MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'feelings'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:55:48 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159196&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F26%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-august-26-2011%2F I sometimes wonder if our focus on “doing things right” is what causes us more pain, anguish and difficulty than anything else in life. It’s almost as if those red marks on our graded assignments as kids stay with us when we become adults. In fact, our fear of impending negative feedback often grows as we grow older. We hold our vulnerabilities even closer, wrapping them up carefully like we would a glass vase or a precious piece of china. We’re fearful of sharing our feelings. We hold back our laughter, forgetting that as kids we let it all out from our bellies to our mouths. And to shield our pain, instead of crying, confronting or expressing ourselves, we avoid loved ones when they’ve hurt us. Yet, in order to fully live, to feel completely alive, we must f... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159196 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:36:56 +0100 5159196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159491&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fneeding-me-some-neuroplasticity%2F If, as the time-tested saying goes, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is true than how is an old dog with multiple sclerosis to get his treats… or in my case, “Juice”? I’ll first have to disagree with the entire principal of that un-teachable old dog as Max, our 12-year-old rescue — who was 9 at the time — certainly learned new “tricks,” commands and behaviors even though he was well into his canine middle age when he came to live with his new packmates. If dogs can do it, surely I can train my brain a new trick or two… or at least do some of the same old tricks even if the habit-worn pathways of said tasks are currently under attack. Right now, I’m in survival mode. I’m not looking for long-term answers to big questions. Hell, the “big questions... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159491 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:57:29 +0100 5159491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159492&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-clogs-my-funnel%2F I guess I think both in words and in pictures. As a writer, it’s kind of required that I use words but, in my mind, I oft see what multiple sclerosis is doing to me in misty cartoons and ghostly graphics. I envision ‘brain floss’ to clear away the annoying plaques along my axons the way minty, flat-glide dental tape clears bits of barbeque from between my teeth. I could almost see the poison of Novantrone zapping new immune cells as they emerged from my bone marrow before they could make their way to a morning meal of my myelin. Lharmeet’s Sign looked like Igor flipping those big, nasty switches in Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory and sending massive jolts down the Jacob’s Ladder of my spinal cord. And now, the clogged funnel… I think I’ve mentioned this metaphor in a previous... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159492 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:39:39 +0100 5159492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125895&cid=t_119966_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FbXURP2IW6EM%2F That chip on your shoulder could lead to a lot worse, according to research from Concordia University psychology professor Carsten Wrosch. Wrosch, who has been investigating how negative emotions affect people’s physical health for 15 years, says ‘persistent bitterness’ can affect everything from metabolism to immune response and organ function. In a chapter of the new textbook ‘Embitterment,’ Wrosch is careful to differentiate between regret, which is about self-blame, and bitterness, which is about assigning the blame elsewhere, on others or ‘external forces.’ Both, however, can lead to ‘biological dysregulation,’ an increase in the levels of the stress hormone coritsol that can lead to physical illness. That’s a lot of fancy lingo, but as far ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125895 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:12:50 +0100 5125895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086380&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fstanding-up-with-multiple-sclerosis%2F It’s not uncommon for me to use alliterations and metaphor when I write about MS. Today, however, I write about the actual difficulties of “standing up” when you have multiple sclerosis. Difficulties with the vertical posture come in many colors, shades, and tones for those of us on different places on the MS rainbow. When I was first diagnosed, and trying to keep my jet-set, full-time employment, my boss in Germany told me of a dear friend of his with MS. Your man had apparently had MS for years and the only way you might notice anything is that he couldn’t stand for very long at a cocktail party. If that is the “infrared” end of the MS standing spectrum, “ultraviolet” would be those who cannot stand at all. I recognize that there are many in our Life With MS Blog communit... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086380 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:00:32 +0100 5086380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077887&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fgenerations-of-multiple-sclerosis%2F A person who’s lived with MS for 30+ years has had a totally different experience than have I – a person living with the diagnosis of the disease for over 10 years. Likewise, a person diagnosed today, or within the past few years, has had and will have a very different life with the disease than I have had. MS service organizations are constantly trying to figure out to best serve the population of people living with this disease and are now beginning to understand that part of the answer is a generational approach as this generation of people living with multiple sclerosis is having a very different time of it. I often think that my aged group of MS is the most “uptight” about our condition. We’re still working (or trying to), often try to hide our disease, and fight it as muc... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077887 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:24:30 +0100 5077887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077966&cid=t_119966_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fyou-get-to-choose-your-doctors%2F I write often about how it is important to work with doctors you like and can trust. I was reminded of this last week when I had my four-month oncologist appointment. I love my oncologist, Dr. Khan. He has a gentle spirit, he is always cheerful, and he is always happy to see me. I spend much of the appointment asking about the chances of cancer returning and reviewing the effects of all the treatment I had. He in turn spends much of the appointment reassuring me and reminding me that although he can never say that breast cancer is completely cured, he is convinced that I will be around for a long, long time. He can be so confident because even his patients who have had cancer return or metastasize tend to live a long time with the chronic condition. Dr. Khan is very aggressive in treating ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077966 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:22:26 +0100 5077966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036625&cid=t_119966_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FM7tgHWn1syE%2F After the controversy of my last post ‘This Was An Interview With Robin Sharma‘, it’s time to get things back on track round here today with some serious Life Coach type stuff. I’m pretty sure you get strong gut feelings or intuitions from time to time. A sense from deep within that a decision you’re about to make is either right or wrong. I’m equally sure that you override that feeling at least occasionally, Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036625 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:56:44 +0100 5036625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008475&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Findependence-day-and-ms%2F I’ll admit a bit of an odd feeling as I post a blog about America’s Independence Day weekend from the wilds of Western Ireland! It seems a fitting topic, however, as the word “independence” means such a different thing to me now that I live with multiple sclerosis than it did before. Independence doesn’t mean doing everything for/by/of myself any longer. Independence is not all Trevis all the time. Independence is a relative state and I cannot think of a better place to be thinking this than the Republic of Ireland which experienced a varying levels and lack of independence (cum tyranny) over the centuries. A cane may seem to be a “dependence” to some but it offers me the independence to walk further than I might without and conserve the excess energy which would have been sp... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008475 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:00:09 +0100 5008475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984585&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhow-ms-treatments-and-our-expectations-have-changed%2F The old adage is that “Nothing is more constant than change” and there is little truer to someone living with MS. Symptoms change, doctor change, medications change…MS changes. A person living with MS 20 years ago, stranded on an island and newly returned to their home, wouldn’t even recognize the face of Multiple Sclerosis in the world today. Where once there were no meds (or maybe a very competitive lottery to get into a drug trial) there are now 6 approved therapies and scores in the final testing phases. Those once told to “go home and get your affairs in order” are now assisted in living a more fulfilling and meaningful life. Exercise — once the terror of MS docs — is now not only recommended, it is encouraged. Woman who were once counseled to really think about having... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984585 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:04:54 +0100 4984585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975940&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F28%2F10-myths-about-happiness%2F I’m leaving my desk for a few days, so in my absence, thought I’d re-post one of my favorite round-up pieces, about ten widespread myths about happiness. A while back, each day for two weeks, I posted about Ten Happiness Myths. Here they are, for your reading convenience. (Click on each myth to read a longer explanation of it.) 1. Happy people are annoying and stupid. Wrong. Actually, studies show that people find happy people much more likable than their less-happy peers. Happy people are viewed as friendlier, smarter, warmer, less selfish, more self-confident, and more socially skilled — even more physically attractive. 2. Nothing changes a person’s happiness level much. It’s true that there’s a powerful genetic link to happiness — usually it’s estimated t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975940 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:23:58 +0100 4975940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976059&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Friding-around-in-a-very-personal-journey-with-ms%2F A bus full of commuters passes you on a busy street. A car idles, waiting for a traffic light to change. The azure-blue, summer sky is unzipped by the contrail of a jumbo jet filled with hundreds of souls… and they all have a story. Have you ever been in an airplane on approach or departure; close enough to the ground to see the ant-like scene below as it gets on with the workaday world? Have you ever thought of the lives going on inside that plane far, far above your head? Have you ever felt yourself cut-off from the world as if you were in a personal space capsule catapulting through time, space and dimension and nobody gets it? Caryn and I have just experienced a very personal grief (and I trust our community to please leave it at that) during which we felt as if the world was going b... