relationships

Rates of sexual and emotional abuse are higher in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with women in the general population, according to a new study from Norway. These women are also at more than two times higher risk of being revictimized, which occurs when a person who has…

The risk of erectile dysfunction was about three times greater in men with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with healthy men, according to a recent meta-analysis of published studies. It was identified in nearly half of the 2,760 adult male patients in these studies, highlighting the importance of diagnosing…

I recently did a little research to write an article reflecting on a photograph of the Library of Celsus. This marvelous piece of architecture was commissioned by a Roman consul named Gaius Julius Aquila as a funerary monument for his father. It was once home to…

Compared with living with multiple sclerosis (MS), the anxiety of what on water (Earth has always struck me as a misnomer as water comprises 71% of our planet’s surface) I’m going to write about next week is but a slight fluttering. Yer, yer, I know; underneath it’s…

It’s a decision most of us with a chronic illness have to make sooner or later: When do we disclose our illness, and to whom, and how do we do it? Thirty-one-year-old Katie Coleman faced that decision not long ago. Coleman has stage 4 kidney cancer, and, in April, she…

I’m heading to the beach with my family soon. Not a resort, or any sort of popular, touristy destination. Far from it, in fact. We like to go to the old family beach house on Florida’s Forgotten Coast, where I went as a child and now want my…

Erin Stevenson’s doctor laughed when she asked him 13 years ago if the vertigo she felt while training for a first 100-mile bike ride could be related to her mother’s multiple sclerosis (MS). MS isn’t a genetic disease, but Stevenson managed to persuade the doctor to schedule a brain…

There is a more heavyweight subject I could inflict on you lot, but let’s put our feet up this week. Even I can do it with the one leg. My wife, Jane, and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last Friday. You’d have thought we’d have planned a big…

Today’s youth have to accumulate a range of skills. Everything changes so fast. Parents often have no idea what career their kids even want to follow. Do you know what a UX designer is? Me, neither. This latest social change was revealed to me in a recent Guardian article,…

From sharing stories to heralding support networks, people across the globe are preparing to mark World MS Day, observed annually on May 30th to heighten awareness of multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the 2.8 million people it’s thought to affect. Event activities take place throughout May…

In my cooking days, I always had a stock simmering away. Nothing was wasted. What had been frugality spurred on by self-imposed poverty — first as a student, then in the struggling life of a garret writer — later became the general political point of not wasting resources. It hurts…

Among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), those who are married and have more formal education are more likely to take treatments as recommended, according to a new study from Iran. The study, “Effects of Disease-Modifying Treatments discontinuation in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A 5…

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is hard. I know this is hardly a revelation, especially to those of us who struggle with it on the daily, but I felt like it needed to be said. I was scanning through articles on this site recently, seeing what my fellow…

Without hesitation, I would say that my bladder and bowel issues have been the hardest symptoms to manage and overcome following my MS diagnosis. It comes down to one thing: the fear of having an accident in public.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects all aspects of life, from physical and mental health to relationships, and from work and finances to hobbies and holidays, according to results from an online survey conducted by the U.K.’s MS Trust. Most respondents said they wanted more support to manage their fatigue, improve…

There is an ongoing difference of opinion between my husband and me regarding my general outlook on life. I consider myself to be a realist, whereas he thinks I tend to err on the side of pessimism. I’m an overthinker. I’ve always felt things incredibly intensely. Interestingly, when I read…

Greater engagement in social activities and positive social support were associated with better physical and psychological health among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a recent study. These data “suggest that social integration and social support should be a crucial part of MS management,” the researchers wrote, adding that…

In this installment of our “Expert Voices” series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Annie Brewster, MD, to answer some of your questions about navigating difficult patient-provider relationships. Brewster is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and a practicing internist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She is…

While sexual problems are relatively common in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), it can still be difficult to openly discuss their experiences with their doctor. A questionnaire especially tailored for women with MS called the Sexual Dysfunction Management and Expectations Assessment in Multiple sclerosis – Female (SEA-MS-F) may…

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Conway Day 29 of 31 This is Jennifer Conway’s (@jenzconway) story: I was 24 when I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 1998. Over the years, I’ve learned so much about how to manage daily life with MS and all that comes with…

Photo courtesy by Michael Drohan Day 13 of 31 This is Michael Drohan’s (@mdrohan) story: I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 18, right before high school graduation. I describe the 18 years since as a slow decline in my abilities. My relapsing-remitting MS has shifted to…

Photo courtesy of Inês Velosa Day 12 of 31 This is Inês Velosa’s (@inesdnobre) story: On June 6, 2021, after some confusing days, my husband was diagnosed with MS. I remember hearing this diagnosis for the first time and thinking that life, as we knew it, was…

It wasn’t an argument; it was a reality check. I was happy, nay, self-indulgent. Within a day, the ol’ stand-up show that I produced at London’s Comedy Store for 30 years had gotten another booking at a countryside marquee just outside the city. I mustn’t disparage, as it’s our…

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 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…

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…

“You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming?” — James Matthew Barrie Being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis significantly changed my perception of myself and the surrounding world. This drastic shift has been overwhelming and difficult to accept in many ways. The…

Doctors and nurses involved in the care of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) at a center in Scotland “highly” value the existence of a Pelvic Health Clinic for referrals — where patients identified as having concerns related to sexual health can be referred for consultation for guidance and care…

My husband and I have been on a bit of a quest as of late. For several reasons that I won’t bore you with here, we are in search of a new church to join. A few weekends ago, we made our first visit to an Orthodox church here…

It took some time for Tyler Campbell to truly accept he had relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The San Diego State University running back had just finished his junior year in 2007 when his multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms began. After an MRI confirmed the diagnosis, his neurologist cleared him to…