MS Maze

Some of the most common complaints of people with M.S. are fatigue, numbness, and weakness – things that cannot be seen and often cannot be understood by those who have not experienced them at high levels. These seemingly benign symptoms can necessitate missing work, school, or social obligations, causing chores to pile up and misunderstandings to arise.

That’s enough to contend with, but what if your family, friends, and co-workers don’t really believe you? What if they think you are faking, or taking advantage of your diagnosis?

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Dealing with Invisible Symptoms of M.S.

Summer is in full swing, and along with it comes backyard barbecues, outdoor recreation, and long sunny days.

The joys of summer are many, but for some people with multiple sclerosis, summer’s heat and humidity can make it even more difficult for already damaged nerve fibers to transmit electrical impulses, resulting in an exaggeration of symptoms, which may include fatigue, dizziness, and extreme weakness.

This kind of temporary flare-up of symptoms is called a pseudo exacerbation because, although the symptoms are uncomfortable and frightening, there is no true neurological damage taking place.

Read this post in its entirety at Care2.com’s Healthy and Green Living: 

Staying Cool with M.S.

Suddenly you feel an intense tightening around your chest, along with pain and a burning sensation. You clutch your chest, awash in fear.

If you have never had this experience before, you wonder… is this a heart attack… a panic attack… an asthma attack… and you will definitely want to contact your physician.

But if you have multiple sclerosis and been through this before, you’ll recognize this as the mysterious MS Hug… the Chest Hug… the Girdle… otherwise known as dysesthesias.

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The “MS Hug” Demystified

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

Larry King, when interviewing the late Christopher Reeve, asked, “Do you think about walking?”

Reeve replied, “Oh, absolutely. You know, as a matter of fact, in my dreams — I have never been disabled in my dreams, so my subconscious insists that I am whole, and I follow my subconscious.”

Our minds and our bodies, while inextricably intertwined, can maintain separate realities. That’s what allows we humans to imagine the unimaginable, to create worlds of our own making.

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MS Fears in the darkness of night

Lisa Emrich, writing at The Health Central Network’s Multiple Sclerosis Central, came up with a fascinating piece about multiple sclerosis and personality. If you’ve ever been told that its “all in your head,” you are not alone.

Read Lisa’s post:

Multiple Sclerosis: Psychosomatic, Neurologic, Mood Disorder, or Personality?

Swish… swish… swish…

My slippers make a swishing sound as I slide my feet over the bare wood floors of my home. “Pick up your feet!” My mother’s admonishment echoes through the years in my head. She wouldn’t say that to me now, of course. It isn’t laziness that causes me to drag my feet. It’s multiple sclerosis that makes it all but impossible to fully lift my feet off the floor when I walk.

Five years after diagnosis, I’m still fortunate enough to have relapsing/remitting MS rather than the progressive type. In a previous post, I rejoiced in new research that reversed disability in early-stage MS patients…

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Stem Cell Research: For or Against

This week’s episode of Fox’s American Idol undoubtedly went a long way in helping the general public understand multiple sclerosis and its mysterious symptoms. Famous names have a way of bringing attention to illness and disability.

David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond (the oldest original Osmond brother), took part in this summer’s first round of American Idol auditions. He also used the occasion to publicly reveal that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three yeas ago. His father, Alan, also has MS.

He explained that until shortly before the audition, he was confined to a wheelchair. Referring to MS as a “roller coaster,” he put a very personal face on the disease that could “flare up, and I could go back to that wheelchair…

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American Idol Spotlights Multiple Sclerosis

Physical manifestations of multiple sclerosis are one thing. But to feel that sharpness… that edge you once had… slowly slipping away, is quite another. When other symptoms of MS strike, many of us turn to intellectual and creative pursuits to fill the void. We tend to live inside our heads, so to speak. And now cognitive function takes a hit? It is a horrifying prospect.

In my recent post, “Cognitive Function Fears: MS or Aging,” I wondered, almost casually, if MS or age was the reason my troubles with word recall and occasional bouts of absentmindedness. Judging by the intense discussion that followed, I stumbled on to a hot button issue among MS patients. Apparently…

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MS or Aging? It’s hard to tell.

Sometimes I know what I want to say, but I can’t find the proper words. My mouth is moving and words are coming out, but they’re not the right words. Or I freeze in mid-sentence, desperately searching for that missing word, but my internal filing system is in disarray. I’ve begun to sputter and stammer. Some days are worse than others.

Word salad, they call it. My word retrieval skills are deteriorating. It’s embarrassing and, I’m afraid, it makes for a lousy impression. Funny thing is that this seldom happens when I write. I assume that’s…

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Cognitive Function Fears: MS or Aging?

Pediatric multiple sclerosis. Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear every day. But, sadly, it does exist.

MS, for all its variations and symptoms that come and go, is an extremely difficult disease to confirm in any case. Because MS is most often diagnosed in people over the age of 30, pediatricians generally do not look for symptoms in children. Early signs of MS can be vague enough and fleeting enough that they can easily be dismissed by both parents and doctors.

Knowing what I know about living with MS, my heart goes out to these children and their families. They need our support and encouragement for the long road ahead. It is for these children, and for those yet born, that we must press on with MS research.

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Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis: Yes, it Does Exist

I’ve got a case of the wonders. Multiple sclerosis is an elusive force, but with a powerful impact on daily living, it is rife with unknowns.

I wonder

… if, when I’m doing particularly well, people think I’m faking it at other times. In their shoes, what might I think?

… if, when I think I’m hiding my symptoms, I’m only fooling myself. For that matter, I wonder why I try to hide my symptoms.

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Multiple Sclerosis: Wonder of Wonders

What if doctors discovered that you have a precursor to multiple sclerosis… would you want to be told? If so, what would you do with this information?

Advances in medical science are testing our boundaries in ways never before imagined. How far into the future do we want to see, and what if we are wrong? With our health care system in crisis, who among us would want to have the possibility of future illness or disability on our medical records?

Read:   Precursor to MS… Too Much Information?

“I remained frozen in place, working half-days and becoming best friends with my television. I didn’t recognize the reflection staring back at me in the mirror. I didn’t know what the heck I was supposed to do with this new body that refused direct orders from my brain! The body was in all out mutiny and the mind in utter turmoil.”

That was me after my diagnosis of MS. Find out how I pulled it together at In The Trenches Productions’ blog Women Over 40 Rock! …

Read:  How Multiple Sclerosis Unearthed My Passion

Headache is not usually considered a symptom of MS, but as researchers continue to search for clues into the cause of multiple sclerosis, every piece of the puzzle is important. Migraine, like multiple sclerosis, is a neurological disease. That these two conditions, both affecting more women than men, could somehow be linked is an avenue that must be pursued. Clues into either disorder could lead to important advances for both.

Do you suffer from both chronic headaches and multiple sclerosis? Please share your story here.

Read: The Multiple Sclerosis/Migraine Connection