The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

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Did we need this MS research?

Man at a laptop doing research.

Have you ever looked at a multiple sclerosis (MS) research paper and thought “why in the world did they waste time and money on that?” I read one of those reports the other day, about MS fatigue and life quality. The news was headlined in one publication as “Fatigue significantly contributes to impaired well-being in MS.” Gee, really? The Finnish researchers studied data from more than 500 people with MS.…Continue Reading

Did miss-matched medications make for some choppy cruising?

Choppy cruising waters

I’m writing this on Deck 14 on the cruise ship Celebrity Beyond. Cruising isn’t new to me but it’s often a challenge because of my multiple sclerosis (MS) mobility problems. This trip hasn’t been any different. I try to plan for all possibilities, of course. Accessible stateroom? Check. Confirm that onshore excursions can handle me with my scooter? Check. Prescription Scopolamine patches to wear behind my ear to prevent seasickness?…Continue Reading

Meals and my multiple sclerosis

Steak and asparagus on a plate

I’ve never been someone who eats healthy meals. I didn’t as a child and I’m not much better as a 76-year-old man. Research, over the years, has shown that there could be a connection between my meals and my multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, a recent study, by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, adds more weight to that possibility. The study, published in the January 16, 2025 edition of…Continue Reading

A pain in the hip is an MS pain in the neck

Lightning bolt to describe my MS leg pain

It was 3:20 in the morning when my leg jolted me awake, zinging with pain. It ran down my shin and across the top of my foot. The leg then gave a spastic jerk, bending at the knee and rapidly pulling up toward my chest. Then it slowly lowered, but the pain continued for several more minutes. Repositioning my legs combined with mentally trying to relax finally ended the episode,…Continue Reading

Tolebrutinib nears the MS approval finish line

Woman runs toward finish line, like tolebrutinib is

After some stumbles out of the starting gate, an experimental treatment that’s in a group hoping to be the next big thing for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a step closer to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Tolebrutinib, developed by Sanofi, has been designated as a Breakthrough Therapy for the treatment of adults with non-relapsing secondary progressive MS (nrSPMS). The designation is intended to speed the development…Continue Reading

Real people at the check-out make things easier for me

Illustration of person with crutches in front of a wheelchair

My thanks to my neighborhood supermarket and all of the other stores that still have real people at some of their check-out aisles. It’s a lot easier for folks like me, who have a handicap like multiple sclerosis (MS), when we don’t have to be our own check-out clerks. It’s one of the little things that make a big difference when you’re riding a mobility scooter, using crutches, or even…Continue Reading

A new scooter and chair help MS mobility

I’ve been using electric mobility scooters for years, and more so as I’ve grown older and my multiple sclerosis (MS) has slowly progressed. So, when I read about a new scooter on the market designed for traveling, I was immediately interested. The same goes for a new, inexpensive, manual wheelchair recently developed. The new scooter is Pride Mobility’s Go-Go Carbon. It’s a very lightweight scooter designed for travel; just throw…Continue Reading

Help making tough disability disclosure decisions

Two people at a desk

Telling your family and friends you have a disability can be tough. Telling your employer can be much tougher. When it comes to disclosing their disability, or requesting an accommodation, many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) worry that they’re damned if they do, but might be damned if they don’t. I’ve seen this problem from both sides. When I was first diagnosed with MS, I was working in the news…Continue Reading

A choice of shot or infusion for Ocrevus users

ocrevus zunovo vial

A 10-minute injection or a two-hour infusion? Which would you prefer to treat your multiple sclerosis (MS)? That choice is now available, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Ocrevus Zunovo in mid-September. The treatment combines Genentech’s very popular Ocrevus with ocrelizumab with a drug delivery system called Enhanze. Ocrevus, according to Genentech, has been used to treat more than 350,000 people with MS (PwMS) since it was…Continue Reading

Can this CAR-T therapy help people with MS?

Woman with fingers crossed hoping for CART-T MS therapy success.

My fingers are crossed. Again. IMPT-514, an experimental cell therapy produced by ImmPACT Bio, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for phase 1 multiple sclerosis (MS) trials. I hope this treatment might be the next big thing for people with MS, but I know from experience that’s far from certain. IMPT-514 is a bispecific chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, designed to ease MS symptoms…Continue Reading