When you have multiple sclerosis, you don’t have it alone.

You may be the one with MS and the physical symptoms that go along with it, but you can’t build a fence around yourself in order to protect those around you. Like it or not, MS spreads its tentacles out and affects the lives of your loved ones.

Besides being a person with MS, you may be a sibling, a spouse, a parent, a friend, a co-worker. You count on others and they count on you.

Depending on how MS has manifested itself in your life, it will touch everyone around you in small ways, and in profoundly significant ways, both emotionally and financially.

Emotionally: We’ve all had to do it at one time or another. Watching a loved one struggle with health is not a pleasant experience. Relationships between husband and wife or parent and child are disrupted — not that it’s an entirely negative thing, but change isn’t always quick and it isn’t always easy. In the case of MS in the family, close relationships may forever be in a state of flux.

A spouse who becomes a caregiver may feel overwhelmed by responsibility and fearful about the future. It’s a perfectly normal response. Open and honest discussion is necessary to avoid the pitfalls of an ever-changing relationship.

A child whose parent has a chronic illness may have trouble expressing the fear and doubt that accompany it. Worry about the parent, as well as concern for their own fate, may not be apparent. Discussion should be initiated by the parent(s) and questions addressed directly and honestly.

Friends and co-workers will have their own questions about changes in your health. Some of them will find the topic uncomfortable and may avoid any mention of it. If your MS is not a factor in their lives — particularly on the job — you owe no explanations. However, if it will impact the relationship, you needn’t wait to be asked a question — it’s okay to broach the subject yourself and say what needs to be said. It is the unspoken question that has the power to come between you.

Financially: MS can be an expensive disease. The issue of health insurance, if you don’t have a good group policy, is a major obstacle for many people with MS. Individual insurance policies with a pre-existing condition are difficult to come by and are very costly.

Aside from the obvious expense of health insurance and out-of-pocket costs associated with medical care, some MS patients find they have to purchase additional items to maintain quality of life. These may include mobility aids and other assistive devices, home renovations, vehicle alterations, etc.

If you can no longer function on the job, the switch from full-time employment to part-time work — or unemployment — can have a dramatic impact on the household. In some cases, family members who take on the role of caregiver, with its associated restrictions, also experience a decline in income.

No one in the family is immune to the emotional and financial impact of a chronic illness. Those of us who have loved ones to lean are the fortunate ones.

Originally published on Care2.com’s Healthy and Green Living

Multiple sclerosis can complicate a marriage, often forcing both individuals to adjust to drastic changes in expectations or marital roles — or it can bring you even closer together. Perhaps it will do both.

Maybe MS was part of the picture prior to the relationship or maybe it was diagnosed later. Either way, it has the potential to dominate every facet of your lives. It’s easy to become a little self-absorbed when living with chronic illness and, for the spouse, it’s normal to resent MS and the impositions it imposes. The trick is not to resent each other.

Whether you are in a traditional marriage or some other long-term committed relationship, it can weather many storms when treated as a true partnership and those storms are faced as a team.

Lack of communication can lead to feelings of isolation. It is truly a blessing when married couples develop a bond and can almost read each other’s thoughts, but when it comes to MS, nothing should be considered obvious.

The MS patient should be up front about symptoms that are interfering with the ability to function. To assume that your partner will instinctively know without being told is a mistake, and so is holding a grudge if they don’t. Even to the well-versed, sometimes the symptoms of MS are hard to detect.

Likewise, the caregiver/spouse must be able to speak freely about the extra responsibilities they face due to MS. Resist the urge to overprotect each other — that can lead to much bigger issues down the road.

Flexibility is a must. You may have the road map all laid out, but there will be detours. If you’ve got relapsing/remitting MS, the road may alternate between smooth pavement and rough terrain, with zero visibility. The willingness to alter plans and work around sudden change will serve you well.

Show your appreciation for the little kindnesses as well as major sacrifices. It’s not difficult to fall into a pattern of dealing with daily living while forgetting the niceties, but everyone appreciates acknowledgment of their efforts. No one likes to be taken for granted.

