May 4, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Recovering My Self-esteem After Adapting to MS-related Incontinence 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…
April 20, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah MS and Emotions: Pessimism vs. Realism in Life With Chronic Illness 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…
April 13, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Pain and Positivity: My Experience With Plasmapheresis “‘Cause I would never break your heart/ I would only rearrange/ All the other working parts will stay in place.” — Biffy Clyro, a Scottish rock band If you’ve spent any time in a hospital, you know that it…
April 6, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Building Blocks of Becoming a Busy Bee “Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.” — Lawrence Block When the world was thrown into lockdown at the…
March 16, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Visible and Invisible Reflections of MS “Mirrors don’t lie. They only show a part of truth.” — Lara Biyuts I’ve written about how my reality feels jagged compared with actual reality. I wrote, “The woman looking back at me isn’t whom I perceive myself to…
March 9, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Lyrics and Loving Myself: Rediscovering My Lost Voice “Most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you’ll get everything you wish for. Maybe you’ll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will…
March 2, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Double-edged Sword of Fatigue Medications “I close my eyes/ Only for a moment then the moment’s gone/ All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity.” — Kansas, “Dust in the Wind” The dark cloud of fatigue first swept through my mind toward…
February 23, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Furious Fire of Heat Sensitivity “In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix must first burn.” — Octavia E. Butler You know that feeling of waking up in a strange place, and it takes a second to remember where you are? Imagine…
February 9, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Jagged Edges of My Altered Reality “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…
January 26, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Trials and Tribulations of MS Medications “Hey, man, I’m alive. I’m taking each day and night at a time/ I’m feeling like a Monday but someday I’ll be Saturday night.” — Bon Jovi Multiple sclerosis (MS) medications can generally be separated into two categories:…
January 19, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Recovering the Parts That MS Stole From Me “Who in the world am I? Ah, that is the great puzzle.” — “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carrol Jan. 9 was my 31st birthday. I remember looking outside, watching the low January sun glisten on the frosty…
December 15, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Learning to Embrace My ‘Hot Wheels’ As I glance over at the lonesome wheelchair skulking in the shadows of my living room, I recall its arrival like it was yesterday, though it’s been more than four years. My husband, and then carer, had paraded it…
December 1, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I’m Climbing the Hills of Adversity, Just Not in Heels “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…
November 24, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah MS and Fertility: Conflicts of the Heart and Mind “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.
November 10, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah MS Advocacy Gives Me Strength and Purpose 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…
October 20, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Butterflies and Bridges: The Importance of Perspective and Perseverance With MS The butterfly effect is an idea coined by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz that is based on chaos theory. Lorenz pondered whether the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world could cause a…
October 13, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Falling Into Fall: How the Changing Seasons Affect My MS Symptoms “You’re my summer that fades/ To these cold autumn days/ You’re my keepsake, my friend, and my fears/ You’re the strength that’s inside and I swear on my life/ I will always be there by your side.” — Amber…
October 6, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I’ve Had Both Good and Bad Outcomes With Methylprednisolone for Relapse I am having an MS relapse, my first in three years. In the first two years after I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in early 2017, I relapsed every two or three months. It got to the point…
October 1, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I Think, Therefore I Am More Than My Mental Fatigue “A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” — James N. Watkins Fatigue is arguably the most disruptive symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). At least it is for me.
September 22, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Overcoming the Loneliness and Isolation of Aggressive MS “Hurricane MS,” which is how I refer to the aggressive nature of my MS progression, happened quickly and mercilessly. I am aware that my case is particularly unusual, given how aggressive its onset was. This is one of the…
April 18, 2024 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Learning how to write a ‘SOAP’ note feels different after an MS diagnosis
April 15, 2024 Columns by Leigh Anne Nelson What does ‘delicate balance’ mean in my life with multiple sclerosis?