Past Episodes

March 28th is Progressive MS Day, a day that offers an opportunity for people affected by MS, patient advocates, healthcare providers, governments, and industry to share stories online and show their support for people living with progressive forms of MS. My wife, Jeanne, lived with progressive MS for 23 years, so this day holds a special significance for me. Joining me to talk about what Progressive MS Day is all about is my friend, Kevin Reid. Kevin was diagnosed with MS in 2002 and, for the ...

We often discuss the results of MS research studies on this podcast. In order to get to those results, people living with MS have to step up and volunteer to participate. This week, you'll meet Chiquita Shepard-Knight and Earl Sneed, two participants in the TEAAMS study. Chiquita and Earl will discuss how they discovered the TEAAMS study, what motivated them to get involved, what their experience as study participants was like, and what the results of the study were for them. We'll also take y...

Vision impairment is a key symptom of multiple sclerosis. In fact, many people experience optic neuritis as the very first sign of MS. People living with MS may also experience other vision-related issues including internuclear ophthalmoplegia, diplopia, nystagmus, oscillopsia, and reading fatigue. Dr. Shiv Saidha joins me as we take a deep dive into strategies for navigating MS-related vision issues while managing and optimizing your vision. Dr. Saidha is a professor of neurology in the Divisi...

When people living with MS think about rehabilitation, they often think of physical therapy. And, while physical therapy is an important part of MS rehabilitation, our conversation today goes far beyond physical therapy. Doctors Deborah Backus and Brad Willingham, from the Shepherd Center, join me as we take a deep dive into next-level potentially life-changing rehabilitation tools for people living with MS. Dr. Backus is the Vice-President of Research and Innovation at the Shepherd Center. Sh...

A couple of terms have found their way into the MS lexicon and they have left some people living with MS feeling confused and even frightened. If you've been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS and you've always assumed that disease progression only occurs at the time of a relapse, you may be wondering what progression independent of relapse activity, or PIRA, means and how it may or may not impact your MS journey. And if you are someone whose MS seems relatively stable and well-managed, you ...

You've probably heard me say more than once that the things people affected by MS want most -- access to quality healthcare, affordable prescription medications, and funding for MS research -- are, to a large extent, all functions of public policy. The people who decide whether we get these things are our elected officials. That's why advocacy is so critically important. The National MS Society's Public Policy Conference gets underway on March 4th, and joining me with a preview of this year's c...

We're all living longer and that includes people living with MS. And as they age, people with MS are asking new questions. Is there a need to stay on disease-modifying therapy after the age of 60? How do we know whether a new symptom is a symptom of MS or a symptom of aging? Does an additional age-related health condition make treating MS more difficult? Does treating MS make treating that new health condition more difficult? How can we best offset the social isolation that's often associated w...

When people living with MS find themselves unable to continue working due to disability, they turn to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). And when they do, many are surprised to find the long, winding, sometimes confusing road that lies ahead. This week, disability law expert Jamie Hall joins me to demystify the process of applying for SSDI benefits. Jamie specializes in social security and long-term disability law. And he, literally, wrote the book for the National MS Society on apply...

How, and to whom, should you disclose your MS at your job? And if you decide to disclose, is that information confidential? What does reasonable accommodation mean? If you need a day or two to bounce back after an infusion, is that part of your PTO? And what do you do when you no longer have days off available? If you're living with MS and you're employed, you absolutely need to know and understand your rights in the workplace. MS Navigator Christina Forster joins me to answer these questions a...

Living well with MS means learning to plan ahead. And, while planning ahead may not solve every issue that crosses your path, taking time to understand some of the details and making the right choices when it comes to your health insurance can make a huge difference in your MS care and treatment. MS Navigator and insurance resources specialist Carla Turechek joins me to share strategies for successfully navigating the health insurance maze with a minimum number of "surprises." We're also shari...