Nurture the relationship. The patient and caregiver relationship must peacefully co-exist with the husband and wife relationship rather than overpower it.

Romance is good for the soul. Whatever you do, don’t let that slide. It’s not so much the grand gestures, but the simplicity of a whispered, “I love you,” or an unexpected cuddle that will come back to you a thousand times over.

Originally published on Care2.com’s Healthy and Green Living

It’s a mind-boggling statistic, but approximately 13 million children right here in America are at risk of hunger every day.

September is Hunger Action Month. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; Summer Food Service Program; Child and Adult Care Food Program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; and Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program…

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/799909

Read this post in in its entirety:

America’s Hungry Children at Risk

Two million children under the age of five die each year because they do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Let that statistic sink in.

It’s easy enough to take safe drinking water for granted when it’s there for the taking, straight from the tap, right in the comfort of our own homes. There’s little reason for us to give it much thought, but that’s exactly what I’m asking you to do today, because an estimated one billion people in developing countries are not so fortunate. Their health and well-being, in fact, their very lives, are endangered every day for lack of something so basic as clean drinking water.

Your signature can safe a life… read the post… sign the pledge:

Money for Your Signature

You never know what’s going to touch a nerve.

I wrote an article for Care2.com’s Living with MS Blog called Handicapped Parking: A Guilt-Free Zone, that apparently hit home with a lot of people. Like me, many people struggle with either the guilt of using a handicapped parking space, or the anger of onlookers who do not understand invisible disabilities.

Some of the commenters brought up an issue I hadn’t considered — obesity. Is obesity caused by… or the cause of… disability, and should obesity accepted as a disability? Hmmm… lots to think about there.

Now I did expect to touch a nerve with last week’s Closed Minds Shout Down Disabled Woman in Wheelchair, and I was not wrong. Most folks are in my camp on this one — we’ve sunk to a new low in the health care debate and basic human decency. If you are not familiar with the story, please take a moment to read the post. This incident is a wake up call to America.

Senator Edward “Ted” M. Kennedy was born into wealth and privilege, but spent his life advocating for the poor and disadvantaged.

He’ll be forever remembered as a champion of civil rights, equality, and bipartisanship. A leader in the fight for health care reform, which he said was the cause of his life, Senator Kennedy made it clear that health care for all was something he dearly wanted to achieve in his lifetime. Sadly, he will not see his dream come to pass.

If a comprehensive health care bill manages to pass during this president’s term, it will be due in no small part to decades of effort on the part of Senator Kennedy, and would serve as a lasting testament to his passion and commitment.

Read this post in its entirety and sign the petition honoring Senator Kennedy: Farewell to Senator Kennedy, Champion of Health Care Reform

Worried about health care reform and how it will affect you and your family? Stop falling for the hype and learn the facts.

FactCheck.org is a a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. You can learn about FactCheck.org and it’s mission by reading its “about” page.

Get the real story behind those chain emails and partisan television hosts.

From FactCheck.org:
CPR Administers Bad Facts, Again

The group says premiums could nearly double for those who buy their own insurance. Experts we consulted disagree.

The latest ad from the group Conservatives for Patients’ Rights claims that “new rules could hike your health insurance premiums 95 percent.” That’s misleading. The claim in the ad refers to only 5 percent of Americans who have health insurance – those who buy it on their own. The claim comes from an analysis by a group that advocates for …

Surgery for Seniors vs. Abortions?

Family Research Council says abortions will trump care for the elderly in public plan.

A new TV ad sponsored by an anti-abortion group shows a white-haired man fretting that under a federal health plan, “They won’t pay for my surgery, but we’re forced to pay for abortions.”

“Will this be our future?” the ad asks, merging the fears of seniors …

False Euthanasia Claims

The claim that the House health care bill pushes suicide is nonsense.

