News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
“When is the right time to get a mobility scooter?” It’s a question I often see as I browse social media sites frequented by people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Sometimes the person is asking about a cane, a walker, or a foot brace, but the concerns are the same: will it really help me, is it going to make me look too disabled and, sometimes, can I afford it? My…Continue Reading
I’ve used a Bioness L300 Functional Electronic Stimulator for almost 8 years to help me walk. Has the benefit been worth the cost?
I’ve used the Bioness L300, a functional electrical stimulator (FES) device, for about seven years to counter my left foot drop. It’s strapped to my leg just below the knee and, as I began to take a step, it sends a low-intensity electrical pulse down a nerve that triggers my foot to flex upward, so my toes don’t drag. The L300 has worked well for several years. But, as my…Continue Reading
I’ve been using a Bioness L300 for just over five years to counter my foot drop. Without the L300 strapped to my left leg, it’s difficult for me to walk more than 25 or 30 steps, even with two canes. The L300 is a functional electronic stimulator (FES). Each time I start to lift my left leg to walk, it sends a low-intensity electrical pulse down a nerve that runs…Continue Reading
(This is a sightly updated version of a column of mine that first appeared on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) Earlier this year Bioness announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared its new “L300 Go” functional electronic stimulator (FES). It’s an upgrade of the original “L300” that I’ve been using for more than five years. Without the “L300” strapped to my left leg it’s difficult for me to walk more than…Continue Reading
(This post first appeared as one of my columns on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) One of the MS blogs that I follow is written by Jen, who lives in England. It’s called Tripping Through Treacle. (Treacle is a thick, molassas-like, syrup). Doesn’t that neatly sum up the lives of many of us in just three, alliterative, words? From MS newbies to old timers like me, we worry (or have worried) about tripping. Many…Continue Reading