RealTalk MS

A couple of months ago, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law. And while it touches on many different areas, it will be remembered as the most consequential healthcare bill since the Affordable Care Act. From the emails I've received, I know that many of you are wondering how and when this new law will impact what you pay for your prescription medications. The National MS Society's Vice-...

If you're on Medicare, or you get your health insurance through the healthcare.gov marketplace or one of the state health insurance exchanges, then you might already know that the annual open enrollment period is about to get underway or, in some cases, is already underway. Health insurance policies change. Physician networks change. Drug formularies often change. Deductibles change. And if you're...

It's flu season and that makes it an excellent time to talk about vaccines. People living with MS often have questions about whether a particular vaccine is good for them or whether it might carry with it the risk of a relapse or other negative health consequence. Dr. Lisa Doggett joins me to brief us on all things related to vaccines and MS. Dr. Doggett is a family doctor as well as the Senior Me...

Living with MS can make everyday run-of-the-mill tasks like bathing, cooking, and driving more challenging than they have to be. The National MS Society's Associate Vice President of Research, Dr. Kathy Zackowski, joins me with a whole list of simple adjustments and easy modifications that you can make that will make the things you do every day easier. Get ready to take some notes! A lot of you ha...

Living with MS comes with its own set of sometimes significant challenges.  But being in the dark, unaware of the noteworthy and remarkable advances being made in MS research is one challenge that we're learning to overcome.  Sharon Roman is a patient-partner and writer for the British Medical Journal Group. Sharon lives with MS and she also writes a blog called Tremlett's MS Research Explained ....

We're celebrating the 5th anniversary of RealTalk MS and we're kicking it off with my exclusive conversation with CNN national correspondent and anchor, John King. John was diagnosed with MS in 2008. However, John didn't disclose his diagnosis until 2021 -- in an unplanned moment on national television. John shares his MS journey from the day he was diagnosed through his unplanned disclosure. And...

In addition to its physical symptoms, MS can also affect your emotional well-being. Depression, persistent anxiety, and extreme irritability are common. And, just like the physical symptoms of MS, they require treatment. But people living with MS tend to focus on their physical health and, too often, end up neglecting their mental health. Dr. Dawn Ehde joins me to talk about maintaining and streng...

The conversation between a doctor and patient is evolving from a time when that conversation was often limited to the doctor prescribing a particular disease-modifying medication and the patient silently nodding their head in agreement to something much more closely resembling a real conversation. Shared decision-making offers the patient an opportunity to discuss their treatment goals, explain th...

When you're living with MS, even the most mundane daily tasks can sometimes be challenging. There are days when opening a door, taking things out of a drawer or a cupboard, or picking something up from the floor can all seem out of reach. Those just happen to be some of the many tasks that a service dog can help you with. This week, attorney Trevor Hardy joins me to talk about the impact that his...

Women are roughly 3 times more likely to develop MS compared to men. But when men develop MS, they're more likely to experience a more aggressive disease course. Men are more likely to experience motor problems, loss of coordination and balance, and cognitive difficulties. When they experience a relapse, men are more likely to see their exacerbated symptoms continue, even during times of remission...

More than half of the people living with MS report significant disruptions in their sleep and difficulty maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. Sleep-related problems can lead to additional health issues, not to mention an overall decline in quality of life and well-being. The Director of the Sleep, Health, and Wellness Lab at the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Physical Therap...

One of the realities of living with MS is that you're often dealing with invisible symptoms. And because symptoms like numbness and tingling, fatigue, depression, vision issues, and pain aren't apparent to others, it can be hard for people around you to understand what MS is all about and, specifically, what you might be struggling with. Kathy Costello returns to the podcast to discuss how to best...

Dating can be tricky for anyone. And it doesn't get any easier if you happen to be living with MS. In addition to all the typical dating considerations, you also have to think about things like if, how, and when to disclose your MS. You want to make sure your dating activities are physically doable. That might mean no long walks on the beach when the temperature is soaring. It might mean no hikes...

Imagine that, using your smartphone, you log into a Zoom call from home. You connect with your MS specialist and, while you're chatting, an artificial intelligence-based system is analyzing biometric measurements that will enable your doctor to deliver or fine-tune an MS treatment plan that's been personalized to meet your exact needs. That's the vision driving NeuraLight, an early-stage company t...

In last week's episode, we looked at talking with kids about MS. This week, we'll visit the opposite end of the spectrum as Dr. John Corboy discusses some of the things you'll want to think about as you age with MS.  Dr. Corboy is a professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the Director of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Colorado...

Whether we adults admit it or not, kids see everything. That includes seeing a parent or other family member who's living with MS. And because kids don't have an understanding of neurological conditions, they use their imaginations to fill in the blanks. That can very quickly take them down a rabbit-hole that's far scarier than the reality of living with MS. So, when do you talk to your kids about...

Everybody remembers the day -- sometimes, even the moment -- when they were diagnosed with MS. And in that moment, you may not have known very much about living with MS, but you probably felt like everything was about to change. One of the most common emotional responses to MS is grief. Joining me to talk about the relationship between grief and MS, as well as share some specific steps and strateg...

When I began thinking about launching RealTalk MS, one of the first things I did was listen to other podcasts for the MS community. Five years ago, there weren't nearly as many podcasts focused on MS as there are today, but one of the podcasts I listened to was FUMS. And after listening to that podcast, I remember feeling inspired about moving forward with my plans for launching this podcast. Join...

Health disparities, systemic inequities, and discrimination often stand in the way of gaining access to MS care for members of the LGBTQ+ community. As we explore some of the obstacles faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community in accessing healthcare, we'll gain the clinician's perspective in our conversation with MS specialist, Dr. William Conte. We'll hear about the experiences of a queer trans p...

One afternoon during the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting, I set up my equipment at the National MS Society's booth in the conference exhibit hall and recorded some conversations with a few old friends and a few new friends of the podcast. In this week's episode, we'll hear a couple of those conversations. Before I left for the conference, I had a chance to catch up with Dr....

In 2007, Tyler Campbell was a running back at San Diego State, looking forward to a real shot at a career in the NFL. Instead, Tyler's life was turned upside down by an MS diagnosis. For some people, that would have been the end of the story. For Tyler, it was only the beginning.  In this week's episode, Tyler Campbell talks about his transformational journey from the football field to becoming a...

Starting a family is a big step for anyone. And when you're living with MS and you're on MS medications along with other symptom management medications, planning a family creates a lot of questions about what's safe and what's not. Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, a clinician-scientist and MS specialist in the Kaiser-Permanente health system, joins me to answer questions about how to safely and successfu...

Think about how much faster, easier, cheaper, and less invasive it would be if MS could be diagnosed by a simple blood test.  Scientists have identified biomarkers that can be used to diagnose MS and even predict MS before someone experiences any symptoms. Biomarkers may even be used to predict MS progression before it occurs.  Joining me to discuss how biomarkers may change the way MS is diagnose...

When my wife was diagnosed with MS in 1997, the annual cost of her MS medication was $9,000. Today, the annual cost of that same medication is $110,000. We cannot allow the insanity associated with the cost of MS medications to continue. Joining me to discuss the impact of the outrageously high cost of MS medications -- and what each of us can do about it -- is the National MS Society's Vice-Presi...

For some, the journey to their MS diagnosis is relatively quick and straightforward. For others, it can be lengthy and convoluted, sometimes  taking years. Joining me to talk about some of the twists and turns that can pop up on the road to being diagnosed with MS is Dr. Michael Robers, a neurologist in the Multiple Sclerosis Program and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Bar...