On former Sen. Fred Thompson’s radio show, former lieutenant governor of New York Betsy McCaughey said that the House’s proposed health care bill contained a provision that would institute mandatory counseling sessions telling seniors how “to do what’s in society’s best interest … and cut your life short.” House Minority Leader John Boehner made a slightly more measured …

Obama’s Health Care News Conference

Facts vs. Obama

President Obama tried to sell his health care overhaul in prime time, mangling some facts in the process. He also strained to make the job sound easier to pay for than experts predict. Obama promised once again that a health care overhaul “will be paid for.” But congressional budget experts say …

Canadian Straw Man

More ads claim that Congress is pushing a Canadian-style health care bill.

Two ads from related independent groups make claims about an overhaul of the health care system, saying Congress wants a government-run health care system. One ad claims that “Washington wants to bring Canadian-style health care to the U.S.” But the health care bills moving through Congress don’t call for a single-payer system like Canada’s …

Multiple sclerosis can complicate a marriage, often forcing both individuals to adjust to drastic changes in expectations or marital roles — or it can bring you even closer together. Perhaps it will do both.

Maybe MS was part of the picture prior to the relationship or maybe it was diagnosed later. Either way, it has the potential to dominate every facet of your lives. It’s easy to become a little self-absorbed when living with chronic illness and, for the spouse, it’s normal to resent MS and the impositions it imposes. The trick is not to resent each other…

Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1152277

Read this article in its entirety:  MS in the Marriage

It is estimated that more than 30 percent of insured patients with chronic illness cannot afford the co-payments for their medications, which can range from $300 to more than $3,000 per month. Most of these patients are ineligible for other patient assistance programs, forcing many of them to do without.

The Chronic Disease Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to these underinsured individuals so that they can continue to take their much-needed medications and improve their quality of life.

Visit the Chronic Disease Fund’s website to learn more about what they do — and what you can do to help. The CDF is now on Facebook and Twitter, too!

In addition to writing for Care2.com’s Reform Health Policy blog, I am thrilled to have joined the ranks of the wonderful contributors to Care2’s Healthy and Green Living section, where I will focus on embracing a combination of healthy lifestyle, self-education, and modern medicine for multiple sclerosis patients.

You are invited to visit me and the good folks of Care2, where good conversation is never lacking and your input is always welcome.

Stop by and read my first post on Care2.com’s Healthy and Green Living:

Living with Multiple Sclerosis: 5 Steps Toward Empowerment

While our country is debating a major overhaul of the health care system, the safety of our food supply cannot be overlooked.

Recent years have seen far too many instances of food contamination and food product recalls — but only after illness and death have occurred. There are few health care issues as basic as protecting the food supply.

The President’s Food Safety Working Group, set up in March, is charged with advising the president on how to upgrade the U.S. food safety system. Earlier this week, Vice President Joe Biden announced that the administration will:

• Strengthen “traceback” so that contaminated food is quickly identified and removed from shelves and that people get quick information about problems.
• Institute a new salmonella rule to prevent contamination in the egg industry;
• Issue new FDA guidance to prevent e.coli O157:H7 contamination of leafy greens, melon, and tomatoes; and
• Implement more thorough inspections to prevent e.coli and other pathogens at facilities that handle beef.

The Vice President also called on Congress to empower the FDA with mandatory recall authority so it can stop contaminated food from spreading in our food supply.

The recent instances of contamination of peanut butter, pistachios, and cookie dough, among other things, highlight a very real public health risk.

Let’s hope that better oversight will result in a safer food supply. Health care doesn’t get any more basic than that.

Source: Whitehouse.gov

More information can be found at: President’s Food Safety Working Group

Photo credit: stock.xchng

The health care reform debate has reached fever pitch, and is finally getting the attention it deserves. With more than 45 million uninsured Americans, many others woefully under-insured, and people going without needed care, the time is right for you to put in your two cents worth… or more.

Care2 Reform Health Policy seeks to provide news and commentary on health policy and related issues. Care2.com encourages active participation and provides readers with the ability to create full profiles, network with other people with similar interests, and comment… comment… comment. 

