Living with MS: Maintain Your Quality of Life
In terms of multiple sclerosis (MS), the phrase “quality of life” means different things to different people. For example, what’s important in your life may differ from what’s important in someone else’s [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: What is Long-Term Care?
In regard to multiple sclerosis (MS), the term long-term care refers to a wide range of services designed to help you or a family member carry out daily life activities. These services run the gamut from [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: Exploring Long-Term Care Options
Over the years, many, many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have asked, “Am I going to end up in a nursing home?” Like everyone else, you probably find the idea of long-term care to be really scary. [more…]
Tips for MS Care Partners
Particularly as a person’s multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses, the medical team’s focus will increasingly be on his or her medical, psychological, and social needs. So you may find yourself feeling “out [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Doctors Are Not Mind Readers
You’re a key player in your multiple sclerosis (MS) care. Neither the neurologic exam nor an MRI can tell the doctor everything that’s going on in your body. This means that even the most experienced of [more…]
Living with MS: Stay Connected with Other People
Whether or not you have multiple sclerosis, most social interactions are built around shared activities and interests. So, when MS challenges these activities, your social relationships may be challenged [more…]
Living with MS: Keep Your Self-Image Well-Polished
People with more advanced multiple sclerosis (MS) may begin to question their value to themselves and others. They may start to lose sight of who they are and what they have to offer as the disease takes [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Handling “How Are You?”
People ask the question “How are you?” many times a day, often without even thinking about it. However, now when you hear it, it may not feel like such a simple question any more. When someone asks you [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Fielding the “But You Look So Good!” Comment
Just when you’re hoping that the important people in your life get what you’re saying about your multiple sclerosis (MS), you’re likely to hear this very common response from family members, friends, and [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Responding to Unsolicited Advice
Whether you want it or not, you’re likely to get a lot of advice from people about multiple sclerosis (MS) and how to take care of yourself and manage your life. Many patients report that they’re always [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Silence Doesn’t Always Mean Someone Doesn’t Care
Sometimes people clam up when faced with an uncomfortable situation. For example, say you tell a good friend or colleague that you’ve been diagnosed with MS and you hear nothing from him or her but silence [more…]
Your MS is Part of You But Not All of You
If you become so preoccupied with your multiple sclerosis (MS) that it’s all you think or talk about, other people will follow your lead. They may happily talk about nothing but MS for a while, but eventually [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Disclosing to a Prospective Partner
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is typically diagnosed in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, when many people are looking for their significant others. Dating isn’t all that easy under the best of circumstances, so getting [more…]
MS Mobility Aids Can Aid More Than Just Your Mobility
Even though the decision to use a mobility aid is distressing for many people with multiple sclerosis (MS), using one is an effective way of letting the people around you know that you’re doing everything [more…]
Talking About Your MS: Communicating Your Needs
Even though you may feel like it some days, your multiple sclerosis (MS) isn’t written all over your face. Particularly if you’re dealing with any of the disease’s less visible symptoms, such as fatigue [more…]
Living with MS: Hold on to What’s Important to You
Unfortunately, some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a tendency to give up activities when they can no longer do them the way they used to. You may, for example, give up skiing because your balance [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: Tips for Effective Parenting
Parenting is never easy — it wasn’t a piece of cake before multiple sclerosis (MS) came along and it won’t be now. If you have MS and you’re raising kids, keep in mind some of the following strategies. [more…]
Common Family Reactions to Your MS Diagnosis
People who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) can have all sorts of reactions and feelings over the course of the disease. But you have to remember that all of these same feelings are shared [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: Communicating with Adult Family Members
Now that you’ve been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), family life may feel a little different — and you and your family may find talking to each other about it difficult. So, just at the point when [more…]
Enhance Communication about MS by Learning More
Clear communication about your multiple sclerosis (MS) is the best way to avoid confusion, resentment, and “I told you so” conversations down the line. To enhance your communication, you need to get better [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: Tips to Encourage Open Communication
Whether you have multiple sclerosis (MS) or not, communication is a complex process, so don’t expect to be a pro right off the bat — most people aren’t. To get started, here are some tips for communicating [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: How to Manage Family Energy and Time
One of the big complaints about multiple sclerosis (MS) is that it takes a lot of time and effort. For the person with MS, the drain on time and effort is more obvious — it may take longer, with a greater [more…]
Multiple Sclerosis: How to Keep the Family Rhythm Going
Unfortunately, multiple sclerosis (MS) can disrupt your family’s rhythm just the way that having weekend visitors temporarily changes the way you do things. But, because this visitor isn’t going home, [more…]
Keep the Intimacy Alive When You Have MS
Just because you have multiple sclerosis (MS), it doesn’t mean you have to give up intimacy. When the word “intimacy” is used these days, everyone tends to assume it’s all about sex. But, there’s definitely [more…]
When Your Partner Becomes Your MS Caregiver
Maintaining a healthy partnership can become especially difficult if multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses significantly. The more disabled a person with MS becomes, the more involved the partner is likely [more…]
