September 18, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD US study tracks distance Medicare patients travel to see neurologist Nearly 1 in 5 people on Medicare ā a U.S. federal insurance program for people ages 65 and older ā travel at least 50 miles (about 80 km) each way to see a neurologist, according to a recent report. However, long distance travel was even more common for people living…
June 23, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias A good doctor-patient relationship matters to people with MS “What can Dr. Crayton help you with today?” I was starting my annual multiple sclerosis (MS) checkup with my neurologist, and before I met with her, I got this question from her MS nurse. I was stumped. I’d never been asked that before. I think most people with MS…
June 10, 2022 Columns by John Connor My Right Arm Is Going to Look Really Young I’ve just received four intramuscular Botox injections in my right arm to relieve the muscle spasticity that comes with multiple sclerosis. (OK, it wasnāt actually Botox, but Dysport, or abobotulinumtoxinA, another medication derived from the botulinum toxin to block muscle contractions.) And “my right arm is going…
April 16, 2021 Columns by John Connor An Upbeat MS Column for You Lucky People The trouble with a degenerative disease is that things only get worse. In the long-gone days of my youth, I somehow wrangled myself into being an arts critic. Wizened journalists imparted the lore that a bad show was much easier to write than a rave. Satirical barbs are far more…
January 4, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Treatment Decisions Can Cause a ‘Gambler’s Dilemma’ One of the toughest decisions facing someone with MS is whether to begin treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Equally tough, I think, is deciding which DMT road to travel ā because there are three roads that can be followed. One path starts you on a simple, first-level medication. These…
August 20, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson Deciding if Ocrevus Is Right When You’re Over 55 As a 61-year-old woman diagnosed in 2010 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), I was overjoyed when theĀ U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in March 2017. Because Ocrevus is the first treatment approved to possibly slow the progression of PPMS, theĀ FDA’s green…
March 26, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson My Unique Primary Progressive MS Diagnosis I have lived with the diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)Ā for almost eight years. For many years prior to that diagnosis, I was confused by what could be causing my abnormal gait, extreme fatigue, blurred vision,Ā and trouble concentrating. During that time, I completed many diagnostic tests, dealt…
February 6, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias Is It Time to Change Your MS Doctor? The other day, as I cruised around various MS internet groups, I came across a lament that I’ve seen before. But this one, for some reason, jumped out at me. A woman with MS wrote that she was “fortunate” that her RRMS symptoms were relatively minor: fatigue, numbness in…
April 5, 2017 Columns by Mike Knight Going All In for Ocrevus ā Together āIs the MS drug news good for u?ā my friendās text asked. It was Wednesday morning, March 29. Genentech had just announcedĀ that Ocrevus, the āFirst and only approved disease-modifying therapy for primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis (PPMS) ā one of the most disabling forms of…
December 12, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Know which questions to ask your neurologist about MRIs I’m sure all of us with multiple sclerosis have had at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Most likely, more than one. MRIs are designed to scan and provide detailed pictures of the body, the brain included. The test can reveal scars (plaque lesions) on the brain and the…
August 15, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Is Your Neurologist Listening to What Your MS Is Saying? Editor’s Note: Debi Wilson’s column “Faith of the Mustard Seed” explores a range of important topics that relate directly to the patient experience. In her debut article, she discusses her own experiences with neurologists, and encourages MS to not settle on a specialist until they feel as though their…