2,475 Care2.com (as of June 15, 2009) visitors have indicated their support to reform health policy. Won’t you join us?

As a regular contributor to Care2’s health policy cause, I welcome suggestions and insights from the community. If you have any suggestions about Care2.com, or health policy issues you would like addressed, please email: writer@webcampone.com.

I love pharmacies. There’s always a sweet old pharmacist who inquires about my family and eagerly answers all my questions. While he prepares my order, I linger at the soda fountain, sipping an ice cream soda through a long straw and chatting with my fellow customers as we wait. Or maybe that’s just an image conjured from those old black and white movies I love so much.

In today’s reality, we can’t so much as purchase over-the-counter sinus medicine without producing a government issued ID and signing on the dotted line. Why is the clerk looking at me like that? I know I don’t look exactly like my driver’s license photo, but I AM sick after all.

Hard to believe, but this modern-day annoyance is actually the result of the Patriot Act. All drug products that contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine (an ingredient used in making methamphetamine) must be kept behind the drug store counter and must be sold in limited quantities to consumers after they show identification and sign a logbook. The store must keep a record of your purchase for at least two years.

I’m not a fan of the making, selling, or use of illegal drugs. It’s definitely a curse on our society. Still, I’m annoyed at the intrusion of big brother into my simple purchase of cold medicine. Guess the days of a fully-stocked medicine cabinet are over.

The argument against government-issued ID as it relates to elections and voter fraud is that the policy unfairly discriminates against the poor, who often have no driver’s license and can’t pay the fee to get a government ID. Wouldn’t the same hold true for people who just want cold medication? No ID–no medicine. Seems harsh to me.

To make us feel even more alienated from our pharmacies, there’s a loophole in HIPAA regulations that allows drug stores to sell their patient prescription information to pharmaceutical companies. Naturally, big pharma is using that information to hard target their sales pitches directly to the consumer–by mail and by phone.

That explains why I’ve been receiving information and coupons for prescription medication in the mail. Not for the prescription medication that I currently use, mind you, but for a competing brand. So now we are not only bombarded by pharmaceutical ads on television, but we can be solicited directly, thanks to our local pharmacies and a legal loophole.

Most of us have little choice about the prescription drugs we need for what ails us. We should have a choice about who is privy to that information.

Privacy rights, eroding at an alarming rate, must be protected. At the very least, our medical information should remain ours to share.

Originally published on Care2.com

Simple human dignity and compassion. It’s hard to juxtapose that with end-of-life medical interventions that serve only to prolong pain and suffering, often against the wishes of the patient, while adding thousands of dollars to medical costs for no benefit.

Faced with such suffering and no hope of recovery, would you opt out if you could?

That’s exactly what one Washington woman did recently, becoming the first person to take advantage of the state’s Death with Dignity law. Diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and certain death, she made a conscious, well thought out decision about her own death.

Read this post in its entirety and weigh in on our poll:

Dignity and Compassion in Assisted Suicide

Everybody’s talking about the recession and looking for ways to balance the family budget. Prices at the supermarket seem to rise with each passing month and shoppers are looking to cut corners.

One thing I keep hearing is that fresh fruits and vegetables are simply too expensive to buy. I beg to differ. They ARE expensive and getting more so, but you have to look at the big picture and you have to take a long, hard look at what else is in your shopping cart.

Seriously, how much did you fork over for that bag of potato chips? The ice cream… cookies… sugar-laden cereal? How many items in your cart represent food with little or no nutritional value?

The temptation to give in to comfort foods is a trap. The more you eat, the more you crave and the worse you feel, inviting preventable health problems. The loss of energy and added weight will only harm your sense of well-being.

Now more than ever, it is essential that we take care of ourselves in mind and in body. Food is all about fueling your body with what it needs — not only to survive, but to thrive. A diet rich in fresh produce, lean meats, and whole grains will keep you feeling balanced and energized.

Next time you’re at the grocery store… shop as if your life depends on it.