As 2016 Ends, I Still Hope for an MS Cure for Our Children
Holidays are joyful. Holidays are magic. Holidays are about everything: the tastes, the smells, the sights, the sounds, the gatherings, the rituals, the everything. And most of all, the holidays are for children.
My holiday wish this year is that the children of this year’s Christmas (and the many other holidays that fall at the end of the year) will never know the difficulties of multiple sclerosis (MS).
A Lost Decade of Research
When I was diagnosed back in 2001, the specialists really thought we’d be well on the way to knowing the cause of MS and curing it within 10 years. But by 2011, when that cure for MS should ...
Source: Life with MS - December 29, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis Living with MS MS and family MS Cure multiple sclerosis cure research Source Type: blogs
The Powers and Dangers of Self-Diagnosis
Over the past few weeks, I have been feeling rather ill. My digestive system has been very upset, leading to an overall feeling of lethargy, nausea, and overall unease.
As a pretty good student of my own body, I ran a few diagnostics. Okay, I really just took my temperature to make sure it wasn’t an infection of some sort. But I did start analyzing when I began to feel ill and what might have changed in that time.
I’m currently subjecting myself to eliminating certain items in my diet to see if any foods may be at the root of my symptoms.
While I am doing this as scientifically as I can, I am not a medical profession...
Source: Life with MS - December 21, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis MS doctors Symptom management trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
The Importance of Stretching With Multiple Sclerosis
I’ve said in more than one blog that I consider myself to be a healthy person who happens to live with multiple sclerosis (MS). “Healthy,” perhaps, but lately I’ve found myself significantly out of shape.
With all that 2016 has brought upon me, I decided to ask my wife, Caryn, for help in getting onto a stretching program to help with the things that MS has thrown my way.
How to Stretch With MS
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has set out the following guidelines for people with MS as we get into a stretching routine:
Stretch on a daily basis, as much as is possible.
Include muscle groups that are ti...
Source: Life with MS - December 15, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis life with MS Living with MS MS doctors MS Fitness trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
New Research: Could Our Own Myelin Be Triggering MS?
I once asked, in a video here on Everyday Health, how I “caught” multiple sclerosis. Many of us wonder why or how it is that MS started attacking our systems. Our hope is that knowing this could lead to more effective treatments and even a cure.
Well, researchers from Australia’s University of Wollongong may have stumbled onto a discovery with major implications as to the cause of multiple sclerosis while looking at the building blocks of myelin, the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects nerve fibers in the central nervous system.
Myelin Different in People With MS
The study, published in Acta Neuropathologica...
Source: Life with MS - December 7, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis MS Cure MS treatment research Source Type: blogs
Where MS and Depression Overlap
Multiple sclerosis can, as we all know too well, affect every part of the body that is controlled by the central nervous system. That means it can affect every part of the body.
The way in which MS attacks the brain, coupled with our system’s way of fighting back, can also lead to clinical depression.
I’m not talking about feeling sad and gloomy; I’m talking about a chemical imbalance brought on by many factors of life, and about MS causing a serious mental health condition called depression.
It’s important to realize when what you’re feeling is not just your MS — and when it may be time to look for help.
Is ...
Source: Life with MS - November 29, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis community Living with MS MS and family MS symptoms trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
10 Ways to Avoid Becoming Invisible With an Invisible Disease
My name is Trevis L. Gleason, and I live with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that can affect all aspects of life — the visible and the invisible.
I must admit to you that this post was begun as a lament about the very real prospect of becoming invisible to the world around me, as a result of having a relatively invisible disease. I have seen many friends fade away into the mist of chronic illness, and I felt myself slipping into the edges of that same mist.
There is much that I am no longer able to do at all or as well as I once did. Consequently, it sometimes fee...
Source: Life with MS - November 22, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis community life with MS Living with MS MS and family ms community trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
It ’s Time to Check in With Yourself
Every month, we try to do a little check-in with one another (and ourselves) to see how our MS symptoms are acting that day. We’ve been doing this for a long time — nearly as long as the Life with Multiple Sclerosis blog has been running. It’s a place to gauge our disease and how it’s acting compared to past reports.
Sometimes we’re better, sometimes not so much.
It’s also a time when we can bring up topics for further discussion. While we’ve noticed the vast majority of our comments switching to social media, the monthly check-in still garners many contributors’ thoughts each time we do it. This po...
Source: Life with MS - November 10, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis life with MS Living with MS MS symptoms trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
There ’s Value in Being an Expert Patient
It’s not often that I think of myself as an MS “patient.”
Like many of you, I try to think of myself as a person living with multiple sclerosis. I’m not afflicted by it, I’m not an “MSer” (though I do understand why many identify with this moniker), and please don’t ever call me an MS sufferer.
Not to be politically correct about it, but I’m only an MS patient when I’m in the direct care of my medical team.
