Living with MS

One of the most important keys to living with a chronic illness is finding out what allows you to keep moving forward. Finding the thing that keeps you fighting and...

The vast majority of those suffering from MS do so with the version known as relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). This variety of MS is characterized by clearly defined attacks of new...

When you have other medical issues along with multiple sclerosis, you have a comorbidity. Comorbidity is a harsh word. Morbid is an even harsher one. It brings up images of...

Living with multiple sclerosis is life-changing no matter how severe or mild the symptoms may be. It can derail dreams and create detours that get you lost for a while...

Multiple sclerosis has been like a secret club at times. We have our own language and rituals. We can confab over disease-modifying drugs (DMD) or over our latest recurrence of...

The pin prick test is exactly what it sounds like: a doctor uses a safety pin to test for sensitivity and areas of numbness. They may poke the feet, legs...

2020, the year of a new decade, has been one of the most devastating years in history. It is one that I will never forget. As a person with multiple sclerosis...

Last week, my husband and I went cycling on local trails. Since the weather had been cold this spring and because we stayed home most of the time to avoid...

You would think that living with MS for going on 10 years that I would be used to the challenges that it brings. In a way, I am used to...

Whether you’ve lived with MS for a couple of decades or have been diagnosed recently, there’s one question you’ve probably attempted to answer: “When did my MS begin?” It’s the...

MS patients commonly suffer from muscle spasms, which may involve sustained muscle contractions that are excruciatingly painful, or sudden, involuntary movements. The National MS Society advises that muscle spasms “must...

Around the time I started learning how to better control the misery of MS, I discovered that misery loves company. It came in the form of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)...

International Friendship Day has fallen at the end of July for over 60 years. It always coincides with the week following an annual writers conference I attend. At that event...

It’s hard to have to cancel plans last minute or opt out of plans that you know will drain you (like a barbecue in 90-degree weather!). Saying “no” because MS...

As someone who has almost lived longer with multiple sclerosis than without it, I rarely have given much thought to how I got this disease. To me, focusing on the...

When anyone, regardless of whether they have a chronic illness or not, isn’t feeling very well, what is one of the most common things people will tell them? “Get some...

I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t think about ending it all a little over 6 years ago. I was so scared and anxious. I also was exhausted...

Managing a chronic illness is like solving a series of crimes. Day after week after month after year, we are assaulted by small-time thugs that pilfer our stash of energy...

"...Can't do is like don't care meaning neither one of them have a home…" – Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings What is the commonality between how...

It is estimated that 1 in 4 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience disability that is significant enough to warrant formal caregiving. Most of this caregiving is performed by family...