The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Category: Living with MS

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

Checking in with marathon MS runner Cheryl Hile

Cheryl Hile with other runners at RAMMS Mini-Event

Cheryl Hile is hard to catch up with. Hile is a marathon runner. When I first interviewed her, nearly eight years ago, she had just finished running a marathon in Cape Town, South Africa. It was the first race in her goal to run a marathon on each of the seven continents in the following 12 months. Goal accomplished! Hile followed that race with marathons in Buenos Aires, Honolulu, Antarctica,…Continue Reading

Can a UTI be prevented by a vaccine?

Symbols of man and woman in pose possibly caused by a UTI.

Urinary track infections (UTIs) are common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). I’ve been lucky to have had only 1 or 2 over the 4 decades I’ve lived with MS, but many others are not as fortunate. According to the Urinary Care Foundation, about 10 out of 25 women and 3 out of 25 men will experience a UTI in their lifetime. A review of a decade of journal articles,…Continue Reading

Is it time to get a mobility scooter?

Mobility scooter with dog in basket

“When is the right time to get a mobility scooter?” It’s a question I often see as I browse social media sites frequented by people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Sometimes the person is asking about a cane, a walker, or a foot brace, but the concerns are the same: will it really help me, is it going to make me look too disabled and, sometimes, can I afford it? My…Continue Reading

Should MS put the brakes on your driving?

Driving accident

I’m back in Maryland after driving up from Florida. The drive is a little over 1,000 miles and usually takes 16 to 18 hours, which I spread over 2 days. This year, that second day was filled with rain and 18-wheelers – a tough, tiring drive, requiring good concentration and driving skills. I’ve made that drive twice a year for the past 6, even though I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis…Continue Reading

Age caps for clinical trials should be removed

Closed road barrier symbolizes trial limits

I recently saw a request for clinical trial volunteers for a medication that might reduce my multiple sclerosis fatigue. “That’s great,” I thought. Fatigue is one of my worst MS symptoms. I’ve lived with it for decades and the Provigil (modafinil) that I’ve been using doesn’t help much anymore. This trial seemed like a natural for me. But I didn’t have to read the participant requirements very far to reach…Continue Reading

Falling with MS: It’s not if, but when

Picture illustrating falling with MS

Have you fallen recently? I’ll bet you have A web-based survey of 965 adults with multiple sclerosis, published in the March 2024 issue of the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, reports 56% said they had fallen in the previous 6 months. Sixty-eight percent of those falls were in their home. A third of the people were hurt. I’m surprised the numbers aren’t higher. Those falls were the result…Continue Reading

Do you have an MS story to share?

diary writer

We all know that multiple sclerosis is a “snowflake” illness – no two cases of MS are exactly alike. Everyone reading this has probably traveled a different MS road – different symptoms, different treatments, different progression, etc. I’d like to hear your stories and include some in a chapter to be added to a second edition of my book “The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox.” How difficult was it to be diagnosed…Continue Reading