living with MS

For the past few months, my wife, Laura, has been following a ketogenic diet, and she’s lost a bunch of weight. But in addition to helping people slim down, the low-carb keto diet may have other benefits, including potentially for those with MS. A small study that will be…

Photo courtesy of Tyler Campbell Day 11 of 31 This is Tyler Campbell’s (@tcspeaks32 ) story: At 22, I was suffering from paralysis and even erectile dysfunction. I felt so lost and yearned to be found. I needed a friend, someone to lean on who wouldn’t judge…

A substantial amount of disability worsening happens independently of relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), including those in earlier stages of relapsing-remitting disease, a study in a large patient database reported. While its findings “confirm relapses contribute to the accumulation of disability, primarily early in multiple sclerosis,” data…

Photo courtesy of Carolyn Hinds Day 10 of 31 This is Carolyn Hinds’ (@carriecnh12) story: Mild cognitive impairment, or CI for short, probably doesn’t sound as debilitating or challenging when compared to other symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but it is. The word “mild” can be very misleading because…

The number of nurses in the U.K. with a specialty in multiple sclerosis (MS) care rose significantly between 2018 and 2021, but these specialists on average carry a patient caseload that’s 50% higher than recommended, as a pronounced rise in MS cases was also noted, the MS Trust reports.

“Most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you’ll get everything you wish for. Maybe you’ll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you? The road is long, and in the end, the…

Photo courtesy of Cassidy Krygger Day 9 of 31 This is Cassidy Krygger’s (@cassidykrygger) story: I remember the day of my first MS symptom, more than three years ago, as clearly as if it were happening now. It was October 2018, and I realized that every time I…

Roche is teaming up with the University of Plymouth in the U.K. to help develop Floodlight MS, the company’s app to monitor multiple sclerosis (MS). “We were pleased to collaborate with Roche on an innovative project to validate the Floodlight MS app and, as with everything we do…

Photo courtesy of Kaci Bell Day 8 of 31 This is Kaci Bell’s (@myelinmoxi) story: Something I feel a handful of people in the disabled community have experienced but are too shy to open up about is “imposter syndrome.” Imposter syndrome and chronic illness rarely fall in the…

Photo courtesy of Alexios Touloupis Day 7 of 31 This is Alexios Touloupis’ (@alexios4real) story: I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in March 2016, my junior year of high school, when I was only 16. For months I struggled with one health problem after another. It was…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reported fewer difficulties regulating their emotions, and reduced depressive symptoms when they applied trait mindfulness techniques, a study showed. Trait mindfulness refers to an innate ability to pay and maintain attention to moments in the present with an open, non-judgmental attitude. Notably, the use of…

Photo courtesy of Kali Thomas Day 6 of 31 This is Kali Thomas’s story: Just a few months after my 21st birthday, in July 2013, I received a call that would change my life forever. I will never forget my doctor’s words: “I’m looking at your MRI, and I…

Photo courtesy of Agata Day 5 of 31 This is Agata’s (@beatingmyms) story: It was 2019. My life was about to turn upside down, and I had no idea. I should’ve noticed the signs: miscarriage, anxiety, depression. I just got married to the love of my life. I…

There I was, swinging away in my hoist at 9 p.m., though my swinging London of the 2020s wasn’t only 60 years later, it was also a lot, lot grimmer. My carer and maybe still wife, Jane, stood below in a controlled fury. If nothing else, she might…

Photo courtesy of Laurie Lambert Day 4 of 31 This is Laurie Lambert’s story: The first thing I did was worry. When my friend told me of her MS diagnosis, I thought: she has always been the sharpest member of our circle — the one with the most expansive…

Electrically stimulating the brain while doing at-home cognitive training games can help to prevent a decline in cognition for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly those with more advanced disability, a study indicates. “This could lead to a therapy that can remediate cognitive impairment, we just need to optimize”…

Photo courtesy of Zaki Farzand Day 2 of 31 This is Zaki Farzand’s (@zakifarzand) story: Hi, I’m Zaki Farzand, and I’m 33 years old. Here is my MS story, so pull up a seat, grab a coffee, and sit back. I still remember the day I got my…

Photo courtesy of Manuela Lama Day 1 of 31 This is Manuela Lama’s (@manuela.p) story: Caring for someone with multiple sclerosis can be challenging, exhausting, and stressful. As a single mother of a daughter with MS, I have been not only physically tired, but, even more…

From celebrating artists’ works to sharing stories that bring to life the experience of multiple sclerosis (MS), Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month is designed to call attention to this neurodegenerative disorder and the nearly 1 million U.S. residents it’s thought to affect. MS can cause a host of physical…

#ACTRIMS2022 – Immune System ‘Reset’ by Stem Cell Transplant At the University of Ottawa, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) has been used to treat people with aggressive MS since the early 2000s, MS News Today‘s Marisa Wexler reports. This study, which reviewed 71 patients during that period, reports…

Am I about to share my first conspiracy theory, even if it’s just about me? Why not? It’s all the rage, though this one may have a loose connection to a possible truth. Stick with the story, please. It requires some scene-setting. It was years ago, at the end of…

For my wife, Laura, and I, trying to change our address on our health insurance accounts last week was like following Alice down the rabbit hole. As Lewis Carroll wrote in the classic children’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”: “The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel…

“In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix must first burn.” — Octavia E. Butler You know that feeling of waking up in a strange place, and it takes a second to remember where you are? Imagine that coupled with not being able to move from the neck…

A researcher at the University of Adelaide, in Australia, has received an AU$390,000 grant (about $280,000) to investigate how inflammatory T-cells reach the blood and brain of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The 3-year fellowship grant was awarded to Iain Comerford, PhD, for his project, titled “Stopping T cells…

The MS Society of the U.K. intends to raise over £1.1 million (about $1.5 million) to support nine multiple sclerosis (MS) research projects, marking the return of the grants program it put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will support research in the…

Getting more physical activity and having effective ways of coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help to ease anxiety in patients, a review study suggests. “The findings of this review highlight links between anxiety in MS and a number of diverse factors, all of which are amenable to change,”…

Once upon a time, long, long ago, when I was very young, we British children would be asked, “What’s through the round window?” The line was from a TV series called “Play School.” The swinging ’60s may have been breaking in London, but culturally, this was the happening show…

My immediate thought after reading a recent MS News Today headline stating that trigeminal neuralgia (TN) affects more than 3% of MS patients was, “Really, only 3%?” The reason is I’ve seen several complaints about the condition, which causes excruciating pain in the face. As the story noted, TN…

Multiple Sclerosis News Today is bringing back its “31 Days of MS” initiative for the third year during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in March. This project is aimed at raising awareness by highlighting different voices within the MS community. Every day in March, we will feature a story from…

Almost half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show reduced bone density (osteopenia) and about 17% have osteoporosis, a progressive disease characterized by weak bones that are prone to fractures, a review study of data covering almost 14,000 patients reported. These findings suggest that people with MS should be monitored…