MS Maze

I admit it — I don’t watch Oprah. But so many people told me about Montel Williams’ March 17 appearance on her show that I had to get my hands on a copy. I heard it was an extremely powerful piece about multiple sclerosis.

Immediately, I was startled by Montel’s outpouring of raw emotion as he spoke of his MS progression. Repeatedly breaking down in tears, the former marine and all-around tough guy described his road to diagnosis, battle with depression, suicide attempt, and chronic pain. At times I completely forgot that I live with the same disease, so drawn in was I by his circumstances and brutal honesty.

Weeks later, still haunted by the segment, I decided to write about it. My intention was to point out the most unusual and intense way in which MS was portrayed — highlighting one man’s reality with this disease.

I also wanted to point out a few factual errors. Oprah didn’t seem to have much knowledge about MS, nor did she take charge of the interview. The doctor who appeared on the same show made some odd statements that truly demand clarification. A follow-up show with an MS specialist is definitely called for.

But a funny thing happened on my way to writing that article. I became completely sidetracked by reading the comments on…

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The Montel/Oprah M.S. Misfire

Death.

It’s a perfectly natural part of life, but somewhere along the way we’ve developed an unhealthy and sometimes cruel aversion to it. Not discussing imminent death only prolongs suffering for the patient and the family, while leaving many personal emotional issues unresolved.

According to a New York Times blog by Maggie Jones, even doctors struggle to talk about dying with their patients, and often fail to bring up the subject at all. As a consequence, patients suffer needless and often painful interventions at the end of their lives that can add thousands of dollars to a single patient’s medical costs with with no benefit.

We’ve got doctors who are uncomfortable with the subject, patients who don’t want to burden loved ones, family members who don’t want to upset the patient, and a group avoidance of the inescapable reality of death, a perfectly normal and natural event…

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Facing End-of-Life with Dignity

According to the National Institutes of Health, pain is the most common reason Americans access the health care system (over 76.5 million Americans suffer from pain, both chronic and acute). The annual cost of chronic pain in the United States is estimated to be more than $100 billion annually. This figure includes loss of income, lost productivity, and health care expenses.

For people living in chronic pain, this is clearly a quality of life issue.

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Urge Senate to Pass the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009

I was raised on the premise that money matters should not be discussed in a public forum. It was best to keep such things close to home.

Multiple Sclerosis and money, unfortunately, go hand in hand, and it’s difficult to have meaningful conversation about MS without mentioning money.

We’ve often addressed the financial reality of living with multiple sclerosis as it pertains to health insurance. But there are are many budgetary considerations above and beyond medical insurance and related expenses.

The most obvious and devastating financial consequence of MS relates to employment…

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Money Matters when you have Multiple Sclerosis

Hardly a day passes when the topic of health care reform does not make the news. Clearly many of us want major reform and we are tired of waiting, but what is it, exactly, that we want?

At one end of the spectrum, there are those who believe that our health care system is adequate and that the free-market will naturally adjust for any minor flaws. Small comfort if you are currently uninsured, or if you happen to live with a chronic illness. More than 46 million uninsured and millions more underinsured tells a tale, if one is willing to listen.

At the other end is a single-payer system as proposed by the 110th Congress…

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What does Health Care Reform Mean to you?