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976059 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:48:56 +0100 4976059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968815&cid=t_119966_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fwhose-blog-are-you-reading%2F Recently the news has included an interesting revelation that a popular lesbian blogger wasn’t a lesbian at all, but a straight, married man who posed as a gay woman for years while writing his blog. After his coming out (so to speak), another “lesbian” blogger admitted that he, too, was a straight male. As a blogger myself, I was outraged. At the very least, it is unconscionable that a person would address a group of people who feel not particularly accepted by all of society and are looking to connect with someone who lived and breathed and understood their lives as one of them. It made me wonder who I was reading. Who are the real people behind the smiling headshots and avatars decorating the web pages I confidently seek out when I feel like connecting? Is that woman &mdas... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968815 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:35:42 +0100 4968815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968706&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fprogressing-with-progressive-ms%2F Most of us with MS know terms like RRMS (relapsing remitting), SPMS (secondary progressive), and PPMS (primary progressive) when it comes to our disease. Less often heard variations are “chronic progressive” or “worsening progressive,” and I even heard someone refer to their MS as “acute, progressive chronic MS.” Not sure where he had heard that one. While we all want to find a “normal” group of people with MS to which we can identify and belong, it really isn’t all that important as to which group we fall (save for those of us whose doctors are sticklers for medications). What is important is that, as our disease may move from a relapsing-remitting phase – which is often medically described as “inflammatory disease” – to a stage of slow (or not), stea... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968706 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:04:58 +0100 4968706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960209&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-little-things-we-can-still-do-for-ourselves%2F Like many of my generation and those who came before, I feel now like I may have spent too much time in my “former life” chasing the elusive brass ring. It wasn’t enough to be recognized wherever I went, professionally. Not enough to have the house in town and an apartment in the city. Even my dear Jaguar was a few years older than I would have liked. Now, please don’t get me wrong! I was very appreciative of the things I had attained, but they did not make me happy — Things seldom make us happy. Because of the way I have learned to live my life post-MS, I feel much more attuned with what happiness rarely is and I find it mostly on the inside. That being said, there are still a few little things that I do that make me very happy indeed. Last week, while in New York I treated myse... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960209 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:36:22 +0100 4960209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953166&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fjune%25e2%2580%2599s-half-over-how%25e2%2580%2599s-your-ms-today%2F We try to take the second Wednesday of each month to ask you about the current state of your multiple sclerosis. Somehow, between news about MS, travel and time changes it’s come to the 17th of June and I’m just not getting around to asking you that question. It’s a chance to check in, to evaluate, to think back and report on how the change of seasons, march of time or new meds may be affecting your day-to-day life with MS. It’s also an opportunity to interact with one another with suggestions and time-tested solutions that might have helped you when it comes to battling the MonSter! As you may have gathered from a few of my recent posts (and the absence of a few) or from our Facebook status updates (http://www.facebook.com/LifeWithMS), I’ve been traveling a bit more than normal ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953166 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:30:31 +0100 4953166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952987&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2F4-ways-to-manage-oppositional-defiant-disorder-in-children%2F Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is a childhood disorder that affects anywhere from 6 to 10 percent of children. It is characterized by a negative set of behaviors in a child directed toward the adults in their life, and can sometimes be mistaken for disorders that share some characteristics, such as conduct disorder and even attention deficit disorder. The diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder is given by mental health professionals to describe a set of behaviors a child is exhibiting that include: Often loses temper Argues with adults and authority figures Refuses to comply with adult requests Blames others for his mistakes Deliberately annoys people Is easily annoyed by others Is angry/resentful and spiteful/vindictive. Sound like a child you may know? If a child exhibits fou... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952987 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:12:36 +0100 4952987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934587&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhow-would-you-like-your-ms-society-to-use-social-media%2F I am off this morning to meetings in New York City with a newly formed group of advisors to the National MS Society on the topic of social media. Like many organizations, the NMSS is aware that online communities have changed the way that people with MS connect with one another and the whole-wide world around us. The event is to include several roundtable sessions with some of my fellow bloggers and online community leaders on the topic of multiple sclerosis. Lisa Emerich of Brass & Ivory and Carnival of MS Bloggers , Marc Stecker who many of you will know as the Wheelchair kamikaze and Ashley Ringstaff of MS World will all be in attendance for the day-long summit along with several national and chapter leaders from the Society. I am, of course, humbled to be in such lauded company and... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934587 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:08:54 +0100 4934587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934588&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-glass-of-wine-a-nibble-of-cheese-and-some-ms-art%2F One of the down sides to my increased schedule of travel schedule, writing deadlines and other obligations (oh, and how our favorite disease is handcuffing me in the heat and humidity) is that I don’t get to do all of the things that I would like to do. It’s something we all have to deal with on some level; right? Well I want to make sure that I share this event – which I’ll, unfortunately, have to miss due to the above listed set of cascading events – with all of you who are within driving distance of Seattle. But in doing so, I hope that it might be a little bit of a spark for those of you who are not. Next weekend, the 18th & 19th, the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Swedish Neuroscience Institute, in association with the Bellevue Arts Museum, is presenting their second annu... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934588 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:30:04 +0100 4934588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911570&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F08%2Fwhy-these-6-happiness-boosters-might-actually-make-you-feel-worse%2F Everyone has a few tricks for beating the blues. It turns out, however, that several of the most popular strategies don’t actually work very well in the long term. Beware if you are tempted to try any of the following: 1. Comforting yourself with a “treat.” Often, the things we choose as “treats” aren’t good for us. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day. So when you find yourself thinking, “I’ll feel better after I have a pint of ice cream… a cigarette… a new pair of jeans,” ask yourself — will it really make you feel better? It might make you feel worse. In particular, beware of… 2. Letting yourself off the hook. I’ve found that I sometimes ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911570 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:45:45 +0100 4911570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893705&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fis-there-really-an-ms-stress-connection%2F I’ll have to admit to you that I’ve never understood the underlying connection that we all seem to make between times of high stress and multiple sclerosis flares. I know that my diagnosing attack came at one of the highest stress times of my life, but I wouldn’t say that I remember any of the next six major attacks as having taken place during stressful times. In fact, if you start to consider the autoimmune theory of MS, it begins to make less sense to me. Stress seems to lower immune activity (stressful time = getting sick with whatever bug is going around), so how is it that we can equate our multiple sclerosis disease activity — or at least its symptomatic expression — with times of great stress? Many of us have made mention in the pages of Life With MS Blog that a s... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893705 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:26:50 +0100 4893705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862627&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2F8-tips-for-writing-a-love-letter-to-your-spouse%2F In my post, “Getting the Love You Want … Over and Over Again,” I mention one of the most powerful intimacy tools in my marriage, which is writing a love letter. I write one every day to my husband. Now mind you, these are not lengthy missives. Some of them are just a few sentences. But I do think the brief expression of affection has made our connection much stronger. On some days, it is the only substantial communication between us, because our kids have an uncanny knack of interrupting all of our conversations. But how do you go about writing a love letter? I found these eight tips on the site, Song of Marriage. This following suggestions are part of a husband’s guide. But I think they work for a wife’s as well. Rule Number One: Make It Positively Personal Anything put into w... