MS News

Staying Cool

By Ashley Ringstaff

It’s getting to be ‘that time of year’ for most of us, where it is getting warmer and warmer. For myself and many others, the heat is very difficult to manage when you have MS. Being in Central Texas, I wanted to share some tips/tricks that I’ve learned over the years, on how to ‘beat the heat’ so to day.


Migraines!

By Kara Friesen

Migraines are horrible! If you’ve ever had one, you already know this. If you haven’t ever had one…consider yourself lucky.

Can I just tell you what a migraine is not? A migraine is not just a bad headache. People like to throw the word ‘migraine’ around a lot, and that’s not fair.


Spring Cleaning

It’s that time of the year again… while the weather is (in most areas) very nice out; everyone tends to begin their “spring cleaning”. Spring-cleaning is already a very hectic task, adding Multiple Sclerosis and other chronic illnesses make it even more difficult.

I’ve come to realize that living in a warmer state, Texas, that I should really do Winter Cleaning, instead of Spring Cleaning, but I always tend to forget about it… joys of the memory loss. So I thought I would share some tips & tricks I’ve gathered over the years.

 


ACTRIMS 2017 Hot Topics

The ACTRIMS 2017 Conference took place in Orlando, Florida from February 23-25.

ACTRIMS Stands for Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. ACTRIMS is a community of leaders from the United States and Canada who are dedicated to the treatment and research in MS and other demyelinating diseases. ACTRIMS focuses on knowledge dissemination, education and collaboration among disciplines. ACTRIMS also provides a forum for experienced and newer clinicians and researchers to exchange information, debate current issues and discuss advances related to basic research and clinical issues.

 


A Look At 2016

Do you ever find that when you think about what has happened in the past year, you can’t remember? Maybe it’s the MS cog fog talking, but I find myself sitting here and thinking, “did I even do ANYTHING in 2016? Did anything even happen??”

And so, I thought it would be nice to do a recap – a look at the past year – what happened in the world of MS Cure Fund in 2016?

 


MS and the Holidays (Tips & Tricks!)

The Holidays are upon us… I love the Holiday’s, but as we all know it can be VERY stressful. With all the shopping, planning, wrapping, so many activities going on… the list can go on and on, really.

When we talk about what we want for Christmas, I think it’s pretty safe to say that in the world of being an MS patient, all we want for Christmas is a cure for Multiple Sclerosis!! Right??

However, since that unfortunately can’t be bought in a store, and there isn’t a known cure for MS yet, I thought I would go through some things that can help with different MS symptoms, and different tips and tricks that you can try – and some that you CAN buy in a store!

 


MS & Things People Should NOT Say

**Originally Published on MultipleSclerosis.net**

I think we have all dealt with people making comments, or just doing something that is bothersome to us, when discussing our MS… or if it gets brought up at random… I’ve had some people tell me that I talk about my MS too much. Well, this was when I was first diagnosed and I was going through a LOT of changes, how could I NOT talk about MS a lot? But as time went on, and when I was having discussions with family, friends and sometimes-just acquaintances, there were things said or done that really bothered me and I had to bite my tongue and just nod and let it roll off my shoulder. So, just to vent, and hopefully provide something useful for others to consider when speaking to someone with MS, I’ve made a list of things that should NOT be said to someone with multiple sclerosis.


Know Your Limits

Living in the middle of Canada (where some might call it the Arctic…I promise it’s not that bad), we don’t have a very long summer. However, the summer season is DEFINITELY long enough for me!! Thankfully it’s Fall now, and with the leaves changing color (my favorite!), comes the cooler weather.

One of the biggest symptoms I deal with when it comes to Multiple Sclerosis, is heat intolerance. My legs quit working, my brain quits working, and more often than not, I end up with a migraine. And it’s not even that hot here! Well, compared to places like Texas. I don’t know how “y’all” survive down there! When it gets to be 30 degrees here (Celsius…so roughly 90 degrees Fahrenheit), I refuse to be outside for an extended period of time. In fact, sometimes I refuse to go outside at all. It’s just too hot. I know that if I force myself to be outside for an extended period of time, it will ruin me.

 


Preparing for an Appointment

I don’t know about everyone else, but when it comes time for a doctor’s appointment, it can sometimes be chaotic. There are so many things that you are asked, and with an MS memory, I don’t remember much.

I wanted to share these little tips and tricks on how I prepare for a Doctor’s appointment. One of the first things I’m asked to fill out, is my medication list. This is common for almost any form of doctor you go and see.

 


Brain Training

Hey Everyone,

I normally write about physical exercise and how it helps me thrive, but this month I thought I’d talk about the benefits of mental exercise.   The term “use it or lose it” applies to everyone, but particularly to those of us with neurodegenerative diseases such as MS.   As plaque appears in our brains, the neural pathways through those areas get tangled and diminished and the problem may result in cognitive change.   All is not lost however, if we can actively work on finding ways around the plaques.