictable nature, but there’s danger in assuming that every symptom flare is another relapse. When I think back on the course of my disease, I realize I could have made a serious error by making…

Donald Kushner, MD, is a retired physician, board certified in internal medicine and hospice and palliative care. He has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years and draws on his dual perspective as both doctor and patient to explore illness, identity, and adaptation. He’s writing…

Although it wasn’t his field of study, my father has always been a history buff. On breaks from school, our peers visited theme parks, where they tried out death-defying rides and attempted to eat their own body weight in sugar. My sisters and I, on the other hand, were dragged…

I tend to bite off more than I can chew because I think I can do it all. News flash: I can’t! But I’ll do my best to try to do it all, even under the constraints of living with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. As a 20-something, I don’t want…

My three children inherited my inquisitive nature, which I hope they’ll never lose. The first word they learned as toddlers was probably “no,” but that was quickly followed by “why.” As they’ve grown and their vocabularies have expanded, that word, in turn, has been followed by increasingly complex and detailed…

A couple months ago, my partner and I took a 5-week-old kitten into our home. The decision was somewhat impulsive because we didn’t intend to adopt a kitten. We’d wanted an adult cat, because we were concerned that my resident cat, Lucky, wouldn’t take well to a new friend.

“The Longest Shortest Time.” The title of this parenting podcast says it all. How can it feel like your kids will never outgrow a stage, while simultaneously being way bigger than you remember them being just yesterday? Living with a chronic disease like multiple sclerosis (MS) reminds me…

I tend to be a pretty reserved guy. I don’t yell myself hoarse at my children’s sporting events or shout advice to athletes that I happen to be watching live or on TV. I don’t scream, “Look behind you!” or “Don’t go in there!” to characters in a movie either.

Have you ever been on a flight of stairs and misjudged the height of the steps, causing you to lose your footing? That happens to me more than I’d like to admit. This misjudgment stems from our depth perception, which is our ability to view the world in three dimensions,…

Denise Schnieders is a wife, mom, teacher, volleyball coach, and passionate advocate living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Since her diagnosis, she’s become a powerful voice in the MS community, raising awareness, advocating for better healthcare policy, and pushing for more research funding. Through her platform, MSdopaminedressed, Schnieders shares…

My daughter and I recently traveled to Belgium for a weeklong vacation. We enjoyed centuries-old architecture, world-renowned art, diverse cultures, and, of course, lots of chocolate and beer, which the country is known for. While Europe is rich in charm and history, much of its infrastructure was developed long before…