Foreword xxi

Introduction 1

Part I: When MS Becomes Part of Your Life 7

Chapter 1: Meeting MS Face to Face 9

Chapter 2: So, Doc, What Do I Have? Getting a Diagnosis 25

Chapter 3: You Have MS — So Now What? 37

Chapter 4: Getting the Right Players on Your Healthcare Team 53

Part II: Taking Charge of Your MS 67

Chapter 5: Developing a Plan to Take Charge of Your MS69

Chapter 6: Managing the Disease Course and Treating Relapses 77

Chapter 7: Managing Fatigue, Walking Problems, Visual Changes, and Tremor 99

Chapter 8: Handling Problems with Bladder and Bowel Function, Pain, Speech and Swallowing, and Sex 119

Chapter 9: Getting Your Head around Problems with Mood and Thinking 141

Chapter 10: Considering Complementary and Alternative Medicine157

Part III: Staying Healthy and Feeling Well 171

Chapter 11: Paying Attention to Your Health — It's Not All about MS 173

Chapter 12: Handling Stress without Giving Up Your Life 185

Chapter 13: Coping with Progressive Forms of MS 197

Part IV: Managing Lifestyle Issues 213

Chapter 14: Presenting Your MS Face to the World 215

Chapter 15: Making MS a Part of the Family 227

Chapter 16: And Baby Makes Three, Four, or More: Planning a Family around Your MS 247

Chapter 17: Parenting: It Wasn’t Easy Before You Had MS! 257

Part V: Creating Your Safety Nets 273

Chapter 18: Keeping Your Place in the Workforce 275

Chapter 19: Getting a Grip on Insurance 289

Chapter 20: Planning for a Future with MS 303

Part VI: The Part of Tens 315

Chapter 21: Ten MS Myths Debunked 317

Chapter 22: Ten Questions about Exciting Leads in MS Research 321

Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Trouble-Free Travel 325

Glossary 329

Index 343