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862627 Wed, 25 May 2011 19:31:33 +0100 4862627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862631&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fself-exploration-getting-to-know-thyself%2F Many of us go through life skimming the surface of our identities. That is, we don’t truly dig deeply into our thoughts, feelings, desires and dreams. Part of the problem is that we’re always on the go. When to-do lists keep swelling, self-exploration takes a backseat. How can it not, when we barely find time for self-care? Specifically, self-exploration involves “taking a look at your own thoughts, feelings, behaviors and motivations and asking why. It’s looking for the roots of who we are — answers to all the questions we have about [ourselves],” according to Ryan Howes, Ph.D, psychologist, writer and professor in Pasadena, California. Having a deeper understanding of ourselves has many benefits. It “helps people understand and accept who they are and why they d... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862631 Tue, 24 May 2011 15:14:26 +0100 4862631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862765&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fnew-study-published-on-tysabri-induced-pml-gives-us-new-letters-to-think-about-iris%2F As if the threat of PML (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) weren’t enough to think about, now there are another set of letters to think about for people taking Tysabri for their multiple sclerosis. A new study from France reports on something called IRIS (immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome), a post-PML condition which occurs often as the immune system is re-activated after treatment for PML. While researchers think that as many as half of the deaths in MS patients experiencing PML were actually caused by IRIS after their blood was “cleansed” to remove Tysabri from the system, almost all PML patients contracted IRIS. The new report looked at survival rates of people diagnosed with PML following the 2006 re-release of Tysabri; most of the world had taken it off the s... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862765 Mon, 23 May 2011 22:18:49 +0100 4862765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841764&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-new-book-for-the-children-of-multiple-sclerosis%2F While I am a card carrying member of the child-free, it has never escaped me how difficult parenting with multiple sclerosis must be. Not only do parents with MS have to do all of the other stuff parents have to do; they must do it from behind the varyingly thickness of the curtain of this whacky disease. Fathers must wonder if they’ll be able to walk their daughters down the wedding aisle, and I can’t tell you the number of times I hear “I can’t throw a ball around with my kids” (as if that is the highest responsibility of a “healthy” father). Busy mom trying to juggle job, house, family and MS??? What a balancing act! One thing I have had a little bit of experience with is telling young ones about my MS. I am the uncle of four and the godfather to the sweetest c... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841764 Wed, 18 May 2011 20:18:14 +0100 4841764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841587&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F17%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-17-2011%2F Do you feel it in the air? It’s change. Every season has an end. And with any end comes fear, uncertainty and sometimes sadness. Even if ends bring new beginnings like a marriage, a baby or a new career, the loss of what we know can feel earth shattering. Instead of embracing change, we grasp on, holding desperately to what was instead of what will be. Does that sound like you? How are you continuing to do things that don’t serve you or your new life out of fear of change? Maybe you need to take the time to grieve for your old self and your old life so that you can embrace your new one. It’s something important to contemplate this week as we get closer to summer. It also fits with one of our posts on transitions. Have a great week and enjoy! Seven Rules of Mindful Eating ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841587 Tue, 17 May 2011 13:50:25 +0100 4841587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828987&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F14%2F8-reasons-why-twitter-can-make-you-happy%2F I’m a huge fan of Twitter, and I’ve tried to persuade several people to give it a try. (My greatest triumph: convincing my sister to use it. Seeing my sister in my Twitter feed — that makes me very happy.) We’ve all seen how Twitter can play an unprecedented role in world events and in news communication. But on a very personal, routine level, there are several (other) ways in which Twitter can boost your happiness. After all, is it just a coincidence that a blue bird is both the symbol for happiness and the symbol for Twitter? Probably yes, I know, but still, it’s a happy coincidence. 1. Twitter allows you to pursue your passion — even if only in your imagination. A key to a happier life is to have fun – people who regularly have fun are twenty times ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828987 Sat, 14 May 2011 16:30:58 +0100 4828987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813491&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmay-2011-hows-your-ms-today%2F Time to check in with one another again. Second week of the month and we’re all wondering how your MS is today. As I said in Monday’s blog, I’ve been feeling relatively well this past couple of weeks. Now, were you to ask Caryn (and likely others who have seen me hobble about of late) you might get another answer; which led me to wonder if the same is true for others living with MS… This month, along with your check-in with yourself, I thought it might be interesting for us to report how someone close to us thinks we’re doing this month. I wouldn’t say that I “check in” with Caryn; ours is more of a running dialog. On occasion, however, I do make a point to see if what I’m experiencing is “obvious”… it usually is. In fact a couple of weeks ago, I saw the re... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813491 Wed, 11 May 2011 19:02:33 +0100 4813491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753841&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-decade-living-with-multiple-sclerosis-diagnosis%2F There is a generation of Americans who can tell you exactly where they were when they heard of JFK’s assassination. The next generation has space shuttle Challenger to hold as a common cultural experience. And 9/11 is etched into every living psyche the way December 7th, 1941 lives in the hearts of the “Greatest Generation.” We all have personal dates which we cannot shake as well; dates of births and deaths and, in the case of many of us with multiple sclerosis, there are dates of diagnosis. Today is the 10 year anniversary of my Dx. When I look back, like many of us can, before I heard the words “you have MS”, I know that I’d lived with this disease for many years prior. In fact, a reexamination of mysterious symptoms I experienced in high school lead me (along with my medic... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753841 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:17:34 +0100 4753841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742545&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fpip-pip-a-yanks-life-with-ms%2F About a year and a half ago, I posted an observation that your participation in the community which has grown up within the Life With MS Blog has made this a place for tens of thousands to come. I also stated in that observation that I had reluctantly accepted that I am a voice for myself and for others living with multiple sclerosis. I am honored to announce that the MS Society of the United Kingdom has asked me to chime in on their soon-to-be-built social networking site a couple of times a month as a voice from America in, “A Yank’s Life With MS”. As with all the work I do with the National MS Society and other charitable organizations, this will be 100% unpaid volunteerism. Payment was not offered nor requested. We’re not really sure how the whole thing is going to work, what t... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742545 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:22:36 +0100 4742545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734378&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-didnt-give-us-nuttin-we-took-it%2F The funeral mass for the first person I ever knew to have multiple sclerosis took place today. She lived a good life, a happy life, a full life. She’s remembered today for her love of family, of friends, and of travel. Goldine’s life with MS taught me much — likely far more than she would have ever known. Her love of travel in particular (oft with one of her daughters to help) made me look at my life with MS differently from the start. And today, in her honor, I state plainly that MS didn’t “give” us anything. If there is goodness in our life after MS that wasn’t there before; we took it! MS is a sly and evil thief. I’ll never give it the power of saying ‘MS gave me…’ and I think that if we do say something like that, we give too much credit to the disease... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734378 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:25:56 +0100 4734378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734379&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-news-from-the-aan-meetings-significant-risks-from-tysabri-identified%2F The world’s largest gathering of neurological professionals took place in Honolulu, Hawaii last week. Unlike when the American Academy of Neurology meeting took place on my back doorstep in 2009, I did not attend the meetings in order to report back “live” (but it wasn’t for lack of trying…). Then, when I tracked the news as it rolled out from the meetings and was kept abreast in their virtual press room, I waited until the meetings were over so I could digest the skeins of data before relaying information via the Life With MS Blog. Once again this year, multiple sclerosis information, seminars, posters, and study results overwhelmed the proceedings. I used nearly an entire highlighter on my copy of the advanced program! It is our intention to spend several of the next few weeks�... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734379 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:06:42 +0100 4734379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709247&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F14%2Ffomo-addiction-the-fear-of-missing-out%2F As serendipity often strikes randomly, I was reading an article in The New York Times by Jenna Wortham the other day at the same time I was reading the chapter in Sherry Turkle’s new book, Alone Together about people who fear they are missing out. Teens and adults text while driving, because the possibility of a social connection is more important than their own lives (and the lives of others). They interrupt one call to take another, even when they don’t know who’s on the other line (but to be honest, we’ve been doing this for years before caller ID). They check their Twitter stream while on a date, because something more interesting or entertaining just might be happening. It’s not “interruption,” it’s connection. But wait a minute… ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709247 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:15:24 +0100 4709247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693399&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-post-mortem-of-events-leading-to-monday%25e2%2580%2599s-ccsvi-conversation%2F For many who are new to the Life With MS Blog, Monday’s spirited exchange about CCSVI served as something of a surprise. Though there was most assuredly an element in the extensive comments section who took direct aim at me for my addressing the topic the way I did (and some rather nasty retorts shouted back at them as well), I was very happy to see moderate voices joining in the conversation as well. One comment had to be removed (against my requests) due to its unacceptably vulgar language and Everyday Health’s Terms of Use policy on such things. You can still, if you’d like, read the comments of those calling me everything from “ignorant asshole” to a “laughing stock”, and labeling me in the “anti-CCSVI crowd”. I have come call myself a “hopeful skeptic” on the top... