living with MS

When you live with multiple sclerosis you search for ways to manage your disease. You turn to doctors who inevitably prescribe one of the many FDA-approved medications, but sometimes that’s not enough. To complete the picture of seeking better health, you need to also look outside…

Being disabled by MS does not have many advantages. One — free city street parking in California — is likely to end soon. In the rush to garner parking revenue, though, the lack of concurrent discussion about providing dedicated handicapped parking (DHP) is troubling. The widespread abuse…

I am sure many of us have had instances where someone “offered” their advice on what is the best way to manage our illnesses. They are not medical professionals and many of them don’t suffer from the disease themselves. They present their beliefs as scientific dogma, often referring to…

For most of the 36 years since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis I’ve not been bothered by pain. Just lucky, I guess. Until last month. Suddenly, I’ve developed pain in both hips and I don’t know why. The pain is most intense when I first put my feet on…

On March 27, 2013, my primary care physician called me about MRI results from the day before. He and the radiologist concurred; they had found evidence of brain lesions consistent with multiple sclerosis. Following protocol, he sent me to the best specialist in Seattle to confirm diagnosis. His was a preliminary diagnosis. In the…

My last column “Serenity Now: Relaxation Techniques for MS, Part One” offered some quick and easy suggestions on how to relax in times of stress. This column is a continuation of that series. Movement, massage and applied pressure to the correct areas have many benefits. Massaging certain areas of…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. National MS Society-Sponsored Group Creates Tool Set to Measure Outcomes in MS Clinical Trials Speeding up clinical trials should have the knock-on effect of shortening the whole process of developing and approving new…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to develop kidney or bladder stones than those without MS, a new study concludes. The report, “Multiple sclerosis and nephrolithiasis: a matched-case comparative study,” appeared in the journal BJU International. Stone disease is highly lethal in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), a condition that,…

It seems I’ve made it to my second weekly column. I was going to write about a non-MS physical impairment that had kept me down for a month. It’s easing now and hopefully will make a future story with a happy ending. Instead I’m going to do a bang-up-to-the-moment piece…

There won’t be a lot of my words in this column but there will be lot of pictures. The column is devoted to some very personal multiple sclerosis art: Tattoos. Most of these “tats” contain an orange ribbon, the symbol for MS awareness. Some, as you’ll see, are a…

(Editor’s note: Today, Tamara continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet by giving further attention to the letter B.) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and Qs, dot your Is, cross your Ts, and recite…

Carol Hardaway was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1990. After years of enduring relapses that brought episodes of complete blindness, numbness, tingling, debilitating fatigue, and short-term memory loss, the longtime resident of Texas — a state which offers Medicaid only to specific categories like low-income families, pregnant women, and…

What is benign MS? Does it even exist? Certainly it is not one of the types of the disease often listed as making up the multiple sclerosis family. It is a term that is surrounded by controversy,…

Diligent research and planning have left me confident in my ability to enjoy upcoming travels, while managing  MS and health concerns. Decisions have been made regarding luggage, medications, airport travel, car rental, and accommodations. I know whether to expect sun or snow, cobblestone or freeways, and have been practicing…

Swallowing difficulties and reduced cough are a major, yet commonly overlooked, issue in patients with multiple sclerosis and other brain conditions, according to Dr. Don Bolser, a University of Florida (UF) professor. Pharmaceutical companies haven’t recognized the importance of preventing bits of food and drink from getting into the lungs while…

Most of us have heard Rachel Platten’s Fight Song. It became an anthem for many people who struggle with illness and adversity. Fight Song has become one of my favorite odes. As a writer, I love to listen to the words of song lyrics. The music is…

Sooner or later we’re all going to die. We may not want to think about it, but it’s important that we do, especially those of us with a chronic disease such as multiple sclerosis. Though we don’t have a choice about dying, we can have a…

Half of the more than 7,500 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients responding to a recent survey revealed they’d consider physician-assisted suicide if they could no longer enjoy anything that made life worth living. In addition, 65 percent of respondents said they’d definitely or probably let a physician terminate their lives if they were…

So, I’m lying on the floor taking in the stippled ceiling we’ve never changed in the past 19 years. My son,  also 19, is now at university. That’s how I can be so exact on the age of my relationship with the hideously slathered ceiling. We moved in one month…

Relaxation and serenity are both attainable with the correct calming techniques. When overwhelmed by stress, the skills that have been gained and practiced become second nature to be summoned as needed. The combination of stress and multiple sclerosis can wreak havoc in the body. It can lead to a…

Here is my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Ocrevus and the hope of ‘ending MS forever’: Interview with MS Society’s Tim Coetzee Ocrevus possibly being one of the most significant advances in MS treatment, especially for people with PPMS, the…

March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. That means we need to make the most of these four weeks to raise some money for research, and raise awareness about the disease and the 2.5 million people in the world currently living with it. What’s the best way…

Alexa, Amazon’s little voice-activated information box, has just received a multiple sclerosis infusion. As part of MS Awareness Month, fifty facts about MS have been loaded into Alexa’s memory. If a user says “Alexa, start MS Awareness” the system will respond with a random MS fact. (And a short…

The potential approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) this month supports the idea that, someday, a world free of multiple sclerosis (MS) is possible, according to Dr. Tim Coetzee, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s chief advocacy, services and research officer. While Coetzee — and the society he represents — realize the potential of…

In pursuit of an answer for breathing difficulty The MRI of my cervical and thoracic spine showed no active lesions last week. That was good news. Other…

A couple of weeks ago I had a curious encounter with the friend of a friend. I live in a small town. In some ways we’re all at least neighbors. Huddled in a small group at the local grocery store, we were chatting about our experiences with the…

The past few months have not been fun. We lost my father-in-law, put our beloved cat down, and moved from our home to a townhouse that is too small and poorly built. With a low inventory of rental properties in our area, and…

MS Views and News, a non-profit multiple sclerosis (MS) advocacy organization, will host its second annual Champions Tackling MS Gala on April 22, with money raised going to support live educational events, community resources, and services intended to help improve the quality of life for people with MS. The Saturday event at the…

This was an eventful week. I was not feeling well and ultimately ended up in the hospital for a couple of days. I had severe neck pain that radiated to my shoulder and arm. In addition, I woke up one morning with severe chest pains. I couldn’t determine whether…

Allison Wheeler is an unconventional heroine of a novel, but she found her way into my heart as I read A Million Ordinary Days by Judy Mollen Walters, a book being published today, March 14. Author Judy is also a Bionews Services columnist. She has Crohn’s disease and, writing…