News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
The other night I had an MS dream. In it I was able to lift my left leg as well as I can my right one, regardless of my weak hip flexor. I don’t usually know what’s triggered a dream, but this time I did: My Bioness L300 had quit working. (For those unfamiliar with the L300, it’s a functional electronic stimulator that triggers a nerve in my leg and…Continue Reading
This is the time of year when my wife and I start thinking about getting our flu shots. We’ve already had the pneumonia and the older shingles vaccine and hope to soon update with the new shingles vaccine, Shingrix (recombinant zoster vaccine). These vaccines are OK with my neurologist and my primary care doctor. They’re also OK with the American Academy of Neurology. The academy has updated its vaccine guidelines…Continue Reading
Richard Burt, MD, the chief of Northwestern Medicine’s immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases division, is taking a sabbatical, and the stem cell program he has headed for many years is shutting down. The clinic treated several people with MS, including actress Selma Blair. A group of 110 MS patients were involved in Burt’s phase 3 clinical trial of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), running from Sept. 20, 2005 to July 7,…Continue Reading
Brain lesions, seen on super-strong MRI images as having rings, may indicate that someone’s multiple sclerosis will be aggressive. Researchers call these lesions “smoldering.”
I’ve been writing The MS Wire for about three years now and it isn’t always easy to come up with fresh subjects. The other night my “idea well” was bone dry but then I came across something that primed the pump. In a private social media group for patient advocates, someone asked, “How do you keep a positive attitude with advocacy when dealing with chronically ill people? My main advocacy is…Continue Reading
After a period of temperatures of 95 degrees or more making it too hot to swim, early August has been comfortable enough for me to get back into my water exercise routine. The water temperature has been close to perfect and cool enough to keep me refreshed, though sometimes cooler than most people like. I’ve just finished two of the best workout I’ve had this season: 30 lengths swimming punctuated…Continue Reading
Have you ever read something and thought, “This is me, this is my MS?” It happened to me the other day as I read a post by Rachel Horne on the BartsMS blog. Horne writes about how some of us adapt to our MS diagnosis better, or at least differently, than others. She says that “some people with MS manage to adapt and even thrive despite all the disease takes…Continue Reading
The other night in bed my calf muscles started cramping. Again. Usually, it’s just my left leg, but that night it was both. The pain wouldn’t ease with my usual stretching routine so I reached for my little bottle of cannabidiol (CBD) oil. I’ve been experimenting with CBD oil on and off for a few months. I rub it into my left calf muscle before bed and on many nights…Continue Reading
Legos, it seems, are more than just a kids’ toy. People with some neurological conditions, including MS, are using those little, colored building blocks to build better lives for themselves. It’s Lego therapy. An article in the latest issue of Brain & Life uses Kathleen Jordan as one example. Jordan, who has MS, bought a big bag of Legos for her granddaughter. But she began to play with them herself.…Continue Reading
I’ve used an electric scooter for nearly 20 years. At first, I only used it when I knew I’d be walking a lot. Now, it’s every day. I used a cane for several years before the scooter. I resisted using both, however, and I’ll bet that many of you who are reading this are putting up your own stiff fight right now. I’ve tried to sell the benefits of mobility…Continue Reading