Yesterday, I was in to see my general practitioner (GP) about a health issue almost completely unrelated to my multiple sclerosis. Our discussion about my general health turned to MS and his ability...
Source: Life with MS - November 8, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis MS Around the Globe MS treatment Newly diagnosed trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
A Kidney Stone Plus Old MS Symptoms Try My Patience
I don’t remember exactly where I heard or read a phrase about being the beneficiary of other people’s patience. I do seem to remember that it was in a negative context and that it had to do with the decline of existence.
Something like, “with nothing left but to be the beneficiary of other people’s patience…”
I’m beginning to think that, while I hope that I am far from such a place, perhaps I should be a bit more patient with myself.
Last month, after a particularly busy run of things, I was hit by a kidney stone. The sharp little bugger took some time to pass, and I must admit that when it did...
Source: Life with MS - November 6, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: ehadmin Tags: multiple sclerosis Source Type: blogs
The Beneficiary of Other Peoples ’ Patience
I don’t remember exactly where I heard or read the phrase with which I title today’s blog post. I do seem to remember that it was in negative context and that it had to do with the decline of existence. Something like ‘with nothing left but to be the beneficiary of other people’s patience…’
I’m beginning to think that, while I hope that I am far from such a place, perhaps I should be a bit more patient with myself.
Last month, after a particularly busy run of things, I was hit by a kidney stone. The sharp little bugger took some time to pass and I must admit that when it did I was left feeling quite dim...
Source: Life with MS - November 3, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis Everyday Health life with MS Living with MS MS and family MS fatigue trevis gleason Source Type: blogs
Why I ’m Considering Low-dose Naltrexone for My MS
Ever since my post of last week stating that I was ready to get back on a disease modifying therapy for my MS, I’ve been hearing from our Life With MS community about that decision. Most are supportive. Some believe I am making a mistake. The greatest number of specific suggestions are that I look into low-dose Naltrexone (LDN) as an option.
It’s been a number of years since we conversed on the topic of LDN. I’ve continued to monitor the progress of research as results have become available and my opinion of LDN as a disease modifying therapy for MS has not changed.
I do not believe that evidence proves that i...
Source: Life with MS - October 28, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis community life with MS Living with MS MS treatment multiple sclerosis clinical trials Source Type: blogs
The Most Cost-Effective MS Drug Is the One That Works
A couple of weeks ago, I was honored to emcee the annual Living Well With MS conference for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland. Day one was for medical professionals, and day two was attended by the MS community. The presenters and topics for both days were the same, with only a little medical jargon changed for the second day’s presentations.
In his presentation (video available here), Gavin Giovannoni, PhD, spoke of the importance of saving the brain’s cognitive reserves — at least in part by treating multiple sclerosis early and aggressively.
One of the things that struck me from his talk was the com...
Source: Life with MS - October 19, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis MS Around the Globe MS Cure MS treatment multiple sclerosis clinical trials Source Type: blogs
Multiple Sclerosis Has Made Me a One-Armed Man
In my early days in the U.S. Coast Guard, I learned to carry things in my left hand. It’s important to have your right hand free to salute when you’re in the military, you see.
For years now, with multiple sclerosis (MS) doing its deeds to my left side, I’ve had to fill that right hand with a cane to aid my walking.
As I get on with my daily living, I’ve found that this constant handful of walking stick has effectively rendered me one-armed if I want to get anywhere.
Now of course, literally I have two arms and two hands. But it’s a bit of a pain that the hand occupied with my walking is the stronger of the t...
Source: Life with MS - October 12, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis Living with MS Symptom management Source Type: blogs
‘Clinic Speak’ Helps People With Multiple Sclerosis Take Control
The past couple of weeks have been exhausting for me, but at the same time, I’ve been rejuvenated with great information about living our lives with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Two weekends ago I was at MS Life 2016, an event in London for people with MS and their families, and this past weekend I attended two days of presentations (one for healthcare providers and the other for people living with MS) as part of MS Ireland’s annual patient conference.
The presenters at both of these events have given me mounds to digest regarding medical research, coping strategies, and advice on general well-being. I intend to share...
Source: Life with MS - September 27, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis life with MS Living with MS multiple sclerosis clinical trials research Source Type: blogs
Recipes for Successful Entertaining With MS: Start With Eggs!
After I posted about my cooking demonstrations at MS Life 2016, I received a number of requests for the recipes I’d shared at that event. So I thought I’d share those with you today. These recipes are easy, fast to prepare, and suitable for entertaining.
I know that the act of having someone over for a meal can be daunting for many of us with multiple sclerosis (MS) when we think about expense, fatigue, and coordination issues. But not having others over, especially if we used to entertain at home, can contribute to our social isolation.
The three recipes included here can be used for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinn...
Source: Life with MS - September 22, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevis Gleason Tags: multiple sclerosis life with MS Living with MS MS and family MS fatigue Source Type: blogs
