living with MS

I’m back in Florida for the next several months, having left cloudy, windy, chilly Maryland for the Gulf Coast. It’s been sunny and in the low 80s for the past few days, and my multiple sclerosis (MS) is feeling just fine. A lot of people with MS avoid the heat,…

Fatigue management — whether through a symptom-specific self-management program or through general education regarding managing multiple sclerosis (MS) — may help people with MS in keeping fatigue levels stable in the long term, a recent study suggests. Indeed, the benefits of such programs were found to remain in effect…

In this installment of our “Expert Voices” series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked registered dietitian Mona Bostick to answer some of your questions related to diet and nutrition for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Bostick, who has MS, works in private practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she helps…

Owning a dog, cat or other household pet during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has helped multiple sclerosis (MS) patients gain a better overall sense of their health and well-being, a single-site survey by mail of people in the U.K. reported. But pet-owning patients reported no significant improvements in their…

Leaders of the International Progressive MS Alliance have proposed a global research strategy to find better ways to care for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). They detailed their proposal in the paper, “Charting a global research strategy for progressive MS—An international progressive MS…

Visual disturbances are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly among those with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), longer disease duration, and worse disability status, a new study has found. Yet, “visual complaints may occur in people with all types of MS, anytime along the disease course, and…

Worsening of Disability Evident in Older Patients Who Stop DMTs Some neurologists believe that multiple sclerosis (MS) progression slows, or even stops, when people reach their 60s, so they advise patients that there’s no need to continue their disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Personally, I think a DMT age ceiling is…

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. My wife, Jane, who’s also my primary MS carer, went away for a few days last week, and with absence making the heart grow fonder and all that, I thought I’d strike — if she came back! Fortunately, she did,…

I thought I finally had this bladder thing licked. After years of urinary urgency and frequency, I’d been doing much better. I was sleeping at least seven hours a night without having to go to the bathroom, and bathroom trips were less frequent in the daytime, too. When traveling…

Sensorimotor exercise, which aims to improve the neuromuscular system with reduced pressure interventions, such as robotic-assisted training or aquatic exercises, was found to have the greatest total benefits on both mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, aerobic exercises — such…

Having a greater sense of control over life circumstances — a coping resource called mastery — is associated with a significantly lower risk of future depression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, an international study shows. The findings suggest that developing greater mastery may prevent MS patients from developing depression,…

Taking the hormone melatonin may increase overall sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a clinical trial found. The compound, available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, was particularly effective at extending sleep time in patients. Of note, sleep time decreased with age, meaning that “younger participants may have…

I don’t know about you, but last week passed in a blur. I typically enjoy Thanksgiving, but this year, things were a little wonky. My husband’s grandfather passed away a month or so ago, so we weren’t about to ask his grandmother to prepare anything. My mother-in-law and I decided…

It was five years ago, Dec. 5, 2016, that I scootered into the office of Dr. Heidi Crayton, my neurologist, and plopped into a soft, brown leather recliner. Day 1 of Round 1 of my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) infusions was about to begin. I’d prepped for this day: two days…

A researcher at the University of Houston has received a $100,000 grant to investigate adherence to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and correlations between adherence patterns and disease outcomes over time. The one-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was awarded…

“Shoes are the quickest way for women to achieve instant metamorphosis.” — Manolo Blahnik As the holidays approach, I’m reminded to be thankful for what I have. I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at 26 years old, and when I became paralyzed, I thought I’d never…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have more difficulty recognizing emotions in others, and they experience emotions more intensely than healthy people, a small study found. The study, “Emotional experience is increased and emotion recognition decreased in multiple sclerosis,” was published in Scientific Reports. Emotions are essential for…

“Rock bottom is the end of what wasn’t true enough. Begin again and build something Truer.” — Glennon Doyle The first of our four pregnancy losses were our twin daughters in 2013, which happened nearly halfway through my pregnancy. Three years later, the first symptoms appeared that would eventually would…

Patients with autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), are uncertain about how to protect themselves against COVID-19, especially with regards to booster shots of the vaccine. According to a national survey by the nonprofit Alliance for Patient Access, these patients are confused due to conflicting information from the…

A few weekends ago, I had what I’ve described as a mini midlife crisis. Things with the kids were a mess, my husband was out of town again (to help with a building project on the family farm), and surrounded by the mess and bother of everyday life, I couldn’t…

Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with subcutaneous cladribine saw limited disease progression over a follow-up period of up to 20 years, especially with increased cumulative dosing, according to a recent study. Subcutaneous (SC) cladribine is administered as an under-the-skin injection. It is a formulation different from…

In this installment of our “Expert Voices” series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked psychologist Gayle Lewis, PhD, to answer some of your questions related to sex and intimacy for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their partners.  Gayle Lewis is a psychologist and psychoanalyst currently in private practice in New…

I had a great night’s sleep the other night. I fell asleep quickly and slept straight through the night for nearly seven hours. When I got up in the morning, I felt refreshed, which is exceedingly rare these days. Plus, it even happened a few more times in the past…

I want to help in any way I possibly can. My lonely confusion in the early days after being diagnosed with aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was mentally and physically paralyzing. However, this column isn’t about how “Hurricane MS” battered my body. Instead, it’s about why I chose to…

It’s been a decade since the opening of the UK MS Register, which sought to gain a better understanding of how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects patients’ everyday lives, with a goal, according to its website, toward fueling campaigns for “fair, relevant policy and improved health care.” Now, the…

I have to admit, I’ve wheeled down the THC path a few times before. Yes, I know it’s very difficult to stay on the path when under the influence. Luckily, I’ve solved this problem by only imbibing in bed. I say imbibing, because for me, smoking the stuff is…

I’m hurtin’ a little today. I have mild muscle aches, a bit more fatigue than usual, and dragging legs. It could just be a bad MS day, or it could be the result of my COVID-19 booster shot a couple days ago.  I received a third shot of the Moderna…

It is hard to watch the decline in real time. It happens before my very eyes. Like “Groundhog Day,” I wake, I try, and I do. I persevere because that is who I am. I push past the chaos in my body. I don’t see every new pain as…

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) helped people with multiple sclerosis (MS) cope with symptoms, and many said they would recommend these practices to others living with MS, according to a review of published studies related to patients’ experiences. The participants reported the benefits of a shared experience, but stressed the importance…

Mono as Child or Teenager Tied to Risk of MS as Adult in Large Study There’s been a lot of buzz about this study, but I don’t think anyone should be surprised about its results. For years, researchers have suspected a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — the…