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
Many people with multiple sclerosis use vitamin D supplements. I’ve been popping a 2,000 IU tablet of vitamin D3 each morning for many years. And with good reason. Studies show that having an adequate blood level of vitamin D may lower a person’s risk of developing MS. Research also indicates the vitamin may reduce the severity of MS symptoms and lengthen the time that it takes to move from relapsing…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.”
When asleep, many people dream they can fly. Some dream about being naked in public, failing an exam, or (gasp!) about sex. The other night I dreamed that I was walking. I have that walking dream a couple of times a year. I’m walking along and all of a sudden I realize that I’ve left my two canes behind. My short dream a few nights ago, however, was better than…Continue Reading
An MS medication decision is one of the most difficult decisions for someone with MS and their neurologist to make. After 39 years with MS, and with four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on my medical chart, I’m definitely on the hit-it-fast, hit-it-hard side of that treatment decision. So, I was pleased to read an article in Brain & Life magazine reporting that “doctors today are less likely to wait to start…Continue Reading
If you’re using marijuana and have surgery scheduled, take heed. In Colorado, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2000 and recreational use was okayed in 2012, medical personnel are discovering that marijuana may complicate that surgery. The concern, according to an article in Kaiser Health News, is that marijuana use may “affect patients’ responses to anesthesia on the operating table” and “either help or hinder their symptoms afterward in the…Continue Reading
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