Oral Medication

Okay, pills for MS are not yet available, but they are coming soon. Soon is a word we hear about medical trials quite often. We do not know exactly when soon means, but we are closer than ever before.

There are five, yes, five different possibilities of oral medications in trials at this time. The first two approved will probably be cladrbrine and fingolimad. Familiar names — coming soon to a pharmacist near you.

Many of us with MS have been waiting for these two oral medications to reach the market. When it happens, I hope there are plenty of pills and that they make a difference in our lives!

My Card for You

For the Christmas Tree, Garry used IFL Labs software for the fractal and Jasc animation software for the animation.

Pioneers in Research

The University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) is one of 23 schools nationwide to receive a grant from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), called Med to Grad, helping Ph.D students learn to move laboratory research to clinical trials.

Dr. Helen Yin started the program at UTSW, calling the participating students pioneers.

"This major grant from HHMI is a creative initiative that highlights the fundamental linkage among our core missions of education, research and patient care," said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern. "It will significantly further out highest priorities as an academic medical center committed to biomedical research and its translation into innovative patient care."

Research Studies

Want to volunteer for a medical research study?

UT Soutwestern sent a press release about ResearchMatch where volunteers can be matched — online — to a scientific research project, or clinical trial, for which they might qualify. The National Institute of Health gave UT Southwestern a grant to help quickly move laboratory discoveries into actual therapies.

This new allows the medical community "to cast a wider net into a deeper pool of potential subjects.” Both healthy people and those with illnesses and conditions can take advantage of this opportunity!

MS and Evils

One of my favorite online friends Michael B. Gerber doesn't write in his blog about MS, he writes about life. His happens to be a life with MS, so MS sneaks in there now and again. You may notice his blog "Perspective Is Everything" in my "Favorite MSer Sites" list.

Last week Michael sent me a story about medication and side effects. He asked if I had something to add, but it was good, as his writing is. I did, however, manage to throw in a word or two and make a change here or there. Read our post here: The Lesser of Two Evils

His is a blog certainly worth reading. While you're there, look around. Enjoy.

Pain and MS, Yes, It Hurts

I wrote a series of articles for Health Central on Pain and MS, covering the types of pain and treatments. These are general, just to give you an idea. I am sure there are some pains as well as some treatments that have been left out. Please let me know! The best idea is to talk with your doctor about any pain and how to treat it. Here is the article series —

Pain and MS

Is MS painless? When I was first diagnosed with MS, it was common for the MS literature to refer to it as a painless disease. I was dealing with a new diagnosis of a disease I did not yet understand and was wondering what else was wrong with me. Articles said MS didn't bring pain, but I was in pain. Many MSers know that... Read more

Pain and MS: Neuropathic Pain

There is pain in MS. It can be acute or chronic, generally categorized as neuropathic, musculoskeletal, or tertiary. Let's begin looking at details. Sometimes the nervous system does not function properly, and it actually becomes the cause of pain. Neuropathic (nervous disease) pain is the most common kind in MS. That... Read more

Pain and MS: Musculoskeletal Pain

There is pain in multiple sclerosis, with several categories that can be acute or chronic. My last article discussed neuropathic pain. Today, I am going to talk about details specific to musculoskeletal pain. Our musculoskeletal system -- bones, muscles, connective tissues -- provides our bodies with stability and movement.... Read more

Pain and MS: Tertiary Pain

It has been established that there is pain in MS. I have talked about neuropathic pain and musculoskeletal pain, which is generally considered secondary pain. Now it is time to talk about tertiary pain. Tertiary pain can be broadly defined as the social, vocational and psychological complications brought on by the primary and secondary symptoms.It... Read more

Pain and MS: MS Plus

If you have MS, pain may be a large part of it. What happens when someone has MS plus another disorder that may cause pain. Are you at risk for other pain-causing conditions? I know - you have MS, isn't the MS enough? MS is enough, but life isn't fair, and contracting one condition does not reduce the chance of contracting another. Many blogs and... Read more

Pain and MS: Treatment

There is pain in MS. This series of articles has discussed that pain -- Neuropathic, Musculoskeletal, Tertiary, and MS Plus. Once the fact of pain has been accepted, the remaining question is how can that pain be stopped or reduced. Today, I am going to talk about traditional treatments for each of those pains discussed in the earlier posts. The... Read more

MS and Pain: Alternative Therapies

MS pain can be excruciating, frequent, inconvenient or heavy unending dullness. There are many traditional treatments that help to alleviate those pains. However, they don't always work and there is always someone who can't or just doesn't want to take too much medication. Some MSers are ready to try anything -- just to make the pain stop.Today, I... Read more

Pain and MS: Living with Pain

"The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it." ~C.C. Scott Today, I am concluding the series on pain in MS. Earlier, I talked about the fact that, until recently, pain was not even recognized as part of MS. Then I went into common types of pain, and both conventional and alternative treatments. Now it's time to find a... Read more

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Biking for MS

The National MS Society sponsors 100 bike events to raise funds for MS. All of the participating bikers have one destination — A World Free from MS! Sounds like a place I would like to go there one day. How about you?


My friend, my college roommate many years ago, has a friend who was ready to bike, so she dedicated her ride to me. We met only online. Georgia sent these fabulous pictures of her with her New Orleans team on their ride. Unfortuneately, they were unable to complete the ride as scheduled because of Louisiana's famous weather. Too bad.

They had fun and MS appreciates their contribution. Thanks, Georgia Kobos Thomas!

Health Central

Health Central is a network that provides information about 40 or more specific diseases and conditions. The information includes blogs and personal stories by people actually living with or touched by those conditions.I write for the multiple sclerosis section.

Each condition also has a section for questions -- any question -- answered by others who may have experience with the question topic.

Browse the site, share your stories or ask a question. I'll see you there!

MS Survey

Do you want a voice in MS research? Here's a chance.

Lisa Emrich of Brass and Ivory posted this yesterday and asked that we copy and post it. The link to the survey is included. It took me less than 10 minutes. There was no space specifically designated for comments, but I put them in the spaces provided for "other." Will they be read? I hope so.

Here is Lisa's post:

Share Your Thoughts on MS and Genetic Research!!

HereEarlier today, I was contacted by Virginia Hughes who is a freelance science writer with a special interest in genomics and disease, specifically autism and schizophrenia.

She is participating on an ethics panel at the 2009 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) conference on Personal Genomes. Virginia says that "they've ask me to comment on what I think is the current and future appetite for genetic testing among people who belong to various disorder advocacy organizations, such an MS organizations."

She is looking for solid numbers to include in her presentation, so created a survey about our thoughts on Multiple Sclerosis, Genomics, and Genetic Research.

The survey is simple - only eight short questions. Virginia would appreciate receiving at least one hundred responses so that the results might show some meaningful trends. Perhaps we could spread the word and get even more than that.

Please complete the survey and be sure to mention the MS blogs and groups where you often read MS-related information.

Thank you,

Lisa Emrich

Feel free to copy/paste this post in its entirety and post it on your blog and at your favorite MS forums, message boards, and social networks.

Living with MS

I got this from Mike Deegan on Facebook. It takes only one minute and is a good illustration of life with MS.