News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
It’s happened to me and, if you fly with a scooter or a wheelchair, I bet it’s happened to you, too: a busted or missing set of wheels on arrival. On a flight from Washington, D.C., to Venice, my scooter went to Copenhagen. On a flight from Baltimore to St. Kitts, I was happy to see my scooter appear at the cabin door. But where was the back of its…Continue Reading
I’ve been using a mobility scooter for about 15 years. I use it anytime I need to walk more than about half a city block. I throw it in the back of my SUV, I’ve taken it on planes and cruise ships (I’ve ridden it in 15 or 16 countries) and I even use it to walk the dog.. I have two scooters. One is lightweight at 35 pounds and can…Continue Reading
I’ve been using a Bioness L300 for just over five years to counter my foot drop. Without the L300 strapped to my left leg, it’s difficult for me to walk more than 25 or 30 steps, even with two canes. The L300 is a functional electronic stimulator (FES). Each time I start to lift my left leg to walk, it sends a low-intensity electrical pulse down a nerve that runs…Continue Reading
About a year ago, I first wrote about something called an Ogo. It was just in the development phase then, but it was the neatest thing I’d ever seen for getting around when your legs can’t do the job. You don’t need to use your arms, either. Just bend in the direction that you want to travel, like riding on a Segway, and off you go. It could be great…Continue Reading
To scoot or not to scoot? Is is better to drag your legs around for as long as you can or to give in and get yourself a set of electric wheels? That decision prompted this vent on a multiple sclerosis Facebook group recently: “I’m just wondering if anyone has this happen to them. Every time I go to the store I have someone roll up on me in their…Continue Reading
(This is a sightly updated version of a column of mine that first appeared on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) Earlier this year Bioness announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared its new “L300 Go” functional electronic stimulator (FES). It’s an upgrade of the original “L300” that I’ve been using for more than five years. Without the “L300” strapped to my left leg it’s difficult for me to walk more than…Continue Reading
(This post first appeared as one of my columns on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) One of the MS blogs that I follow is written by Jen, who lives in England. It’s called Tripping Through Treacle. (Treacle is a thick, molassas-like, syrup). Doesn’t that neatly sum up the lives of many of us in just three, alliterative, words? From MS newbies to old timers like me, we worry (or have worried) about tripping. Many…Continue Reading
Cheryl Hile runs a marathon in South Africa. Pic courtesy C. Hile
(This is an update of my column posted last week on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) Tripping, falling and bloody knees. Been there. Done that. (Who with MS hasn’t)? But this wasn’t me. This was Cheryl Hile and it was happening to her as she was running a half marathon in Carlsbad, California. Cheryl had been running marathons for half a dozen years when, in 2006, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She says…Continue Reading
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
You have MS but you have some mobility. You need help to walk because your legs are weak or stiff, and your balance is off, but canes don’t give enough help and braces are too cumbersome or limiting. How great would it be to have something that’s relatively lightweight that you could wear and would help your legs move? That’s what a group of roboticists, mechanical and biomechanical engineers, software…Continue Reading