“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” -Ralph Ellison, “Invisible Man” I’m 5 foot 8. Half of my head is shaved. I wear bold makeup and jewelry. I’m hard to miss. And yet somehow, I have managed to (quite literally) stumble upon the secret to attaining one of the superpowers I’d mentioned in another…
Flying My Fatigue Flag
I tried not to make eye contact with her in the elevator while I pushed the button for the floor directly above us. I knew that it was bound to happen sooner or later, and I hoped that by not looking at her, she wouldn’t engage. But it did happen. It only happened just that…
A Leg to Stand On
Allow me to introduce you to Devin Stratton, a 25-year-old Utah man who captured himself on video accidentally falling off a 150-foot cliff while skiing. Horrifying, right? He surely didn’t survive and, if he did, he’s probably paralyzed or hooked up to countless machines keeping him alive… right? Nope. Devin walked away uninjured, without so…
Choose Your Own Adventure: A Day in the Life
One of my favorite books when I was a kid was a Choose Your Own Adventure book, in which I chased Carmen Sandiego all over the globe. Paragraph by paragraph, I decided what my next move would be in order to find her. It was fun and, without me knowing it at the time, it…
Not ______ Enough
I will never forget the first time I felt “less than.” I was onstage and in costume, ready to perform for the very first time at the local Greek festival. Our dance troupe director was welcoming the audience and explaining the origin of our opening number. The girl standing next to me in line started to…
The Last Laugh
My heart is in my stomach. My mouth is dry and he’s standing there, almost bracing himself, scanning my face for a reaction. But I am numb — not in the tingly MS way, but I’m briefly stunned, mentally and emotionally. My husband has just revealed to me that a longtime friend of his, someone he trusted in…
Helping Others to Understand
“I’m exhausted.” “Oh, me too! I know exactly how you feel! I went to bed really late and haven’t had my coffee yet!” How many times have you been stumped in describing how you’re feeling, simply because you don’t know how to respond in a way in which a non-MSer can relate? We sometimes use metaphors like spoons…
New – Theory
What’s next in remyelination therapy? Remyelination substances currently under observation include the following (see Multiple Sclerosis Journal for details): New imaging technologies are under development to measure remyelination efficacy, including: diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) magnetized transfer imaging (MTI) myelin water fraction imaging (MWF) positron emission tomography (PET) The authors of “Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis –…
Diet
In demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), the failure to remyelinate contributes to axonal damage1, a major factor in persistent disability. Remyelination failure can be attributed partially to an insufficient capacity of resident oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) to proliferate, migrate, differentiate and initiate myelin membrane growth2,3. There is now good evidence to implement therapies…
Repair of MS Brain Damage May be Possible
Repair Of Multiple Sclerosis Brain Damage May Be Possible Published Thursday 1 November 2012 By Catharine Paddock PhDIn what they describe to the press as a “life-changer” for millions of people with the disease, researchers in the US report this week a study where they discovered blocking an enzyme in the brain may help repair…