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6 days ago | 
rarediseaseadvisor.com | Ed Tobias
Have you ever looked at a research paper and thought, “Why in the world did they waste time and money on that?” I saw one of those reports the other day about multiple sclerosis (MS) fatigue and life quality. The news was headlined “Fatigue significantly contributes to impaired well-being in MS.”The Finnish researchers studied data from more than 500 patients with MS.
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1 week ago | 
rarediseaseadvisor.com | Ed Tobias
I’m writing this from Deck 14 on the cruise ship Celebrity Beyond. Cruising isn’t new to me, but it’s often a challenge because of my multiple sclerosis (MS) mobility problems. This trip hasn’t been any different. I try to plan for all possibilities, of course. Accessible stateroom? Check. Confirm that onshore excursions can handle me with my scooter. Check. Prescription Scopolamine patches to wear behind my ear to prevent seasickness? Check.
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3 weeks ago | 
multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com | Lindsey Shapiro |Ed Tobias
Natasha Quariab relaxes in her garden in Amman, Jordan, in 2023. (Photos courtesy of Natasha Quariab) Day 29 of 31This is Natasha Quariab’s story:I woke up and tried to move my right leg. Nothing. My heart pounded. This couldn’t be happening. Not here, alone in a snowy Swiss village. The previous day, I had walked to the village square, feeling my leg grow heavier with each step. I convinced myself it was exhaustion, but now, lying in bed, I knew better.
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1 month ago | 
rarediseaseadvisor.com | Ed Tobias
I’ve never been someone who eats healthy meals. I didn’t as a child, and I’m not much better as a 76-year-old man. Research, over the years, has shown that there could be a connection between my meals and my multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, a new study, by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, adds more weight to that possibility.
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1 month ago | 
multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com | Leigh Nelson |Ed Tobias |Mary M. Chapman
I flew to Detroit for work this month, then on to Phoenix to see my parents, and then back home to Kansas City, Missouri. But traveling by airplane has gotten more complicated for me because of my multiple sclerosis (MS). I don’t need assistive devices, so I know my situation could be significantly more difficult, and for that, I’m thankful. In light of those complications, though, I’ve changed my preparation and in-flight activities to make the experience more manageable.
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1 month ago | 
rarediseaseadvisor.com | Ed Tobias
I usually get 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night but never wake up refreshed; it’s a multiple sclerosis (MS) thing. And I’ve been living with it for decades. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society reports that about 80% of people with MS experience fatigue that is different from that of a healthy person. It may last longer, gets worse as the day goes on, and needs more recovery time. We may nap in mid-day or fall asleep watching the 6 o’clock news.
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1 month ago | 
multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com | Susan Payrovi |Jamie Hughes |Benjamin Hofmeister |Ed Tobias
I was driving home the other day when something in my rearview mirror caught my attention: A giant pickup truck had flipped over in the fast lane of the highway. It did not look good. I pulled over on the left shoulder and ran to help, completely forgetting the back injury I’d been nursing for nine months. The next few minutes lasted an eon as I worked with a few others to kick in the window to drag the semiconscious driver out of the back seat of the now mangled truck.
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2 months ago | 
rarediseaseadvisor.com | Ed Tobias
Over my 4 decades living with multiple sclerosis (MS), I’ve had dozens of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams. Almost all of them were done using a contrast agent (often called a dye) containing gadolinium, injected into a vein. That agent traveled to my brain, enhancing areas of active MS inflammation that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to see on the scan. But there’s a concern.
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2 months ago | 
multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com | Leigh Nelson |Marisa Wexler |Ed Tobias |Marta C. Figueiredo
My husband and I are both considering early retirement. We’d discussed it for the past five years but hadn’t made any firm decisions. Last month, we decided that we needed to get serious about planning for it. We met with a financial adviser for retirement planning advice at our investment firm. The meeting lasted about an hour. Lots of questions were asked of us and lots of numbers were discussed.
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2 months ago | 
multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com | Ed Tobias |Andrea Lobo |Steve Bryson
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with oxybutynin. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. A few years ago, I spent the summer at my mom’s apartment because I’d been living in college dorms and my semester had ended, so I couldn’t stay on campus. That summer, I began having bladder problems associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), but at the time, I didn’t know its cause. I thought it was all in my head.
