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Matt Allen G- After I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010 I told myself that MS would not become my identity. It would not keep me from doing the things I loved; I would always find a way to beat MS and if I stopped doing something simply because MS was making it hard for me that would mean that MS won. I don’t like to lose. At first, I did really well at maintaining my hobbies but then again, at first, my MS really was not that bad. Occasional pins and needles, drop foot, stuff like that. My attitude was as... Read more
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Kim Dolce- From all we have heard and read about multiple sclerosis, it seems inevitable that the only direction a patient’s abilities will go is downward. So many stories of our fellow patients’ decline and grief and tragic circumstances prevail on MS forums and our hearts go out to them. We feel bad for them and scared for ourselves. Perhaps you are a person with MS that could walk or drive last year—but this year, the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under you. It can happen to any of us at any time. But there is something else that can happen... Read more
Donna Steigleder- I was talking to a fellow caregiver this week about an event that occurred to him and he made the comment, “Yeah, I’m just waiting for the next shoe to drop.” That comment really struck home. I confess; I’m like that most of the time. Lynn, my husband and the person I provide care to, accuses me of being pessimistic but honestly, if I don’t expect the worst, then I won’t be prepared if it occurs. It’s a matter of self-preservation from my perspective. I do admit though that I can take it too far. Scenario: Lynn has gotten a double... Read more
Cathy Chester- When I was diagnosed in 1986 my neurologist told me to go home and call him if I experienced any symptoms. He’d prescribe a round or two of steroids. Adios and have a good life. I changed doctors after that. My next doctor was excellent but strictly traditional. At that time the school of thought practiced by most doctors was traditional medicine. The answer to every symptom was a prescription to (hopefully) get you better. They didn’t look at the “whole person”, that is, body, mind and spirit. They considered complementary and alternative medicine (healing practices combined with traditional medicine)... Read more
Laura Kolaczkowski- Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress, mother and wife, and person living with multiple sclerosis, gave her first live television interview about MS with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. I have to say I was concerned as to what she might have to say after hearing the promotional chatter about her ‘battle with MS.’ We’ve seen what happens when a celebrity personality publicly talks about MS and how the headlines go for the most sensational aspects of the story. I am happy to report that after watching this interview I feel like we all have a new friend in Jamie-Lynn. So much of what... Read more
Marc Stecker-Wheelchair Kamikaze- In some dramatic news regarding stem cell treatments for Multiple Sclerosis, the FDA has given its first ever approval for a Phase II Multiple Sclerosis regenerative stem cell trial to the Tisch MS Research Center of New York. Most previous attempts at using stem cells to repair MS damage have involved intravenously infusing a basic type of stem cell (called mesenchymal stem cells) back into the patient from which they were taken. The Tisch Center (click here) takes this approach several steps further, using proprietary methods to transform raw mesenchymal stem cells into a type of stem cell known as... Read more
Cathy Chester- I didn’t realize when I was diagnosed at the tender age of 28 that in midlife I’d have a permanent scarlet letter emblazoned on my forehead that said: CAUTION: PLEASE GIVE THIS PERSON A VERY HARD TIME ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE DUE TO A DIAGNOSIS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. PLEASE MAKE HER FEEL LIKE A NON-PERSON. During holiday season the Ho, Ho, Ho feeling that was supposed to happen was quashed by the seemingly fruitless search for either secondary or long-term care insurance. Why did I suddenly decide to (try to) get more health insurance? I had a wake-up call for... Read more
Kim Dolce- So many of us jump through hoops to hang onto our work lives for as long as possible. And for so many of us, that working life must come to an end. We win our claim for Social Security Disability and retire years before we thought we would, years before most people do. Yet, though we are no longer able to sustain a conventional 40-hour work week, we are far from being willing to be idle indefinitely, sitting in the lounger with the remote glued to one hand. We still want to make a contribution by using our skills, experience... Read more
Matt Allen G- I am not sure how many of us do this but I know a lot of us do, I mean, I know I do. You wake up and you just know it’s going to be a horrible day; you are dizzy, exhausted and in a lot of pain. Then, as the day goes on, someone asks you, “Hey, how are you doing?” but rather than telling the truth you put a smile on and say, “I am ok, what about you?” Sound about right? Well, why do we do this? Why not just be honest? Well at least for me... Read more
Kim Dolce- This article is a companion piece to one of my previous articles titled: MS AND THE MANLY MAN. In the earlier piece, I discussed the unique challenges men with MS face. Although fewer men develop MS than women, they tend to have a more aggressive, disabling, and rapidly-advancing course. The bad news about women and MS is that the ratio of women to men who develop it has increased from 2:1 to 4:1 during the past 50 years. Like many other facets of the disease, the reason for that increase is unknown. Increases in obesity and smoking among women have been cited... Read more
Donna Steigleder- It’s been the talk for days. “Have you heard? We might get a foot of snow.” The prediction was for it to start before sunrise on Friday, then changed to 10 a.m., and then to 1 p.m. Two days before the snow was predicted, lines at the grocery store were wrapped around and down aisles. All were preparing for the great storm to come. For those of you who live in the north, a foot of snow is, “Much to do about nothing,” I’m sure, but for those of us in Central/Eastern Virginia, we rarely get deep snows so for us it’s... Read more
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America - MSAA- From all of us at the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, and from the thousands of individuals we help every year, we just want to say thank you. It is the ongoing support of friends like our followers and readers on MultipleSclerosis.net that allows MSAA to continue to be there for people living with MS, as well as their families and care partners, in the ways they need us most. As we finish this first month of 2016 and look ahead to the rest of the year (and beyond), we hope you will help MSAA make a difference in even... Read more
Devin Garlit- Since I’ve been diagnosed, I’ve learned of a number of notable celebrities or their family members that also suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. Most, like Annette Funicello, Montel Williams, Alan Osmond, J.K. Rowling’s mother and Amy Schumer’s father are older than me and didn’t quite resonate with me that much. Just recently however, actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler announced that she has been battling Multiple Sclerosis for the past 15 years. Her announcement really hit home, not just because I was a huge Sopranos fan but also because we are close in age and our MS story is similar. While many with Multiple... Read more
Cathy Chester- It was three o’clock in the morning and I suddenly woke up out of a sound sleep. I had a pounding headache and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I’d been under a great deal of stress so I told myself that must be the culprit. I quietly got out of bed, as quiet as someone can when they’re in total pain, and walked down our darkened hallway to our great room. I sat next to our sleeping cat on the couch and tried to meditate, focusing on my breath. Om. Om. Om. Belch. The chest pain... Read more
Laura Kolaczkowski- The scientific method is taught in every public school – who doesn’t remember the dreaded science fair project or experienced the torture of helping your own child complete their project? The scientific method is important to learn because it is the foundation of disease and wellness treatments. We should know that whatever we do to our bodies has undergone some form of proof that it works. The need for the scientific method is an important process to remember and how this applies to our adult lives and looking for ways to treat our multiple sclerosis and its symptoms. Here’s a... Read more
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I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out when I started exhibiting the earliest symptoms of MS. I was diagnosed in April of 2014 but I knew, long before my date of diagnosis, that something was really wrong. I just couldn’t put my finger on it and it was a concern for me for a very long time. I learned to ignore the symptoms because there was never anything so severe that it could be pinpointed. In 2004 I went in for an MRI after experiencing the most concerning symptom yet – tingling and partial loss of... Read more
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