Daily living

Going to bed late and sleeping is reportedly a marker of intelligence. In that case, I am definitely something of a genius. So, it’s always a shock when I have to get up in the morning. I’ve spent a lifetime avoiding it! I’ve lived in such a form…

Growing up, my parents taught me the value of hard work. No matter what I was doing – playing sports, volunteering, or starting my first job – they always encouraged me to give it my all, but even more so, they led by example. Their work ethic was unparalleled and…

Sorry, this story is definitely parochial and about being disabled, rather than narrowly focused on having MS. It also turns out to be somewhat celebratory — albeit starting from a criticism. Before I get to that, a bit of history. The black cab is an international symbol for London like…

Is getting from home to a healthcare appointment a pain in the butt for you? Do you have to search for someone to take you? Do you haul yourself into your car and hope that you can find a nearby parking spot? Is public transportation impossible to find where…

Everything can be more challenging when you have a disability, and being part of the workforce can add even more challenges. The month of October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, this year’s theme is “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.”…

We all know how difficult it can be to find an accessible parking spot — one that allows us to park and get from our car to where we’re going with a minimum number of steps. There aren’t many of these spots in most parking lots, and sometimes the…

Dental hygiene is not a high priority for some people. Brushing, flossing, dental checkups, and cleanings are often overlooked or avoided. For those with a disability, keeping up with a dental care routine can be incredibly challenging. While the energy expended to ensure proper dental care can increase fatigue,…

Last Wednesday morning didn’t go according to plan. I’m lackluster every Wednesday morn because Tuesday nights are my regular work gig at London’s Comedy Store. I laugh too much, drink too much, and don’t get home till about 11:30 p.m. Still, I had a good sleep. My new…

I never thought I’d want a wearable internet device until I got an Apple Watch for my birthday. One of its neat apps tracks the laps that I swim, the steps that I (try to) take, and my pulse rate. The watch can even link up with some high-tech…

Cassandra Jefferson of Chattanooga, Tennessee, didn’t want to put her mother, who has multiple sclerosis, in a nursing home, but she had begun to realize that she might have no choice. The required care was getting to be too much for Jefferson, who worked long hours before rushing home to…

Well, it’s not a cure, but working hard sure takes my mind off MS. In fact, I’m so rushed off my feet (irony intended!) I’m not sure I have time to write this. But if I stop and ruminate, then my bedroom turns from a frenetic office into a…

Does your MS limit your ability to find a date? (Courtesy of Lemonayde) Dating isn’t a concern of mine, since I turned 70 earlier this month and have been happily married for 42 years. But younger, single folks with MS regularly post concerns about starting relationships on various…

Today, I tried to run. In my mind, I saw myself running with fluidity. I felt a weightless ability to lift, then cycle each knee and foot in perfect rotation. I felt my foot lift up and off the ground. My drop foot prevailed, and I fell. Other than injured pride…

I’ve been using a mobility scooter for about 10 years. I use it anytime I need to walk more than about half a city block. I throw it in the back of my SUV, I’ve taken it on planes and cruise ships (I’ve ridden it in 15 or 16…

Aug. 1 was a busy day around our house. Backpacks needed to be loaded up, breakfasts consumed, pictures taken, and shoes tied tightly before the bus arrived. Yes, it was the first day of school. (I could talk about how ridiculous it is for kids to be going back to…

I can describe myself with a myriad of words: kind, funny, smart, quirky, and stubborn, to name a few. So many words are descriptive of my persona; I almost felt safety among them. Almost. I have always preferred paved road to dirt; my place was to shine the already…

Everything takes so much damn time! I’m strangely working — or at least doing things I purport as work, such as this column. That’s no different than before MS; I still have the inclination to prevaricate or find something inconsequential to ruminate over, like the state of the Turkish…

Last week, my husband and I attended an outdoor concert in a small venue that we used to regularly attend just a few years ago, before my MS affected my mobility. Our last concert there was two years ago, and although I was skeptical about going, the weather was perfect, and…

I’ve been away for about a week, the first break of that length that I’ve had from writing about MS in about two years. Much of that time was spent on a trip from Long Island, New York, to Newport, Rhode Island, aboard the Mariner. Marine chart of…

Well, this is going to be a niche market: A picture of a toilet should grab the attention of any plumber who’s now got MS and reads Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Victories need to be celebrated no matter how small the Venn diagram is! The toilet looks OK.

I knew it was going to be one of those days as soon as I opened my eyes. I woke in some sort of half-start, my eyelids popping abruptly open as I looked up at the ceiling. Something seemed…

  Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be compared to having an annoying house guest who never leaves. You can tolerate them at first, but soon your nerves and resilience wear thin. You try to accept and adapt to the house guest, but you never give up on trying to…

Leaving a restaurant the other evening, I was stepping off an unusually high curb. Right cane down, left cane down, swing the right leg, swing the left leg, and … uh-oh. Down I go. I’d been asking for it. I’d needed to change the electrodes on the Bioness…

In mid-July, the woman who writes the Multiple ExperienceS blog had a little fall. As Jamie explains, her rollator went forward, but her feet didn’t. The fall left a small cut on her knee. Over the next few days, Jamie’s knee swelled, and a trip to her doctor,…

Phew, what a scorcher. The summer of 1976 was the last time it was this hot in the United Kingdom. My lasting memory of that summer was not lazing on a beach, but sweltering as a relief manager in an “off-licence,” which is a liquor store. I probably sold…

I am a hot mess. No, really, I am a hot, sweaty, gel-pack-laden mess. My AC kicked it three hours ago, three hours before Orange County hit a record 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Mother Nature is drunk. And I am getting warmer. Heat is kryptonite to anyone with multiple sclerosis…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) recently launched a new version of the My MS Manager, a mobile app designed to provide convenient services to the multiple sclerosis (MS) community. The app is powered by @Point of Care and is available as a free download…

When you have MS, finding a way to dress for success means more than just looking sharp. It means dressing to both look good and feel good about yourself while wearing clothing that’s easy to wear. Finding those clothes takes a little more effort than simply going into a…

The benefits of drinking water (H2o) are many — and not only in the summer months. If you have multiple sclerosis (MS) drinking an adequate amount of water is essential. I know what you are thinking: “More water intake, equals more trips to the bathroom.” That is what used…

When a progressively debilitating disease like multiple sclerosis (MS) causes a patient to feel physically “wiped out” after a simple daily activity, such as a shower, it is of utmost importance for these individuals and the people in their support system to understand how they can maintain independence for…