Living with MS Archives - Page 5 of 24

Will the Third Time be the Charm for Amazon Healthcare?

Posted on November 28, 2022November 27, 2022

For the past few years, the company that brings us everything from books to basketballs has been experimenting with bringing us Amazon healthcare. In 2018, the company launched a project called Haven in partnership with a pair of financial giants, with the goal of providing healthcare services to over a million employees. The idea behind the project was “to make primary care easier to access, insurance benefits simpler to understand…Continue Reading

A Hug is Nice, but Not This One

Posted on November 21, 2022November 20, 2022

In the 42 years that I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis I’m glad that I’ve only been hugged twice. I’m talking about the MS hug, and it wasn’t fun. This MS symptom can feel like pressure or pain around the chest, back, or stomach, and it can be scary. Some people described it on the MS News Today Facebook page like this: “It’s like a charley horse in my ribs while I’m wearing…Continue Reading

Tips for easier living with MS

Posted on November 14, 2022November 13, 2022

Grab bars make is easier for people with MS.

What do you do to make living with MS a little easier? That question was posed to readers of the MS News Today Facebook page recently, and about 175 people responded. Even an MS old-timer like me (I’ve been living with the disease for 42 years and counting) found a few new ideas, so I thought I’d share some of what was suggested. Easier living in the bedroom Let’s start…Continue Reading

A Minivan Isn’t Just for Soccer Moms

Posted on November 7, 2022November 6, 2022

I’ve been feeling a bit like a soccer mom the past month or so, even though I’m a 74-year-old guy. My wife and I are leasing a minivan, the go-to wheels of after-school sports parents. It also seems to be a great vehicle for someone with a disability like multiple sclerosis. I’ve had a lot of cars since getting my driver’s license in 1964. But around 2000, as my MS…Continue Reading

“I Am Not The Doctor For You”

Posted on October 31, 2022October 30, 2022

Not the doctor for people with a disability

“I Am Not The Doctor For You” is the title of a disturbing new study published earlier this month in the journal Health Affairs. It reports that a number of doctors acknowledge being uncomfortable with treating people, like me, who have a disability. The study was conceived of by Lisa Iezzoni, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard University. Over years of talking with people with disabilities, she noticed a…Continue Reading

Time for a Pair of Vaccines: Flu and COVID-19

Posted on October 25, 2022October 24, 2022

It’s the time of the season. Every year around this time, I get a seasonal flu shot. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember, certainly all of my adult life. But this year is a little different. There are now three flu vaccines preferentially recommended for people 65 years and older (that’s me). There’s also a relatively new COVID-19 booster that targets the latest strains of…Continue Reading

Will a New Contrast Material Lessen MRI Concerns?

Posted on October 17, 2022October 17, 2022

If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), you’ve probably had several MRIs “with” and “without.” The “with” means injecting a contrast agent containing gadolinium into a vein. The agent then travels into the brain, where it “lights up” areas of active inflammation that otherwise would be difficult or impossible for doctors to see. Using a gadolinium-based contrast agent is an important part of the diagnostic and disease-tracking process for people with…Continue Reading

Are You Ready to Deal With Disaster?

Posted on October 10, 2022October 9, 2022

“I never thought a disaster would happen to me.” I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard someone utter that phrase during my four decades in the news media. Last week, disaster happened to me. About three years ago, my wife and I bought a condo as a wintertime escape from cold, wet, snowy winters in Maryland. Our Florida home is in Punta Gorda. If that rings a…Continue Reading

Some Accessibility Bumps on Elton’s Yellow Brick Road

Posted on October 3, 2022October 2, 2022

It wasn’t easy for my wife, Laura, and I to enjoy one of Elton John’s concerts on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour the other night. Sir Elton was appearing at Nationals Park, the baseball home of the Washington, D.C., Nationals. Having seen a couple of ballgames at the stadium over the past few years, I thought there wouldn’t be more than the usual problems for a guy with MS who…Continue Reading

I Give MS Advice. My Wife Says I Should Follow it.

Posted on September 26, 2022September 25, 2022

I have to be honest: I haven’t always been honest. I don’t always practice what I preach. My wife called me out on that as we watched an interview I did recently about multiple sclerosis on Montel Williams’ podcast. “You should follow your own MS advice,” she told me. She’s right. Keepin’ it positive I’ve always been a “let’s all look on the bright side” kind of guy, at least…Continue Reading

"People newly diagnosed with MS will truly benefit from this book, while those of us who’ve lived with MS for a while will wish we’d had it ourselves!…Neurologists should consider keeping a copy of this book in their waiting room because their patients are going to need it." - Tamara K. Sellman, reviewing for Multiple Sclerosis.net.

The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox is designed for MS "newbies" but it's great info for everyone. I combine more than 40 years of living with MS with some easy to understand info about diagnosis, treatments, visiting the neuro, relationships, mobility aids, travel and more…a lot of what you get in this blog. A paperback and an e-book are available on Amazon.