relationships

I am an emotional, sensitive woman. I like to believe that I have a warm heart in a very cold world. Isn’t this what the world needs? Love, warmth, acceptance and transparency? Recently I find that my emotions change within a millisecond. So, instead of being sensitive, I…

Back in the day, I always wanted to be a columnist. That day was so long ago it was before sunrise. In my youthful naivety, I never thought about generating an idea a week. I also never considered it would be about my travails with an illness. Still,…

Support is a crucial component in fighting chronic illness and adversity. Our humanity connects us and we thrive on relationships. Support may come in the form of family, friends, social services, groups and countless other methods. I have been fortunate to have an abundance of support for which…

To honor World MS Day, May 31, EMD Serono launched a multiple sclerosis care partner survey in collaboration with the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (IACO). The new survey comes after the initial results from a Merck study showed that the highest number of MS care partners are aged 18-34, and that…

Grief is something that we have all experienced. The process is a natural human response to tragedy and loss. It is often cyclical and traumatic. I have read and written various articles referencing the grief process. Discussions with my niece and my dear friend led me to write…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who feel stigmatized because of their condition are more likely to have depression,  research presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting showed. The Pennsylvania State University research team said the impact of the stigma can be eased by lots of social support, a sense…

I am well aware of the importance of a mother, or a mother figure, and the significant role she has in the lives of her children and community. I am blessed to have an awesome mother who has profoundly shaped my life. It is her love, guidance, patience…

When I began writing about multiple sclerosis, I never imagined that, one day, I’d be writing a column about guns. But here I am, staring right into that barrel. The other day as I cruised around MS websites, I ran across a post from a woman who was…

The dating process is the prerequisite to most serious relationships. We invest a significant amount of time to assess whether we are compatible with the person of interest. Dating should be fun and we should look forward to future possibilities. For the past few days I’ve been thinking about dating…

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…

I believe myself to be a person with great self confidence. It was a long journey to arrive at this destination, but once I arrived I knew I was here. I realize that chronic illness doesn’t only affect us physically, it manifests in other ways, too. There are psychological,…

Thoughts of love were brought to the forefront of many people’s minds on Valentine’s Day, which is widely celebrated by couples both young and not so young. They usually buy cards and enjoy romantic dinners. In our…

Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many. We wait for this one day of the year to tell the ones we love how special they are. The proverbial Happy Valentine’s Day cards, flowers and candy will be given as tokens of love and affection. Although my husband and I are…

Browsing through some multiple sclerosis Facebook groups the other day I was reminded of the line from the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” These posts jumped out at me: So when my neuro says he wants me to…

Perhaps the most famous MS advocate today isn’t a patient, but the daughter of one. Author J.K. Rowling lost her mother to multiple sclerosis in 1990, something she describes as “an enormous shock.” In order to help fight and defeat this disease, she donated £10m to found…

MS is an onerous disease. There are times when I feel as if I am in the midst of a tsunami. Everything comes crashing in and all I want is a safe haven, a level of calm. The tsunami consists of depression, physical symptoms and the destruction of peace.

There’s one thing you need to know about my family — we’re weird. We laugh at inopportune times. We can go entire days just speaking to one another in movie quotes. Sarcasm is a love language to my clan. And we can make just about anything — and I…

Resilience, the ability of a person to cope with change and solve problems, is associated with satisfaction with social roles and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic diseases. However, it is not linked to a patient’s physical function, according to the results of a…

At the time of my MS diagnosis I was a full-time graduate student with plans to obtain a joint Masters of Public Administration/Juris Doctor degree. After six years as a stay-at-home mom and military spouse, I was anxious to complete this next stage of my education and return to…

Cookies and veggie tray in tow, and trepidation in check, I ventured to a New Year’s Eve party at a friend’s house. Since my diagnosis of MS, New Year’s Eve has been celebrated at home with Dick Clark, and then Ryan Seacrest, to keep me company. In Winter…

I was thinking of writing about another subject a few days ago and then, as usual, life happened. I learned of the passing of a former colleague recently. I did not know her well, but her spirit was infectious. She had been fighting colorectal cancer for 12 years. As…

I’ve been mulling over what to write for my initial post for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. I want to make a splash, to keep you interested and let you know who I am and why I’m here. As Rogers and Hammerstein wrote in The Sound…

In a cross-sectional study, researchers found that sexual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is linked to fatigue and depression. Treating these factors and identifying their causes is a potential strategy to treat the problem. The study, “Sexual function in multiple sclerosis and associations with demographic, disease…

“In sickness and in health.” These words are said by everyone embarking upon the exciting journey of marriage. Most are in love, excited about the future and hopeful they have found their happily ever after. Many of us repeat the words “in sickness and in health” without much thought,…

I have been under the care of physicians for as long as I can remember. Cardiologists, primary and several others. In the past few years, added to this list is a neurologist. I must say that I have been fortunate. I am ministered to by caring, esteemed, inspiring and…

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…

Sexual dysfunction is common for patients affected by neurological disorders, but it does not have to signal the end of a satisfying sex life and intimate lovemaking, according to researchers. Appropriate measures can help patients overcome sexual dysfunction associated with disease. Scientists from around the world discussed the topic at the…

Being lonely can be very difficult to define as it is not only the popularly assumed situation of being alone. You can be lonely in a room full of people if you don’t know anyone well enough to speak to them; conversely, you can be happy when alone, in your…

Dr. Rosalind Kalb, vice president of the Professional Resource Center at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in New York City, recently presented her work at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) June 1-4 in National Harbor, Maryland. She participated in several symposiums, primarily “Gaining Perspectives on Advanced…

Researchers who looked at manifestations of loneliness found that the burden of loneliness is much higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients when compared to healthy people. The study, “Loneliness in Multiple Sclerosis: Putative Antecedents and Manifestations,” was recently presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) June…