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693399 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:20:29 +0100 4693399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676953&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fccsvi-activists-or-cult%2F Cat-calling, taunting, chastising, and even mocking people living with multiple sclerosis is not going to get you in my good graces. Dr. Palo Zamboni’s theory that MS is caused by narrowing of veins draining blood from the brain (CCSVI) is not a particularly new idea: the so-called Father of Neurology, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, also thought MS may be vascular in nature. This theory has been questioned by medical science (and since discarded as unlikely) for generations. Media coverage of Zamboni’s Liberation Treatment for MS using venoplasty sparked an online storm that has all but neutered the Canadian MS Society — which sought to debunk the theory straight-off — and led to the creation of the Reformed MS Society, whose aim is to make the treatment available in Canada in ta... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676953 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:24:47 +0100 4676953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670170&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F02%2Fdo-you-feel-like-a-fake-2%2F When I was in grad school, I was a fake, a phony, a fraud. Or at least I felt that way — very much. I felt like the program made some exception to accept me, that I really didn’t deserve to be there, that I wore my stupidity on my sleeve and that soon the professors and powers-that-be would find out and kick me out. That never happened. (I actually left after receiving my Master’s to pursue writing.) But it didn’t quell my fears. Even when I received high grades and positive feedback and praise, I still felt a gnawing discomfort that I just didn’t belong in such a smart place. I also wasn’t the only one. My cohort and I talked regularly about feeling like our department had a made a mistake in admitting us. We worried about keeping up, regularly questioned our i... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670170 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:20:51 +0100 4670170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631520&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fgot-regret-the-top-10-american-regrets%2F Americans share a lot of the same regrets in life — lost love, family spats, missing a career or educational opportunity. So says new research out of Northwestern University from a telephone survey conducted by researchers on 370 American adults. The researchers asked people to describe one regret in detail, with the rationale that whatever regret they described would be the one that is most memorable. Regrets based on inaction were held on to longer over time, versus those based upon some action the person took. So what are the top ten regrets held by Americans? The Top 10 American Regrets Here are the subjects that survey respondents most commonly described they held the greatest regrets about: Romance, lost love – 18.1% Family (e.g., family arguments) – 15.9% Educati... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631520 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:26:00 +0100 4631520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600684&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-awareness-week-day-3-care-partners%2F Multiple sclerosis is a family disease. Even if you are the only one in your family living with a diagnosis of MS — like I was for the first decade after my diagnosis — your family lives with MS as well. Some people live well with MS, some struggle and suffer (in their own ways). The same holds true for family members and friends of people with MS. Today, as part of our week-long series dedicated to MS Awareness Week, I’d like to call out our care partners. It’s not easy to live with someone with MS. It’s not possible to read our minds. It’s not always pleasant to be around us when we require (and sometimes don’t ask for) extra help, but our care partners do it. Some care partners are friends we pay — nursing assistants, home health aides, and the like. Others are friends o... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600684 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:15:23 +0100 4600684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592548&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-awareness-week-day-2-ms%2F It’s Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week in the United States. There are television adverts for the National MS Society, billboards, Facebook pages are bubbling with chat, and people are wearing orange and taking part in awareness activities across the country. I’ve decided to try to post a little something every day this week, starting out year six at a sprint! Today, I’m focusing on MS =. The National MS Society has created this page so that all of us who live with MS — patients, families, friends, co-workers, etc — can go there and type a headline (no more than 60 characters) explaining what MS equals to them. I’ve been reading many of them, and no one emotion is left out of my reaction. I wrote “MS=An end to old dreams…but living new dreams built on hope” ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592548 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:14:02 +0100 4592548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592549&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Flife-with-ms-blog-five-years-old-today%2F The Life with MS blog may not be the oldest running blog about Multiple Sclerosis, but in an experiment I conducted this weekend, I found that it’s pretty damned popular! When I searched (with various search engines) “MS Blog,” “Multiple Sclerosis Blog,” and “Life with MS” our little community was the number one result, every time. (Ok, once MS Magazine’s blog and once an advert for Microsoft’s blog came on top of ours…but still!) If you would have searched those keywords five years ago, who knows what you would have found. I know that if you had searched my name back in 2005, the only thing you would have found on the web was an old work e-mail address and the testimony I once gave at city hall in the small Washington city where I lived at the time. (I would not recomm... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592549 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:04:36 +0100 4592549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575150&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Femergency-preparedness-and-ms-annette-funicello-and-the-japanese-earthquake%2F On a night when my multiple sclerosis was quiet and actually allowing for a good night’s sleep, I was awakened just after 5:00 am by a text message from my father in Florida. While he knows we live a couple of hundred feet above sea level, we aren’t far from the sea on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States. News of the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan was racing around the news wires and internet and he, being fatherly and all, wanted to make sure our pack was safe. We are. As I searched the internet and surfed television channels I came across other alarming news… The first love of an entire generation of American boys, Annette Funicello (of Mickey Mouse Club and surf movie fame), was rushed to the hospital this morning as a fire engulfed her Souther... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575150 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:50:14 +0100 4575150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4566233&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fyour-charlie-sheen-free-zone-how%25e2%2580%2599s-your-ms-today%2F The response to my recent Facebook/Twitter chirpings about having had enough of Charlie Sheen prompted the addition to our monthly title. Let the Life With MS Blog be 100 percent Charlie-Free! We try to take the first Wednesday’s post each month to ask this question, but last week’s slot was taken by breaking news about the FDA’s rejection of the oral MS med, Clabridine. Now, let’s get back on track… MS changes our lives and it changes much of our day-to-day as well. These monthly check-ins give some reference and insight for us and for other members of the community. In our ”Frustrations” blog last week, one comment from Susan in Knucklehead Ranch, Texas (and who couldn’t love Susan for that nom de plume?) asked, “To what end do you compare the today you to the year... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4566233 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:11:47 +0100 4566233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554652&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F06%2Fmy-mind-isnt-always-my-friend%2F Um. Before you say, “duh???,” let me just say that the title of this post is the title of an insightful book by Steven J. Fogel, business leader and Renaissance man, with Mark Rosin. A refreshing combination of psychology tips and motivational themes, the book outlines why our mind goes awry, leading down the slippery slope to depression and anxiety, and how we can try to better hold the reins. Now if you are so clinically depressed right now that you can’t get out of bed, I don’t think many of the chapters will help you. However, if you are at an okay place, functioning but pretty freaked out about the change that’s going on in your life like I am, well, I appreciated Fogel’s guidelines. He starts by examining our childhood (Yes, you get to blame mom an... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554652 Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:45:27 +0100 4554652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4540656&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fnew-multiple-sclerosis-pill-shot-down-by-fda%2F The multiple sclerosis pill Cladribine has been dealt another blow by FDA pharmaceutical regulators. FDA’s Euro-Zone sister agency rejected Cladribine just over a month ago based on its unacceptable risk-benefit ratio for patients in drug trials. In its letter to Merck, FDA cited the same concerns. The agency didn’t question the drug’s efficacy in reducing multiple sclerosis relapse and progression. In fact, Merck officials claim encouragement in that the response letter verified the claims about Cladribine on those fronts. This leaves Cladribine (its planned brand name is “Movectro”) in the arsenal of people living with MS in Russia and Australia — the only two major nations to approve its use for multiple sclerosis. The manufacturer is not willing to let Cladribine di... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4540656 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:20:19 +0100 4540656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532437&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-induced-humility%2F If you have to make a trip to the emergency department at your local hospital, 6:30 on Oscar night isn’t a bad time to be seen quickly. Not to worry – it was far from life-threatening, the accident which predicated my evening visit to the local medical crew. Still – and I’ll beg that we keep it at this – while we made as much light of it as we could, the accident could have been quite serious. “As much light of it as we could”… Yeah; we laughed and made the medical staff laugh right along with us. I firmly ascribe to the adage, “If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry” very oft about multiple sclerosis and it seems to have bled into the rest of my life. I suppose that just plain age brings along with it a certain amount of devil-may-care to our association with our bodies. Being... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532437 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:26:48 +0100 4532437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4527773&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F27%2Fj-raymond-depaulo-jr-on-getting-a-second-opinion%2F The following passage from J. Raymond DePaulo Jr.’s book, Understanding Depression, was helpful to me in knowing what to look for in a doctor, and when to go for a second (and third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth, and seventh) opinion. My comments on his advice are in parantheses. The best patient care requires three components: A well-trained, dependable clinician who knows what to do and is accessible to the patient; A well-informed patient who actively participates in his or her care plan and follows it; and A trusting alliance between doctor, patient, and family. If you don’t understand or agree with a doctor’s diagnosis, you should ask for an explanation of how he or she came to the conclusion. What factors weight in favor of the diagnosis? What factors argue i... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4527773 Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:08:06 +0100 4527773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522194&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fon-the-day-after-theres-a-cure-for-multiple-sclerosis-i-will%2F Nearing my one-decade mark post-diagnosis, I lay awake last night planning a fairly busy schedule (by my “new normal” standards) for today. I became keenly aware of the modifications which have become mundane and the extraordinary which has become every day. As I walked through today in my mind, I found myself stepping over MS at every turn, which got me to thinking about the day after a cure. Some with early stages of RRMS will say that most of their days are sans MS, so such a day is nearly routine. Many people with MS say they are experiencing such a day directly after being treated for CCSVI. There seemed, in my waning minutes of consciousness, to be far too many changes to list, but it became something of a distraction from my stiff and cramped legs. I thought I would start and w... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522194 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:38:46 +0100 4522194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512502&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fcog-fog-multiple-sclerosis-cognitive-fog%2F I’m told by those who have cared for someone with Alzheimer’s disease that the hardest part is when the patient emerges, momentarily, from their dementia and it is evident by the look on their face (or comments) that they know exactly what is happening to them. While we know that multiple sclerosis isn’t Alzheimer’s, many of us are cognizant of the fact that “cog-fog” is a part of MS too. The anecdotal reports of treatment for CCSVI (the narrowing of veins which is theorized to be a contributing factor in MS) include a lifting of cog-fog as a major benefit. This “brain fog,” as it’s sometimes called, is difficult to pigeonhole in the realm of direct MS symptoms because teasing it from co-morbidities such as depression and fatigue can prove beyond the abilities of patients... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512502 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:52:36 +0100 4512502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501639&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F20%2F12-steps-to-break-your-addiction-to-a-person%2F In his book, How to Break Your Addiction to a Person, Howard Halpern first explains what an addictive relationship is, then gives guidelines for recognizing if you’re involved in one. Then, he offers several techniques on how to end an unhealthy relationship (or an emotional affair). I’ve compiled and adapted all of his suggestions into the following dozen techniques, excerpting what I found to be the most important passages for each. 1. Keep a Relationship Log Keep track of the events and happenings of the relationship, but above all, and in as honest detail as you can, set down your feelings about the contacts with your partner. The reasons this can be extraordinarily helpful are (a) It compels you to notice what is going on and how you feel about it, (b) It can help you to l... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501639 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:45:41 +0100 4501639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495329&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Ffundraising-for-multiple-sclerosis-organizations%2F TEAM GLEASON, as many of you may know, is a national “friends and family” team raising money for research, educational programs, and direct services and support to tens of thousands of people living with multiple sclerosis around the United States. We choose the National MS Society as the benefactor for our fundraising because we believe in their responsible use of the money we raise, and the split between research and services. There are dozens of other organizations around the country — and the world — which might better suite your desires when it comes to charitable donations to the multiple sclerosis cause. Here in the States, the MS Association of America and MS Foundation are other examples of nationwide organizations helping people with MS. I’m also drawn t... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495329 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:12:58 +0100 4495329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482758&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-giant-artificial-gut%2F2011.02.15 What do you do when you’re one of the world’s biggest food companies and you’re looking to explore what happens after your products get chewed and swallowed? Apparently you build a large refrigerator-sized, million dollar model of a human gut, complete with valves, injection ports for enzymes, and a transparent window for visibility, of course. Nestle, in their quest to create foods that trick your body into feeling even more satisfied after eating than you otherwise would be, has a research and development center that holds this artificial gut, tucked next to the mountains in Lausanne, Switzerland. Here they’re busy studying and trying to commercialize gastrointestinal phenomenon such as the “ileal break,” a peptidal feedback mechanism that both slows transit through the GI s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482758 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:00:52 +0100 4482758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477930&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhappy-valentines-day-multiple-sclerosis-experts%2F A Facebook friend in Europe posted a link to my Life With MS Facebook page and the ensuing rancor and upheaval seen in the poor bugger’s comments section stirred up this topic in my head. We’ve seen distaste for what I’ve written in the pages of this blog on more occasions than most of us would care to remember. I usually know when I’m stirring up a sensitive topic, so I’m usually alright with a barb or two being thrown my way. There was no reason whatsoever, in my opinion, to drag one of your fellow Life With MS Blog community members through the mud simply because he finds some comfort in our running conversations. One of the accusations (and we’ll just leave out the most colorful of the language) accused me – “a freeking CHEF; That’s all!!!” – of posing as an MS ex... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477930 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:25:26 +0100 4477930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455304&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F09%2Fa-general-theory-of-love-part-1%2F Love is all you need — The Beatles Love is a serious mental disease — Plato In honor of the month of Valentines Day, I wanted to introduce a collection of articles about what love is, the theory behind it, and the research that supports it.  Poets, painters, musicians, sculptures, photographers and writers need not worry that science is muscling in on their territory.  We just want to add our voice to the chorus. In the book, A General Theory of Love, authors, Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini & Richard Lannon, review what we know about attraction and neuroscience.  They generate an interesting framework from which to launch this series.  They begin with something that provides a foundation upon which the theory and practice of love can be built:  “Because it is part of the physical ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455304 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:43:19 +0100 4455304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429121&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-short-question-for-the-short-month-hows-your-ms-today%2F It seems like only yesterday we were popping champagne corks and kissing neighbors (I hope they were my neighbors!) and talking about our multiple sclerosis in the New Year. Now we’re already more than 7 percent through February! Each month we take a moment (or in this case, a post) and reflect on our multiple sclerosis symptoms, the way we’re coping with them and how they are affecting our lives in general. We’ve had some pretty interesting discussions in these pages over the years. Some have been uplifting, hopeful, and inspiring while others have been, at times, stark reminders of what we have been going through. One thing is for certain though; within these pages we are never alone. I salute each and every one of us for getting on with our lives in the face of MS. We may not alw... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429121 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:13:05 +0100 4429121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424280&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F01%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-february-1-2011%2F I have to say in some ways, 2011 has been uneventful. Maybe I was in need of a little mundane in my life after 2011 kick me in the butt. But while boredom is welcomed (Thank goodness for the sun! There’s no seasonal affective disorder on my end.), it can also be a sign of stagnation. Maybe we’re getting too comfortable in our relationships and in our jobs and have started to take for granted the everyday moments in our lives. If that sounds like you, keep reading. This week’s post are all about rethinking your life, transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary ones, analyzing your relationships and your body language. Basically, they are five posts to re-energize your 2011. If you’ve been feeling run-down, down and out, tired of the lack of sunlight, I think you... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424280 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:14:25 +0100 4424280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411626&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-and-the-new-normal%2F As shock and horror over the tragic events in Tucson that left six dead and another dozen injured slipped into hope and praise for those who survived and assisted on that awful morning, a phrase familiar to far too many people living with multiple sclerosis began to slip into the nation’s consciousness: “New Normal.” Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ remarkable recovery in the trauma ward of Tuscon’s University Medical Center after being shot in the head inspired many as she opened her eyes and responded to doctor’s directions to complete simple tasks. Now, under the guidance of rehabilitation specialists at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, Rep. Giffords and her family have begun the long, arduous (and some would say even “heroic”) battle to find her new no... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411626 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:02:18 +0100 4411626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360976&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-a-song-can-get-you-high%2F2011.01.18 According to a new study in Nature Neuroscience, there are songs that can arouse feelings of euphoria and craving by endogenous dopamine release in the striatum: If music-induced emotional states can lead to dopamine release, as our findings indicate, it may begin to explain why musical experiences are so valued. These results further speak to why music can be effectively used in rituals, marketing or film to manipulate hedonic states. Our findings provide neurochemical evidence that intense emotional responses to music involve ancient reward circuitry and serve as a starting point for more detailed investigations of the biological substrates that underlie abstract forms of pleasure. According to study author Robert Zatorre, one of those songs is “Adagio For Strings” by DJ Tie... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360976 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:00:55 +0100 4360976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361068&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F18%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-january-18-2011%2F No matter who we are, where we live, how much money we have or what we do for a living, we all essentially want the same thing. We want to feel validated that our worries, feelings and emotions are justified. We want to be seen, heard and felt valued for who we are. We want to know that how we feel and what we think is normal. And most important, we want to be both loved and understood. Knowing these things, can we change the way we perceive our relationships? Can we change the way we treat ourselves and others? That’s a hope I have and a realistic resolution you could have for 2011. A simple change to gain a worthy result. Recently, my great aunt was snappy on the phone with my dad, I took the chance and spoke to her, validating her concerns, calming her fears, and noticed an instan... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361068 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:52:11 +0100 4361068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338126&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhappy-2011-hows-your-ms-today%2F The bearded old year has made his exit and nappied babe is already two weeks old: time to ask our monthly query about your multiple sclerosis. No time like the New Year to take stock in where we stand and plan for our future. Also, we’ve found that a regular check in with ourselves and with those in the Life With MS Blog community has been very helpful to many. This open forum post allows you to ask questions, pose future blog topics, and offer support to others who bring issues to our cyber table. My MS has been all over the damned place these past few weeks. My sense of taste is mostly back to normal… mostly. In the vernacular: It still ain’t right! Sleep is still all mucked up and, well MS never seems to be the same day-to-day. So, floor opened. How’s your MS today? Cheers Trevi... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338126 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:12:45 +0100 4338126 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322508&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysician-visibility-in-public-i-see-patients-and-they-see-me%2F2011.01.07 In the movie “The Sixth Sense,” there was that kid who saw dead people. I’m like that. But I see patients and their parents instead. They’re all around me. They’re watching at the grocery store when my kids act up. We meet during anniversary dinners, at Christmas Eve service, and on the treadmill at the Y. I bump into parents when buying personal effects and even during the early morning coffee run in my oldest sweats. I see patients. The follow-up dialog between the parents might go something like this: Dad: “Marge, don’t you think Billy’s colitis might be better managed by a doctor capable of pulling himself together?” Mom: “Don’t be ridiculous, Frank. DrV’s bedhead has nothing to do with his ability to care for Billy. And besides, I’ve heard tha... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322508 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:00:43 +0100 4322508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309746&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fits-not-always-about-ms%2F An event which began on Christmas and took several days to sort out has served as a reminder for me, about multiple sclerosis, and I thought I’d share. As some of you know, Caryn and I have three dogs — kind of a “hers, mine, and ours” thing. I got Sadie (age 5) while living in Ireland, we rescued Max (11) after we had moved in together and then there is the Mama of the pack, Stella. Caryn got Stella when she the pup was two and a half: a sleek, black-and-tan German shepherd mix. As of next month, Stella turns 16 years old and even our veterinarian cannot believe the wonderful shape she’s in. We know that Stella’s time with us is limited but she’s shown no signs of being short for this world… until last weekend. I think any pet owner hopes, when the end comes, that it c... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309746 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:44:54 +0100 4309746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281311&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-a-doctor-is-spent%2F2010.12.22 “I need you to do me a favor,” my nurse asked me at the end of our day on Friday. “Sure,” I answered. “What do you want?” “Please have a better week next week,” she said with a pained expression. “I don’t think I can handle another one like this week.” It was a bad week. There was cancer, there was anxiety, there were family fights, there were very sick children. It’s not that it’s unusual to see tough things (I am a doctor), but the grouping of them had all of us trudging home drained of energy. Spent. I think this is one of the toughest thing about being a doctor (and nurse, by my nurse’s question): The spending of emotional reserves. I’m not physically active at work, yet I come home tired. I don’t have to be busy to feel drained. It’s not the pati... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281311 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:00:40 +0100 4281311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241848&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwas-ccsvi-treatment-the-cause-of-this-ms-patients-death%2F It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge the passing of Mahir Mostic, a Canadian and fellow soldier in the fight against MS. According to The Vancouver Sun, Mostic died of complications after he traveled, twice, to a private Costa Rica hospital for the controversial “liberation treatment” to relieve blocked veins in his neck, which, some doctors and legions of patients purport, relieves some symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Those who have been drawn to our blog in the past by my conservative outlook on this treatment would expect me to herald this as proof positive that clinics and hospitals offering MS patients liberation treatment should be closed down post-haste. That is not the case. While I still hold firm to my status as a hopeful skeptic of the procedure and do not think enou... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241848 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:44:06 +0100 4241848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233307&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-and-the-season-of-giving%2F I’m just back from an early morning recording session at a local radio station. I was asked to record a public service spot having to do with charitable work and giving during this “special time of year.” Of course, I slipped in mention of multiple sclerosis causes during the commercial! Whether or not we are aware of it, we are the object of millions of dollars of annual giving by those who want to see our disease filed in the annals of medical history — just like we do. Many of us give to those MS causes as well; we give what we can, when we can. Of course, it’s not just money that we think of giving around the holidays: There’s also time, toys for the needy, cards for a soldier or sailor serving… the list goes on. I’m wondering today, as I reflect on my call ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233307 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:32:46 +0100 4233307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225469&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-and-our-loved-ones%2F People who live with multiple sclerosis live alone. We may have others who live with us, but they don’t really live in the same “place” as us… nor we with them. The best way I can describe it — to myself, really — is that people living with MS and our partners live in different houses on the opposite side of the same street. Neither can fully understand what the other’s life is like. We have a very similar perspective on the world, but not exactly (and sometimes not even close to) the same. Last weekend, Caryn and I rented the Rob Reiner film Flipped, and this all became so clear! It’s a coming-of-age film about two children who meet when a boy moves in across the street from a young girl who is the same age. The entire film is a back-and-forth telling of their life sto... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225469 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:46:08 +0100 4225469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4187058&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faccepting-our-feelings%2F Why do we struggle so with our feelings? Why do we work so hard to deny our emotions, especially concerning other people? They are only feelings! In the course of a day, we may deny we feel frustrated in reaction to someone who is selling us a service. We may deny that we feel frustrated, angry, or hurt in reaction to a friend. We may deny feelings of fear, or anger, toward our children. We may deny a whole range of feelings toward our spouse or the person with whom we’re in a love relationship. We may deny feelings provoked by people we work for, or by people who work for us. Sometimes the feelings are a direct reaction to others. Sometimes people trigger something deeper – an old sadness or frustration. Regardless of the source of our feelings, they are still our feelings. We... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4187058 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:31:48 +0100 4187058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175854&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-affects-everything%2F My name is Trevis Gleason and I live with multiple sclerosis. I have lived with this diagnosis for over nine years and experienced symptoms of MS for some 15 years prior to that. I say so because I “get it”! I’ve lived through a very active period of my disease which afforded me six (unwelcomed) exacerbations by which to experience and learn to understand the power of MS. I have lived through many tenuous weeks and months wondering if what was lost would return, if it would return… and when the next attack would come. In the past several years, the attacks became less frequent but the ever-progressing symptoms have slowly nibbled away at (and sometimes taken great, hungry bites from) many aspects of my command and control. My sight is (now and again) wonky, my left side demonstrabl... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175854 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:00:49 +0100 4175854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151874&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F10%2F10-tips-to-enhance-your-love-bonds%2F I detest love lyrics. I think one of the causes of bad mental health in the United States is that people have been raised on love lyrics. - Frank Zappa Since more marriages in the United States fail rather than succeed, it is clear that most people have unrealistic expectations and lack the skills necessary to maintain a good relationship. What goes into being in love? Is it love at first sight, or something else? In the January/February 2010 issue of Scientific American Mind, Robert Epstein outlines a series of exercises which emphasize vulnerability and which research has shown to enhance feelings of love. Here’s what we know about mutual gazing, bungee jumping, and arranged marriages. Gazing at someone increases positive feelings toward them. The key word here is mutual. Mammal... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151874 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:53:04 +0100 4151874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4139364&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-friends-gets-a-hand%2F Living with multiple sclerosis can be a lonely journey. Whether it be from time to time or on a regular basis, there are occasions when it seems that no one “gets it” but us. Here at the Life With MS Blog, we try to be a link of information for connection and for venting. Sometimes, however, we may want/need a more personal touch. That’s where MS Friends has come in for many people living with MS. MS Friends offers a 24/7 peer support helpline, staffed with people living with multiple sclerosis. Last year a cadre of fewer than 90 volunteers handled over 8,500 calls and their volume is only growing! I’m sure you can imagine how difficult it can be to staff a phone helpline 24/7. Now think about the costs involved with such an endeavor and it won’t surprise you that the organizatio... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4139364 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:16:55 +0100 4139364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133832&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F04%2Fsurge-in-teen-suicides%2F Minnesota has seen its usual number of teen suicides this year. But because a cluster of suicides involve students from Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota, some people may believe there’s a “surge” in suicides that is an anomaly. The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) went behind the statistics, though, to see if such an adjective was appropriate to describe this cluster. As it turns out, it wasn’t. With 33 teen suicides so far this year, Minnesota is on pace for the average of 42 it has seen annually since 1990. At worst, that misperception risks “normalizing” suicide, leading teens to accept it as a normal occurrence, said Daniel Reidenberg of the Bloomington, Minn.-based Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE. “Then when they are confronted or faced wi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133832 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:37:39 +0100 4133832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133835&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F02%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-november-2-2010%2F Something I both admire and enjoy about our Facebook community is how honest everyone has been about their experiences. Besides divulging their feelings on everything from Seasonal Affective Disorder to the holidays (Yay or Bah Humbug!), many of our fans have comforted each other, provided tips and shared their own personal stories and life lessons that got them through some tough times. It’s just a reminder of how much we all go through on a daily basis, how important compassion is and how influential a community can have on the lives of individuals. Pretty powerful stuff! With that being said, I’d like to thank our Facebook community, blog commenters, and Twitter followers. And hopefully return the support and love with these fabulous five posts. It’s all about betterin... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133835 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:30:58 +0100 4133835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105860&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fclimbing-the-mountain-that-is-multiple-sclerosis%2F While daily stretching of muscles underused, misused, or otherwise affected by multiple sclerosis is an important daily routine for each of us; that is not what this blog posting is about… This post is about the other kind of stretching. It’s “Moving Forward Luncheon” season in my neck of the woods. As many of you know, I have a minor speaking role in these fundraising events for my chapter of the National MS Society. Last week, the keynote speaker was an amazing woman, one Wendy Booker, who lives with MS and has climbed (as she puts it) six and a half of the world’s tallest peaks. The half was her two “failed” attempts at Everest! Now, I know that climbing a mountain isn’t in the cards for me. Hell, climbing a mountain was NEVER in my cards!!! What Booker has done is beyon... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105860 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:08:52 +0100 4105860 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119729&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F10-passive-aggressive-cut-outs%2F 10 Common Passive Aggressive Phrases to Avoid Is there someone in your life who consistently makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster? Do you know a person who is friendly one day but sulks and withdraws the next? Does a family member or friend consistently procrastinate, postpone, stall, and shut down any emotionally-laden conversations? Are you sometimes that person? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, chances are you may be interacting with a passive aggressive person or showing signs of passive-aggressive behavior yourself. Passive aggression is a deliberate and masked way of expressing covert feelings of anger. It involves a range of behaviors designed to get back at another person without him recognizing the underlying anger. These ten common... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119729 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:46:00 +0100 4119729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045244&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwith-your-ms-are-you-the-coach-or-the-water-boy%2F Fall nips the air, leaves begin to turn, zucchini bread becomes pumpkin, and the boys of hopeful summer become the battered men of October. It’s baseball playoff season and, even though my team has been out of contention since, well… June, I still love it! I even once wrote a blog comparing life with MS and baseball. Today is a travel day for most of the teams so I’m going to have to get my fix by talking about it rather than watching. It made me think about a webcast we hosted a few years back about putting together our health care team and treating it like a baseball club. Some of the comments I’ve been reading from many of you of late have lead me to ask the question in today’s title: Are you coaching your health care team? I know I am very fortunate to have an MS team which i... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045244 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:21:30 +0100 4045244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036799&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2F1010-hows-your-ms-today%2F MS or no, time keeps its steady pace, marching ever forward (never straight!). Each month we take a moment, we aim toward the beginning, to check in with one another. It’s a great place to see how everyone else is doing and to gauge our own state of wellness (or not) and see how others are coping with much of what we wake up to every day. This monthly post is an open forum to post questions and comments about things you can’t seem to find anywhere else in the Life With MS archives. We’ve used new topics from “How’s Your MS Today” on more occasions that I can remember (not that that’s saying much about anything save my memory…) As for me and my MS… The painful pins and needles thing is back in my legs. It’s one thing to walk around like Frankenstein’s monster because m... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036799 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:19:40 +0100 4036799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013367&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhat-were-your-first-ms-symptoms%2F A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis changes everything… but does it really? Education of primary care physicians, diagnostic advances, and public awareness have changed the multiple sclerosis playing field drastically in the past decade or so. Many people are being diagnosed, in general, earlier than in the past. That said, many of us are at, around, or beyond that decade mark, and even though many are diagnosed earlier, it still takes a while. I heard the words “You have multiple sclerosis” at age 35, smack dab in the middle of that 20 to 50 year age range where 90-plus percent of MS is diagnosed. Looking back, however (and I’ve done this with my neurologist as well), I realize I had my first MS “attack” when I was 22. I can’t really think of any symptoms I may have encountere... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013367 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:39:57 +0100 4013367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994011&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F23%2Fwhen-your-husband-isnt-like-a-wall-he-is-a-wall%2F “The Great Wall of China’s attractive, but he’s too thick – my husband is sexier.” – Eija-Riitta Eklöf-Berliner-Mauer, The woman who married the Berlin Wall Do objects have souls? A few weeks ago my laptop’s battery was in trouble and I had to bring it in for a checkup. While the computer was being fixed my Blackberry simply stopped operating. I was frantic. I felt betrayed by the objects I rely on, ‘love’ and care for. “Why is this happening to me?” was my new mantra. One of my friends suggested that Mercury was in retrograde; another asked if I had done something to offend my favorite objects. We laughed, recalling a Woody Allen routine where his appliances are on the fritz and he hits them, and when he goes into the elevator the elevator asks if he... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994011 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:12:48 +0100 3994011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994139&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhat-in-the-ms-world-gets-your-eire-up%2F This past Friday being the half-way point to St Patrick’s Day (what –you didn’t celebrate?) coupled with the ferocity of some (oh, who am I kidding? MOST) of the comments on our recent CCSVI blog, got me thinking about temper and multiple sclerosis. Now, that didn’t go very far… It did, however, spark me to wonder what really gets to you when it comes to living life with MS. Not the disease itself, as we could write (and have written) volumes on that topic. Rather, I’m wondering about parts of the life with MS part. It’s obvious that there are frustrations with drugs (and drug companies) with needles, with the distance you have to travel to get to your docs… that’s the kind of thing I’m thinking about. For me, and I know this is small, but mine has to do with the ca... