Question: Why does each person with MS experience different symptoms?
Answer: It shouldn’t surprise us that everyone experiences their MS differently since we are all unique, but the individual factors producing that uniqueness are worth considering in some detail.
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Question: As we enter into the New Year, what strategies do you recommend for positive mental and emotional health?
Answer: Of all the questions I’ve been asked over the past couple of years this is probably the most difficult to answer… and to answer briefly. For some people, positive mental and emotional health comes more easily and naturally. It doesn’t require a strategy or a lot of work. Perhaps it’s the good luck of genetics or a positive and nurturing upbringing. But clearly for some people, happiness is more difficult and requires more work. For the latter and probably much larger group, it does require more work, and more effort, and maybe a strategy. It’s clear to me that the effort is worth undertaking!
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Question: For individuals with MS who are taking a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) and plan to get both a COVID-19 vaccine as well as a seasonal flu vaccine, do they need to wait a certain amount of time between taking their DMT and between receiving each vaccine?
Answer: We recommend vaccination for COVID-19 and for flu for most people with MS after appropriate discussion with your doctor or primary care provider. The risk of COVID-19, as well as the risk of becoming sick from the flu, generally outweigh any risks associated with vaccination. We also recommend continued safety precautions including masking, handwashing, and avoidance of large indoor gatherings.
Continue readingQuestion: How do you determine when a relapse is severe enough to be treated with IV steroids versus waiting to see if the relapse will go away on its own? Also, if a patient does not receive IV steroids, what other treatments or changes in lifestyle may be recommended for a less-severe relapse?
Answer: Clinicians vary widely in their threshold for using steroids for relapses… and patients vary widely in their desire to be treated with steroids for relapses. The most common use of steroids is for a relapse that interferes with function. For example, severe vertigo, weakness, or gait dysfunction are common symptoms that can greatly interfere with function.
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