The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Category: Multiple Sclerosis News Columns

Have You Been Switched from Generic to Brand Name?

  Insurance companies want people to use generics, rather than the more expensive brand-name drugs, right? Maybe not. Because, at least in some cases, they’re doing just the opposite. Some patients are being forced to use brand-name drugs even when those drugs have generic equivalents. It happened to my wife last week. Not surprisingly, that means that some of us with MS could wind up having to dig deeper into…Continue Reading

If My MRI is Stable, Why is My Walking Getting Worse?

During a routine exam with my neurologist recently, I asked her a question I’d never thought to ask before: “Why do you order regular MRIs of my brain, but not of my spine?” Interestingly, within a few days of my exam, a Harvard Med School study was released that addressed a similar question: Is there always a link between the level of physical disability in some MS patients and the…Continue Reading

My Lemtrada Journey: 6 month report

It’s been a little over six months since I completed Round 1 of my Lemtrada infusions, so it’s time again to ask myself, “How am I doing?” The answer: I’m not sure. For many years, my brain MRI has remained unchanged. I can’t remember the last time I had an exacerbation (something bad enough to require steroid treatments). It was, literally, in the last century. But my walking has slowly,…Continue Reading

An MS “House” That Lets You Walk in My Shoes

Several months ago, I wrote about a bicycle that mimics the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Now, I’ve discovered that there’s an “MS House” that allows a healthy person to experience some of what life is like for someone who lives with MS. People walking through the MS House are able to see and feel things from a different, and often difficult, perspective. For a short while, as they walk through…Continue Reading

My Lemtrada Journey: “Do You Think You’re Walking Better?”

“Do you think you’re walking better?” The question came from my wife, Laura. It’s now about 4 1/2 months since my first round of Lemtrada infusions and I’ve had ups and downs physically. The day she asked, I was feeling pretty good. I also think I’ve been sharper mentally than in the past. Yet I wasn’t sure I’d noticed any improvement in my mobility. “I don’t know,” I told her.…Continue Reading

MS through the eyes of a “20-something” rapper

I’m an old guy and it’s been a looonnng time since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Not so for a young man named BJ Baker. BJ is in his late 20s and he was having a very bad day the other day. He was too tired to do a (seemingly) simple cleaning job around the house. So, he vented in the way that other young MS patients would understand.…Continue Reading

Is it Time to Treat Your MS to a Scooter Ride?

Ed on his mobility scooter

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

Talk With Your MS Doc About Keeping Your Job

You probably talk about multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, drugs and therapies when you meet with your neurologist, but I’ll bet that most people don’t talk very much about working. Being able to work, and continuing to hold down a job, is important. I see concerns about this all the time on the online forums where we MS patients hang out. Work should be a part of that medical discussion. In…Continue Reading

At-home treatment studied for MS “brain fog”

(This post first appeared as my column on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) One of the most troubling symptoms of multiple sclerosis, especially for those of us who are still working, is “brain fog”…not being able to concentrate… not feeling “sharp” when working on a task or solving problems. So it was interesting to read about a new study that reports that patients with MS had better problem-solving ability and response time after training with…Continue Reading