How Insomnia Threatens My Quality of Life, Dreams and AspirationsI need at least nine hours of sleep to process what happened when I was awake. So when I get less than that, the effects are immediate and debilitating in... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Love Letter to the Crone I Am BecomingIt’s hard not to be totally preoccupied with my chronic medical problems. They can affect almost every aspect of my awake time and jolt me into consciousness in the middle... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
What MS is...MS is: Probably the most important thing MS has been is the thing I’ve pushed against for many years, so I could keep growing and making goals. It’s the critical... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
A Change in Symptoms and What I Did About It“Would you like to use a hat?” the lab tech asked. She had just drawn two vials of blood, and the last test was a urinalysis for which I had... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Feel Me, Don't Fix MeWhat’s so hard about peace, love and understanding? First, my apologies to Nick Lowe, who composed the 1974 Elvis Costello hit “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?” For... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Is It Time for Me to Adopt a Pet?Several neighbors in my retirement community have small dogs and a few cats. The dog owners have to walk them several times a day, some ambling across the lawn near... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments23 comments
The Upside of Being AbandonedOf course, there is no upside to being kicked to the curb in the beginning. It smarts like the dickens. It’s outrageous, too, let’s face it. It’s so easy to... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
You are Not AloneHow can we be among two million people on this planet who have multiple sclerosis and still feel utterly alone? We know of these multitudes intellectually, of course. But knowing... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
What Happened When I Explained My Disabilities to My Brother“So,” my brother began, “how long do you think you’ll be able to go grocery shopping by yourself?” We were standing in my tiny kitchen gabbing like we usually do... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
How I've Thought About Death and Its Influence on How I LiveWhen I was a kid, every once in a while the realization that I’ll die one day would suddenly hit me, freezing me in my tracks. My heart pounded in... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Will We Ever Bridge the Gap between Fear and Compassion?It’s a familiar scenario. You park in a blue space, struggle out of your car and begin walking. A stranger spits a cynical remark at you. People like you make... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
The Wacky World of Silent MigrainesI have a shady past. If I ever thought about running for office, I’d have to drop out as soon as certain facts saw the sunlight. I refer not to... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments9 comments
How MS Patients Lost Their Patience, Got Mouthy, and the FDA ListenedIn the old days of multiple sclerosis care — say, circa 1990 — the medical research community and a passive MS patient population were united in their hopes that they... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Just Trying to Get Through the DayWhen someone asks how you are, what do you say? Fine, thanks.Still sucking air.I’m swingin’! Does that question drive you batty? Do you see it as a welcome opening to... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments12 comments
Something Worse than MSMultiple sclerosis is hard to live with, on that we can agree. But I’ve heard some pretty strange things from people over the years about stuff that vexes them more... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Do You Know Enough about Where to Learn More? Here's How to Become Better-InformedThese days, you have to know an awful lot to know the right thing to do. People with MS can never know enough about MS. Many of us feel that... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Diagnosing MS Isn't Easy — Here's WhyThis article is for undiagnosed people that go to online MS forums, list their symptoms, and ask if they have MS. It’s also for those who track their symptoms, Google... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
How I Became My Whole Self in a RelationshipWhy do we diminish ourselves in relationships? Some self-help authors think it’s all about a lack of self-value and self-confidence. They write books about having happy, fulfilling relationships, emphasizing the... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
How I'm Losing Weight Despite Being Lazy and SedentaryIt’s finally happening: I’m losing weight. High time that pendulum starts favoring the other end of the fulcrum. I was beginning to think the math was failing me. Now, I’ve... By Kim Dolce2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Eternal Poverty: The Real-life Consequences of Living on a Fixed IncomePoverty, some people argue, is relative. It very well might be. I can introduce you to several of my poor relatives, not to mention friends and colleagues. Based on that... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments7 comments