Making sense of MS
"Even with forced rest breaks and scheduling tasks around my MS, I still have a way of falling asleep in the most unusual poses and ways. If I were to introduce you to my mum, she could keep you up all night with my falling asleep antics. Of course, she’d still be talking to you, while I ungracefully slump over, drop books, am asleep within the first 3 to 5 minutes, sleep through loud fireworks, airplanes or my own house alarm blaring loudly. Like my nana always used to say, “When you do something, you have to do it properly.”
News: July 2014
A lot of news on the research front in July, which can only be good. It’s a joy, relief as well as hope that one of those research projects or trials might lead to longer periods of remission, and perhaps a return to lesser disability for those with primary and secondary forms of multiple sclerosis. So let’s keep fingers, toes, eye lashes and anything else crossed that can be crossed. A lot of people with severe MS deserve at least that. Remember, 2.3 million people with MS globally is staggering. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Research results Human Stem Cells Effectively Treat Multiple Sclerosis in Mice Models HCPLive – Embryonic stem cells are a potentially viable treatment option for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to research published online…
People with disabilities aren’t broken
"Being chronically ill, physically or mentally, not everyone is less intelligent or less capable. It doesn't make you any less, and it doesn't change your core values."
Wonder Woman Syndrome
"Having dissenting views on the verb ‘to pace,’ it is one I need to add seriousness as well as a lot more thought into. Having a Wonder Woman Syndrome is a term I sometimes carry with pride."
Kids? Not right now, please…
Children and multiple sclerosis? Although life was good in my last relationship, I secretly decided that having children would probably not be on my list of things to do. Not because of the lack of love, but because I didn’t want to pass on my illness to my future son or daughter. When we eventually talked about possibly mixing my illness with his screaming babies and hectic lifestyle, I realised that in quiet, I made the right decision. Being broody comes with being female, and despite my decision, I still get broody sometimes. If it wasn’t for MS, I absolutely would’ve wanted children. One of the few nice things about being chronically ill and being childless is however, when looking after children of friends and family, you can give their…
The social swing of life
"It’s easy for relationships to become frayed because people interpret your life from their own 2-D perspective on a laptop, smartphone or tablet, and not from shared, interpersonal communication or experiences. Perhaps active listening has become unintentional hearing. Feeling compassion every so often turns to judging."
MS News: June 2014
Research results Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Linked to Regional Brain Damage Multiple Sclerosis News Today – Fatigue, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, could be a result of regional damage in the brain. Multiple sclerosis Reactivation of Epstein–Barr or herpes viruses not associated with MS relapse Nature.com – Infection with the Epstein–Barr virus or human herpesvirus 6 is associated with the initial onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) SLU researchers see possible answer to chemo pain in a multiple sclerosis drug Science Codex – A medication called FTY720 (Gilenya) is FDA-approved as a therapy for multiple sclerosis. Researchers publish one of the longest longitudinal studies of cognition in multiple sclerosis Medical Xpress – The article, “Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: An 18-year follow-up study,” was epublished by Multiple Sclerosis and Related…