Multiple Sclerosis Expert Mandy Crest shares Multiple Sclerosis management news and commentary at MultipleSclerosisCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078 http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078 http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/37472/good Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:30:00 -0400 Mandy Crest Question: What do you do if you are disabled, and you cannot gain entry into a retail store, restaurant, hotel, or other public building? How about if, once you get inside, you find that you cannot take full advantage of services offered?Answer: You don’t patronize these businesses. You spend a lot of time at home, and your family and friends visit with you there.I understand the reluctance of business owners to funnel money into... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/37472/good http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/37476/people Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0400 Mandy Crest My daughter is dating a young man who is confined to a wheelchair as a result of spinal cord injury, and it has profoundly affected the way she sees the world.You see, Emily and I have lived quite a distance apart for the last several years. While she has witnessed some of my multiple sclerosis related disability, it has had only a minor impact on her view of life. In just a few months time with her new boyfriend, (let’s call him Derek)... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/37476/people http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/36793/ll-stay Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:30:00 -0400 Mandy Crest In the shower this morning, I rested for a moment on my shower chair. The warm water felt good and I felt secure on my chair. It’s always there when I need it and I rarely give it a thought these days. It amuses me now to remember how it hurt my pride to purchase it.After my first MS attacks, I was also reluctant to buy a cane. Owning one would make me handicapped. It would change everything, or so I thought at the time. It turned out that... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/36793/ll-stay http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/36795/regimen Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:08:00 -0400 Mandy Crest There are many degrees of friendship. There are the precious few with whom we share our innermost thoughts, there are casual buddies, and there are passing acquaintances. Where do online relationships fit in?If I read your blog and you read mine, does that qualify us on some level of friendship? We leave comments for each other, we lend our support, and we “listen” by reading. We give each other food for thought and share what... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/36795/regimen http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/36375/ms-work Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:01:00 -0400 Mandy Crest Lately there has been a lot of attention given to people who, in mid-life, are redefining themselves. Count me in.We all have different reasons for taking the plunge -- death in the family, divorce, loss of a job, health problems, or just plain dissatisfaction with our roles in life. For me, it was not the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, but the symptoms, which stopped me in my tracks. Early on, it became apparent that I would no longer be able... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/36375/ms-work http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/35905/tysabri Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0400 Mandy Crest An article in the August 1 edition of The Wall Street Journal reports that two patients treated with Tysabri have contracted progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) a potentially deadly brain infection. Neither patient has died.Tysabri was recalled in 2005 because of similar incidents, much to the dismay of many MS patients. At last, there was a new weapon and a new reason for hope in our war against MS. It has been back on the market... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/35905/tysabri http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/35788/backup Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0400 Mandy Crest Company is coming! Some out of town relatives are stopping in for a quick visit. They are embarking upon a twelve hour drive with two small children, so arrival time is anyone’s guess!At first, I was so excited by the prospect of this visit, that I got carried away with plans. I decided on a menu which would satisfy the adults as well as the children, planned out sleeping arrangements, and decided on the breakfast menu. Then I realized... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/35788/backup http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/35247/pausch Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:30:00 -0400 Mandy Crest "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I don't seem as depressed as I should be, sorry to disappoint you. I assure you I am not in denial. It's not like I'm not aware of what's going on..."Dr. Randy Pausch, when diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, decided to celebrate life with us rather than focus on his own death.Professor Pausch, who died last Friday, will live on in our hearts and minds. His uplifting... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/35247/pausch http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/34977/health Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:10:00 -0400 Mandy Crest You see the ads in magazines and you see them on late night television. If you surf the internet for “multiple sclerosis,” you are inundated with them. “What your doctor won't tell you... there IS a cure for MS... this supplement will get you out of that wheelchair!”The videos are there for all the world to see. The patient so disabled by MS that he can barely lift a finger. After taking this or that treatment or... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/34977/health http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/34655/disabl Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:34:00 -0400 Mandy Crest Marriam-Webster OnLine defines the word disabled as: “incapacitated by illness or injury; also : physically or mentally impaired in a way that substantially limits activity especially in relation to employment or education”Am I disabled? Are you? The definition sounds fairly cut and dry, but when I try to apply it to my own life, things get a little fuzzy.  At this particular moment in time, there is no question about it. I... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/67078/34655/disabl