Living With MS Episodes

The logistics involved in traveling can be cumbersome, and that's twice as true if you're living with MS. Mobility issues and other special requirements can make travel challenging. But whether you're out exploring the world or just checking into a local hotel for a pampered staycation, travel can add so much to your quality of life. My guest on the podcast is Tarita Davenock. It's been 20 years since Tarita's MS diagnosis. And today, Tarita is the CEO of Travel For All, a travel agency that emb...

We're into the final few days of National Family Caregivers Month, and my guest on the podcast is Scott Williams, Vice President, Head of Global Patient Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships at EMD Serono. We're talking with Scott about EMD Serono's commitment to MS caregivers. We're also talking about creating a caregiver protocol that becomes part of the conversation in the neurologist's office as soon as someone is newly diagnosed with MS. We'll tell you about the FDA's new warning about stopp...

I've received some great questions from some of my listeners. And this week, Cherie Binns, an Internationally Certified MS Nurse and the co-chair of the iConquerMS Research committee, is joining me to answer listener questions. She's even going to share some of her tips for living well with MS! We'll also explain why the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to sports arenas, but not to your doctor's office. We'll tell you about an outdoor adventure organization for young adults with cancer t...

Caregiving carries a lot of challenges. And for some people, it can feel overwhelming. So, what are the things that make being a caregiver for someone living with a chronic illness like MS so challenging? We're kicking off National Family Caregivers Month with my guest, Dr. Amy Sullivan, Director of Behavioral Medicine, Research and Training at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic, and we're talking about how to best navigate some of the challenges that go along with...

Cognitive dysfunction can profoundly affect people living with MS, yet it's frequently overlooked and left untreated. That's why the National MS Society convened a working group of world-class experts to explore how cognitive dysfunction was being assessed and to develop a set of guidelines designed to improve the process of cognitive screening and management in MS care. My guest is Dr. John DeLuca, the Senior Vice-President of Research & Training at the Kessler Foundation, and the co-author of...

A lot of people visit the RealTalk MS website to listen to each podcast episode. I wanted to make that easier to do, so last week I released the RealTalk MS app for iOS or Android smartphones and tablets. The app will always have the latest episode of RealTalk MS cued up and ready for you to listen to, and it also lets me share all kinds of bonus content with you. Head to the Apple App Store to download the iOS version of the app, or the Google Play Store to download the Android version of the ...

The RealTalk MS podcast is celebrating its one-year anniversary this week! And to kick off our 2nd year, I'm launching the RealTalk MS app! You can download the iOS version of the app from the Apple App Store, and you can download the Android version from the Google Play Store. The app is free, and it's the very best (and easiest!) way for you to connect to the podcast. And the RealTalk MS app will allow me to share free bonus content with you. So in the weeks and months ahead, I'll be sharing v...

I spent this past weekend attending the iConquer MS Leadership Summit in Boston. iConquer MS is a people-powered research network created by the Accelerated Cure Project for MS. Instead of just asking people with MS to provide data, iConquer MS is driven by people living with MS, and it represents a new paradigm of building collaborative partnerships to solve big healthcare questions. This past spring, I had an in-depth conversation with Dr. Robert McBurney, CEO of the Accelerated Cure Project ...

My guest on the podcast is Mitch Sturgeon. Mitch is an award-winning blogger, and with the publication of his book, Enjoying the Ride: Two Generations of Tragedy and Triumph, Mitch is a published author, as well. In 2001, Mitch was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS. He was 35 years old at the time, and that was the same age that Mitch's mother was when she took a fall that left her a quadriplegic. Mitch's book is more than just a reflection of his MS journey. It's a story about a family wit...

Part of the unpredictability of multiple sclerosis is that it can attack in so many different ways. MS can impact your physical well-being, your emotional well-being, your functional abilities and your quality of life. And if your response to MS is to be seen by a single healthcare professional, some of those many aspects of MS can end up being overlooked and, sometimes, even unrecognized. And so they go untreated. That's why the best approach to treating MS is a team approach. My guest is Dr. ...