Can Do MS

MS often leads to changes in mood, cognition, and physical functioning, which can have a profound effect on your employment, vocation, and finances. This article provides tips for: - Proactive financial and vocational planning - Job accommodations and ways to maintain working even with symptoms - When and how to transition out of the workplace - Tips for going on disability

What is comprehensive care? Because multiple sclerosis changes over time and affects so many areas of a person’s health, getting the right healthcare treatment means creating a whole team to treat the whole person.

Can MS be invisible? With symptoms like fatigue, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, many people with MS are fighting battles that others can’t see.

As more people receive the COVID vaccine, we can begin to think about travel once again! Hear how Ed, who has been living with MS for more than 40 years, has been able to travel all over the world even as his disability has progressed.

Approximately 50% of people with MS experience changes in mood, including depression and anxiety. At the same time, about two-thirds of people experience changes in cognition, such as “Cog fog” and executive functions. In this article we will explore what types of treatments are there for mood and cognition changes. You and your health care providers will explore what type of psychological or beha...

There is no “one size fits all” set of recommendations of responding to challenges with Growth, Resilience, or Harm. But there is evidence that the suggestions can help during tough times. In addition, check out all the wonderful resources at the Can Do MS popular topics and resources page! www.cando-ms.org

One of the many challenges with managing your health and wellness is that MS affects you in unique and personal ways. Combine this with an overwhelming amount of information and tips from your doctors, friends, family, and the internet, and you may find yourself in “analysis paralysis” – making a decision becomes a daunting task.

The term “resilient” has become increasingly more a part of our mainstream and popular culture vernacular. It is a term that conjures up ideas such as determination, strength, and fortitude. But, when it comes to living with a chronic condition such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), what does resilient really mean? The purpose of this article is to help better understand resilience, how it relates to li...

Our relationships, connections, and social activity impact our overall wellness-affecting our physical, work, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual wellness and can positively or negatively affect our health and well-being.

Life after diagnosis with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be overwhelming because symptoms vary from person to person. Remember, there is a lot of information out there that may be misleading. Rely on healthcare providers and valid organizations to provide factual information.

Living with MS can bring many challenges that most people never even consider; however, having MS has also helped many people learn resilience and resourcefulness. As we have learned over the past year, MS impacts many areas of life and function including fatigue, motor coordination, sensory function, heat tolerance, cognition, relationships, emotions, bowel and bladder, pain, sleep and more.

Integrative Medicine uses conventional medicine along with complementary and alternative medicine that is evidence-based to address a persons’ health and any symptoms they may have.

Bowel and bladder changes are common challenges that many people with MS face. Your healthcare team can help you navigate these challenges!

Pain is one of the most common “invisible” symptoms of MS, affecting approximately two-thirds of people living with MS.

Up to 80% of people living with MS will experience a sexual challenge throughout their lifetime. However, sexual challenges are not just experienced by people living with MS. Approximately 35-40% of people in the general population also experience sexual difficulties. So, what gets in the way?

Among the most common symptoms in multiple sclerosis are the sensory symptoms. They are often the first symptoms of MS and while invisible to the naked eye, can be among the most bothersome. The list is long and may involve every inch of the human body. While ever present, these symptoms usually do not predict a poor prognosis. Nonetheless they are important to understand and manage as best as pos...

When we want to make a movement, we need motor commands to be sent down to the body, but we also need to feed back information about whether or not those motor commands achieved the right task. This communication can be impaired by MS symptoms, including gait dysfunction, spasticity, tremors, ataxia, and weakness. These are some general tips for endurance and resistance exercise.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause a wide range of symptoms that may impact a person’s activities in the workplace, including fatigue, changes in thinking and memory, mood changes, visual problems, reduced mobility, balance, and strength, and bladder or bowel difficulties. Depending on the severity of the symptoms and type of work one does, a person’s ability to work may be unaffected or severely l...

Over a few short weeks, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has become a constant presence in our lives. We have experienced rapid shifts in our daily activities, including how we work, socialize, exercise, eat, pray, receive medical care, and care for others. Fatigue and sleep disturbance are common in MS and can worsen during periods of stress.

Forgetfulness happens to all of us. Sometimes we forget names or appointments, struggle with finding the right word, or feel overwhelmed and disorganized. But what happens when you notice it occurring more frequently than it used to? When you have MS, you may find that you’re having more trouble with thinking and remembering.

The following are some general guidelines of what to expect when participating in therapy. This is not a “one size fits all approach” - every person and every situation are different so please consult a mental health professional for specific questions and advice.

Change is part of our lives. We strive for some of those changes – for example, growing up, getting an education, finding a partner, or winning the lottery. Others may be thrust upon us – for example aging, losing a loved one, or being diagnosed with a chronic illness. All changes, whether positive or negative, can be challenging. If you think about getting a new job, starting a new relationship,...

Finding nutrition information online is easy. In fact, it is hard to escape! But how reliable is the information you find online? How good is the advice from your favorite Instagram account, from your favorite celebrity, or your well-meaning neighbor or friend? Living with MS means also living with information overload.

Sharing information about MS with family members isn’t always easy or straightforward. Different family members want and need different kinds of information; people sometimes have preconceived ideas about what MS is and what you should be doing to manage it; some family members are better able than others to keep information private if you ask them to. In addition, the information you provide need...

What does mobility mean to you? Walking through the grocery store, completing a toilet transfer independently, or maybe using a scooter to get to and from your grandchild’s soccer game, because the grass on the soccer fields are unforgiving and certainly a trip hazard. What mobility means to you is simply “getting there” – getting where you want to go and participating in activities you want to do...