living with MS

By the time this column is published, I’ll be at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers‘ annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m honored to be attending as a representative of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Multiple Sclerosis Committee. Along with the other committee members, I’ll help spread…

Understanding how exercise benefits people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is the aim of a trio of U.S. scientists who has published a new framework to help guide research into the subject. “Our objective is guiding the field toward evidence that facilitates the prescription and promotion of [exercise training] as…

The focus is on diagnosis for this year’s World MS Day, officially “a day of global solidarity, collective action, and hope” for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community, according to a campaign webpage boasting information in more than 100 languages. While the event officially occurs on May 30,…

I try not to attribute every new symptom I experience to multiple sclerosis (MS). When I was younger, I had an easier time attributing the cause of a new symptom: It was MS or something else. As I age, this differentiation is becoming more difficult. Recently, I experienced new-onset…

As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, I’m now pursuing a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Given that work, 99.9% of my day revolves around typing, despite my multiple sclerosis (MS). My journey as a typist began in high school, when I enrolled…

If I haven’t warned you that bits of my past in the military would sometimes leak into my present as a Multiple Sclerosis News Today columnist, consider yourself warned. I was in the U.S. Army for almost 22 years, so it’s bound to happen occasionally. If I’d become an…

There have been so many times I’ve started something but was unable to finish it. There have been so many things I’ve intended to do, but somehow never followed through on them. The gate of my mom’s backyard privacy fence is broken. Half of it is missing. A dear friend…

Recognizing and valuing authenticity is an aspect of life I began to grasp only a few years ago. During the peak of quarantine restrictions due to COVID-19, I was forced to move back home to San Antonio from my on-campus dormitory at the University of Texas at Austin. Like many…

I turn 49 next week. The fact that I’m in middle age already is unbelievable. I don’t think of myself as old. My mileage might be a little high, but I’m not old. I suppose I could consider myself to be vintage, like clothing, or perhaps even classic, like a…

A Marquette University team is leading a new project that will combine balance and cardio training with the goal of improving the walking abilities of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Led by Marquette biomedical engineering professor Brian Schmit, PhD, the project — which is supported by a $3.34 million…

I have several big milestone events coming up, all within a week. My son is graduating from college and my daughter from high school. Additionally, we have my son’s nurse pinning ceremony, a graduation lunch, two graduation parties, Mother’s Day, and lots of family and friends in town for these…

Many of my personal breakthroughs and discoveries occurred during college, when I was living in a new city as a young adult with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). One of those “aha!” moments was understanding that saying no takes practice, but it’s a necessary aspect of life. A few…

An abnormally active metabolism in immune B-cells can trigger the release of pro-inflammatory signaling molecules that drive further inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. Selectively blocking certain metabolic processes with a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor normalized B-cell metabolism and shifted their signaling to an anti-inflammatory state.

Before multiple sclerosis (MS) took the normal functioning of my limbs, I enjoyed being in the kitchen — not merely to be underfoot or lick spoons and bowls, but to actually cook and bake. I won’t claim to have been a gourmet chef or anything like that, but I…

Is there something you now have that you once hoped and prayed for? I’ve been struggling with the demands of a new job for the past few weeks. As a virtual dietitian, I heavily rely on computers to meet with clients and do other necessary work. But staring at a…

I feel like I’ve been in this exact place, saying exactly what I’m saying right now. Have I done this in a past life? Did I dream it and am now subconsciously acting it out in reality? Or is my brain performing a fact-check on its memory system and signaling…

Among immigrants to Canada, the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) is higher for those who have spent a greater portion of their life in Canada, a new study reports. The study, “Proportion of Life Spent in Canada and the Incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in Permanent Immigrants,”…

When I was initially evaluated for multiple sclerosis (MS), I was asked if I had a family history of the disease. To my knowledge, I did not. Once I received my diagnosis, one of the first things that crossed my mind, after recovering from the initial shock…

For people who develop multiple sclerosis (MS), the disease can exact a toll on their ability to work and on how much they earn in the private sector, according to a study by researchers in France, who said policies need to be enacted to replace lost income. “The effects…

Even as a small child, I enjoyed watching nature shows. They didn’t come on television often, but when they did, I absorbed every word. At school, I might not have been able to recite the Pythagorean theorem, but I could say with confidence that butterflies taste with their feet. That…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are being treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) tend to prefer receiving the medication as a subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injection rather than an intravenous (into-the-vein) infusion, according to new data from an observational study. “Based on current data, there is a trend toward patients’ preference…

Upon commencing my undergraduate studies at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, I pursued a major in prehealth neuroscience. I had decided to pursue this degree shortly after my diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2016, during my senior year of high school. My hope in choosing the…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continued to prevent disability progression among people with relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) over 10 years, according to clinical trial analyses. The most pronounced benefits were observed in patients who started on the therapy in the controlled part of the trials, compared with…

Training to become a U.S. Army Special Forces medic included all the things you might expect, as well as some you might not. Although trauma was our primary focus, we also had to be well versed in routine medicine and have a working knowledge of other aspects of healthcare.

The risk of having a stroke, that is, a blockage in blood flow to the brain that can cause lasting damage, is about 2.5 times higher in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than the general population, a review of multiple studies finds. The researchers called for further studies to…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England had a seven times greater risk of hospitalization and a fourfold increased risk of death from COVID-19 in 2022 than did the general population, according to a study of almost 12 million people in the European nation. The elevated risk of both…

The title of my column is “Delicate Balance,” though I didn’t pick that name. I was telling my family about the opportunity to be a patient columnist for this site and mentioned that I needed to name my column. Immediately, my husband said, “The title is ‘Delicate Balance.'” I…

Erectile dysfunction is more likely to occur among men with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose disease is more severe, according to a study, which noted that the ability to contract the cremaster muscle, which controls the position of the testicles, was linked with a decreased likelihood of erectile dysfunction in…

Older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose eating habits resemble a Mediterranean diet tend to have less disability and better quality of life, a study found. The findings suggest the Mediterranean diet is a “promising nutritional intervention to slow down disease progression of MS and to minimize disease-related symptoms…

My graduation ceremony at the University of Texas at Austin had just ended, and there were swarms of people everywhere I looked. I was sweating profusely in the summer heat and overstimulated by the large crowds. Thankfully, my mom called to tell me where my family was waiting for me.