The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Category: Living with MS

Can you measure how tired I am?

[This post first appeared last month in my column on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com] Feeling tired? No surprise there. Fatigue is as much a part of living with Multiple Sclerosis as sand is a part of the beach where I live. It’s interesting, then, that neurologists seem to have no good system for measuring levels of MS fatigue or any treatments that are really effective over the long term. Physiologists at Colorado State University…Continue Reading

Don’t let multiple sclerosis ground you

(This post appeared as my regular column on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) Flight is freedom in its purest form, To dance with the clouds which follow a storm; To roll and glide, to wheel and spin, To feel the joy that swells within; To leave the earth with its troubles and fly, And know the warmth of a clear spring sky — Gary Claud Stokor I’ve been there.  I’ve done that.  I’ve climbed…Continue Reading

“Shame on you for parking there!”

[This is an updated version of a post that first appeared in my weekly column on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com]   Do you remember when you first applied for a handicapped license plate? I put it off for quite a while after I was diagnosed.  After all, I could easily walk several city blocks.  I could still play tennis.  Why did I need to park in a handicapped place?  But, there were days…Continue Reading

Exercise for MS – I’m starting a 14 week plan

I’m about to start a new adventure:  Exercise. Well, it’s not really new. I swim some laps most days in the summer, weather permitting.  In the cooler months I do some upper body strength exercises a couple of days a week, my spirit permitting.  But, in all the years that I’ve had Multiple Sclerosis I’ve never really had a structured exercise program.  Today I’m investigating a way to start down…Continue Reading

Whole body cryotherapy for multiple sclerosis?

Whole body cryotherapy is one of the latest “treatments” claiming to help multiple sclerosis patients. Those who sell WBC machines and who operate WBC “spas” claim that it can also help a range of other ailments, from asthma to rheumatoid arthritis.  They say it can improve blood circulation, increase metabolism, improve recovery and soreness after workouts and relieve joint and body pain. That’s a lot of problems, and the Food…Continue Reading

Therapeutic riding: a winner for M.S.

A few years ago I got back in the saddle again. At age 63, more than 30 years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and about 50 years since I’d last ridden a horse, I found my feet in the stirrups, butt in the saddle and riding a gentle, friendly horse that was led around the ring at the Great and Small therapeutic riding center in Boyds, MD outside Washington,…Continue Reading

When should you start using a DMT?

A friend of mine was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about fifteen years ago.  She’s been very stable since her DX without being on any disease modifying drugs. But, we’ve both wondered if she should be proactive and start using using Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, Tysabri or another of the many disease modifying therapies that are available today.  So far, her neurologist has suggested that my friend hold off. I’ve lived with…Continue Reading

Kaleidoscopic MRI Art Brings Beauty to Neurological Illness — The Creators Project RSS Feed

Kaleidoscope, Part I. Jameson digitally manipulated MRIs of her own brain to create a collage. All images courtesy of the artist. Elizabeth Jameson wants you to look at her brain. Actually, she wants you to stare at it. Over the last 20 years, she’s chronicled her multiple sclerosis by making vibrant prints of her magnetic… via Kaleidoscopic MRI Art Brings Beauty to Neurological Illness — The Creators Project RSS Feed

Are You Ready to Enjoy Summer?

MS bandana

I love the summer.  I also live at the beach.  So, I’m just asking for trouble. I can’t help it.  Being out in the sun is one of my greatest pleasures, followed by hanging around in the swimming pool at our condo.  Note that I said in the pool.  Staying in the cool water helps offset the problems that summertime temperatures create for those of us with MS. Even if…Continue Reading

I Won’t Stop Running on World Multiple Sclerosis Day

I’ve been remiss in not noting World Multiple Sclerosis Day today until the day is almost over.  But I hope that sharing this music video, by the band A Great Big World, will encourage you to take the name of the song to heart and that you Won’t Stop Running.     Band member Chad King was diagnosed with MS in 2007.   His first symptoms were vertigo and a weakness…Continue Reading