News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
It’s been almost two and a half years since my first COVID-19 vaccine — eight months since my most recent booster — and my COVID-19 antibodies seem to still be doing their thing. I know this because, after having nine test tubes of blood drawn, the lab results are back and I’m looking good — a robust antibody response. The lab work was part of the COVER-MS study, run by…Continue Reading
“What can Dr. Crayton help you with today?” I was starting my annual multiple sclerosis checkup with my neurologist, and before I met with her, I got this question from her MS nurse. I was stumped. I’d never been asked that before. I think most people with MS would have a list of things they could rattle off — help me with my bladder problems, suggest a treatment that will…Continue Reading
I’ve done quite a bit of flying, for business and pleasure, over the 42 years I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis. It’s not easy traveling by air with my electric scooter, and I can’t imagine trying to fly with a 450-pound power wheelchair. Actually, I don’t have to imagine. I have some friends who use power chairs and they’ve shared some stories. Michael Morale tells me that, on a trip to…Continue Reading
We all know that the difficulty many of us with multiple sclerosis have walking can be caused by lesions that damage the nerves along the spinal cord. What if an electronic bridge could be built to carry nerve impulses over those damaged areas? That concept is being investigated as a way to help people who’ve been paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. Could it also apply to people with MS?…Continue Reading
Since the early days of the COVID-19 vaccination program, disinformation about whether the vaccines can induce multiple sclerosis has swirled around social media. Recently, there’s been a resurgence of this type of post, sparked by a report published on the World Health Organization (WHO) website titled “Covid-19 vaccination can induce multiple sclerosis via cross-reactive CD4+ T cells recognizing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and myelin peptides.” One post on Twitter, sharing that…Continue Reading
I’m just back from walking our dog. My wife, Laura, rescued him about a year ago. When she learned , his name is Toby, like Tobias, she thought it was a sign that he was the dog for us. We’ve had dogs before, but neither us is getting any younger or healthier. I wondered, could we handle another pet? Toby is very cute, but he’s very stubborn. When you walk…Continue Reading
Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer vacation in the U.S., is fast approaching. It’s almost time for some summer beach fun — if we can get there. Beaches can be difficult, if not impossible, to access for many people with multiple sclerosis. But times seem to be slowly changing. A disability-friendly beach house Last summer, my friend Sara Loud, the CEO of the nonprofit Accelerated Cure Project for MS…Continue Reading
A recent post on the MS-Selfie blog asks and answers this question: What is the “greatest unmet need” concerning multiple sclerosis? Professor Gavin Giovannoni, the London-based neurologist who writes that blog, lists five unmet needs, many of which I agree with. But those needs are from the viewpoint of someone who treats MS. Here are some thoughts from someone who has lived with MS for nearly 43 years. These are…Continue Reading
Is artificial intelligence (AI) intelligent enough to help with a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis? Apparently so, and more. In the U.K. a project named AssistMS is studying whether AI can be used to detect and highlight changes on brain MRIs. An algorithm called icobain ms is said to be able to to detect lesions in the brain, measure brain volume, and report on how each changes over time. “Neurologists will…Continue Reading
If you have multiple sclerosis may want to roll up your sleeves fr another COVID-19 booster. I’m thinking about whether to join you. Last month, an advisory committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported a recommendation that people 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems get another booster, if at least four months have passed since their last one for those 65 and…Continue Reading