The MS Wire

An MS Symptom That’s Like a Knife in the Face

Posted on February 14, 2022February 13, 2022

My immediate thought after reading a recent MS News Today headline stating that trigeminal neuralgia (TN) affects more than 3% of MS patients was, “Really, only 3%?” The reason: I’ve seen regular complaints about the condition, which causes excruciating facial pain. TN is a chronic condition. It typically causes shocks or burning sensations in the face and it can be very painful. Doctors think it happens because MS has damaged…Continue Reading

April Hester is Lacing Up Her MS Hiking Boots Again

Posted on January 31, 2022January 29, 2022

April and Bernie Hester at Appalachian Trail headquarters

Reservations at a base lodge have been made, and a starting date is circled on her calendar. MS hiker April Hester is ready to start up the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S. It’s always an uphill hike for April, even when the trail is flat. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, just after her 20th birthday. In October 2017, she and her husband, Bernie, hiked South Carolina’s…Continue Reading

Things to Know About the MS & EBV Link

Posted on January 24, 2022January 24, 2022

You may have heard about the research that’s just been published about the Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study reports that being infected by EBV raises the risk of developing MS by 32 times. This isn’t a small or a short study. The researchers looked at 20 years of data covering more than 10 million U.S. military members. “This is a big…Continue Reading

A Pain in the Back Sends me Back to the Pool

Posted on January 17, 2022January 16, 2022

In the past couple years, I’ve developed pain in a few areas of my body, especially my butt and back. Last winter, I tried physical therapy, but relief lasted only a short while. So, I think I’ll head back to the swimming pool to try some do-it-yourself aquatic therapy. In the pool I’ve been prompted to do this by a study recently published in JAMA reporting that for people with…Continue Reading

New MS Book for the New Year

Posted on January 13, 2022January 12, 2022

This is my book. It's designed for MS "newbies" but it's great info for everyone. A paperback and an ebook are available on Amazon.

I’m excited to share the news that an updated version of my MS book has been published. It has a new name, “The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox,” a new cover and some new content. The name better reflects the purpose of the book: to give people new to MS some tools to better understand and deal with our puzzling disease. I think it’s also pretty useful for old-timers who are searching…Continue Reading

What’s New About COVID-19 Vaccines and MS?

Posted on January 10, 2022January 9, 2022

A little over a year ago, I wrote about whether people with multiple sclerosis (MS) should get a COVID-19 vaccine. I was anxious to be vaccinated as soon as I could, but I was also concerned about how the vaccines would affect someone with MS. Would the side effects be worse for MS patients than for healthy people? Would the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used to treat MS affect the ability…Continue Reading

Let the Sun Shine on my MS

Posted on December 20, 2021December 19, 2021

I’m back in Florida for the next several months, having left cloudy, windy, chilly Maryland for the Gulf Coast. It’s been sunny and in the low 80s for the past few days, and my multiple sclerosis is feeling just fine. A lot of people with MS avoid the heat, but heat and sunshine go hand in hand. I always feel better, physically and mentally, when I’m in the sun. A…Continue Reading

My MS Bladder Coaster is Looping Again

Posted on December 13, 2021December 13, 2021

I thought I finally had this bladder thing licked. After years of urinary urgency and frequency, I’d been doing much better. I was sleeping at least seven hours a night without having to go to the bathroom, and bathroom trips were less frequent in the daytime, too. When traveling by car, the once common question “How long to the next rest area?” became less of a concern. During our annual…Continue Reading

My Lemtrada Journey: Five Years Down the Road

Posted on December 6, 2021December 5, 2021

It’s been five years since I began treatment with the MS medication Lemtrada. Now, my Lemtrada journey is done, and it’s been quite a trip.

Can We Attack EBV to Fight MS?

Posted on November 22, 2021November 21, 2021

There are continuing signals that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a fuel that can spark a multiple sclerosis fire. EBV is a herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, more commonly known as mono. Sometimes called the “kissing disease” because the virus that causes it is easily spread through saliva, mono causes extreme fatigue and body aches. It’s estimated that 90% of Americans are infected by EBV by the time they’re…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.