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994139 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:27:01 +0100 3994139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987015&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2F200898%2F Cheer Up, Southpaw. Left-handed people are more prone to negative emotions. (via Mercola Blog) Post from: BlissTree (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987015 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:52:15 +0100 3987015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980921&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhen-ms-just-wont-let-you-think-straight%2F I have spent the past couple of days in a part of our country that still finds triple-digit temperatures the norm this time of year. I DO NOT, nor does my multiple sclerosis, find anything “normal” about 104˚F, “dry heat” or not! I head home over the weekend, so I hope this will all pass, but I’m experiencing a kind of MS stupidity with all this heat. I can’t seem to put my finger on words, my reactions times are off, and I just feel a little silly. The physical stuff — doughy face, slow-responding arm, and even slower leg — I expected and can understand. This whole MS “in my head space” thing is very new to me. I’ve found myself being the last one to laugh at something funny or to chime in on a conversation. It’s like I’m a half-step behind the whole wor... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980921 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:30:42 +0100 3980921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3973019&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhen-ms-gets-you-down%2F This just in: MS Sucks! It sucks energy and time and emotion and well…it just plain sucks. Today, for me, is one of those “MS Days” that we tell people about in glib, flip little sentences like; “Well, there are good days and bad days.” The sun has made itself known to Seattle on a September day; not a normal occurrence. And I cannot get myself up, mentally, to go out and enjoy it. My morning slurred into noon, which then required a kip (it was one of those lay down or fall down things). Now, I find a list of things that haven’t been done, likely won’t get done, and I’m feeling a failure for it (not a total failure). What is surprising is how this logy, fatigued state can get me down emotionally. MS got me down today when even reading the expectedly inflammatory comments to... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3973019 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:33:19 +0100 3973019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946596&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fseptember-2010-hows-your-ms-today%2F Sunrise, sunset; swiftly go the days! It’s month nine of the year already and I’m asking; “How’s your MS today?” Each month we try to take a moment to check in with ourselves and each other. We talk about how our symptoms have changed over the past four weeks, and we celebrate if they haven’t! “How’s Your MS Today” has been an ad hoc place for people to pose questions and make comments when they cannot find a specific posting to do so. It has been the impetus for several blog topics and it has been a place for people to connect off-line. It is consistently one our most commented-upon posts and our longest running regular feature. As for my MS today: My recent MRI findings are stable though my clinical symptoms have “slipped” a bit since my last exam in February. My do... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946596 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:39:26 +0100 3946596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902899&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-gift-of-being-a-doctor-what-are-you-going-to-do-with-it%2F2010.08.25 I’m going to do something unusual: Reprint in its entirety a commentary from a fourth-year medical student, Jonathan. He posted it in response to comments from other readers to my blog about Dr. Berwick’s commencement address to his daughter’s medical school class. I tweeted about Jonathan’s post, calling it a needed voice of idealism at a cynical time. This is what Jonathan had to say to his physician colleagues: “To begin, I am a fourth-year medical student going into primary care and this directly applies to me. We have two options when reading [Dr. Berwick's] address. We can take, in my opinion, the weak road or the strong road. Our new generation, as well as the one that raised us, is one of apathy and selfishness. We are only concerned about how changes ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902899 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3902899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3903042&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-and-the-power-of-laughter%2F I am in pain! We are just back from our annual extended weekend camping trip known as “Big Kids’ Kamp”… and I’m in pain! My lips are cracked, my cheeks are sore, and my stomach muscles ache… from laughter! I’d tell you more about Big Kids’ Kamp, but that’s just against the rules. I can, however, say that we spent a lot of time laughing! Laughter is just one of those things that make me feel better even when I’m not feeling well (or good). I oft had to use my forearm crutch, was always the first into my tent at night, and was forced to abandon many afternoon activities for a long nap. Still; I laughed! I wasn’t always able to laugh at myself (not that ALL of the laughter was at or with me this trip), but that is one of my keys to living well with multiple sclerosis: la... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3903042 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:48:02 +0100 3903042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880987&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhen-someone-else-you-know-gets-ms%2F We have read in these pages over the years of families and/or clusters of multiple sclerosis. The reasons why two, three, or even more members of one family have MS are unknown, and when a small community is hit extra hard by multiple sclerosis, the experts still scratch their heads. Even as recently as nine years ago, when I was diagnosed, the “genetic” factor was vague at best, but we know differently now. I got a voicemail from a cousin yesterday; her mother (my aunt by marriage) has tested presumptive-positive for MS (via MRI and lumbar puncture) and is being referred to an MS specialist. What followed was a flurry of phone calls and e-mails to experts and resources, available to those of us who know our way around this disease, and I was able to have a nice (even jovial) conversat... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880987 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:23:17 +0100 3880987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872655&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fdear-ms%2F I am in the throes of writing a rally program for the annual Bike MS event, which takes place in a couple of weeks. The purpose of the evening’s event is to thank everyone for their ride on day one, hand out prizes to the top teams and riders, and (this is where it gets difficult…) remind everyone of our mission at the ride. For the guys who decorated in “Animal House” décor and are now attending in full Roman toga, it can be a tough transition from “Best Team Tent” to “this is why we ride …” Then I stumbled across something in the information I was reading about our chapter’s recent Kids MS Journey Camp. At camp, kids were given the opportunity to write a letter to multiple sclerosis. In reading the content of some of these tomes to our disease… WOW! I’ve been... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872655 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:16:02 +0100 3872655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3867064&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fhealthy-sexuality-2%2F Many areas of our life need healing. One important part of our life is our sexuality. Our feelings and beliefs about our sexuality, our ability to nurture, cherish, and enjoy our sexuality, our ability to respect ourselves sexually, our ability to let go of sexual shame and confusion, may all be impaired or confused by our codependency. Our sexual energy may be blocked. Or for some of us, sex may be the only way we learned to connect with people. Our sexuality may not be connected to the rest of us; sex may not be connected to love – for others or ourselves. Some of us were sexually abused as children. Some of us may have gotten involved in sexuality addictive behaviors – compulsive sexual behaviors that got out of control and produced shame. Some of us may have gotten invo... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3867064 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:49:00 +0100 3867064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858276&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fand-then-there-was-august-hows-your-ms-today%2F I hate to admit it, but the “old people” in my life when I was young were right. Time does seem to go faster as we age. It’s August already and time for our monthly “How is your MS Today?” blog posting. It seems like just a few posts ago that we were bemoaning the scorching temps of July and wishing one another a happy new year just before that! So much has been happening in the world of multiple sclerosis, in our everyday lives…Time just seems to slip by anymore. Every month, I try to offer an open forum for everyone and anyone to jot a note letting us know how your MS is acting. Every month, you surprise me with tales of inspiration and of perseverance, with funny anecdotes and with stories of courage. I like that about you! My MS seems to be settling down a bit after a coupl... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858276 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:44:15 +0100 3858276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845146&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F09%2Fcongratulations-to-katherine-stone-postpartum-progress-2%2F Katherine Stone, the author of the wonderful Postpartum Progress blog, won the First Annual Bloganthropy Award at the BlogHer 10 event in NYC this past weekend. It’s an award focused on making a difference through social media. Given that this award was open to any type of blog on any type of topic, the fact that a mental health blogger won it is heart-warming and fantastic! Here’s a part of the announcement about the award: The Bloganthropy Awards recognize bloggers who have made a difference by using social media effectively to promote a good cause. Stone became an advocate for women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders after experiencing a severe bout of postpartum depression herself in 2001. Her feelings of fear and isolation inspired her to create Postpartum Progress, no... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845146 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:04:23 +0100 3845146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3831474&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-newsmaker-series-oral-ms-treatment%2F Things seem to change in fits and starts when it comes to multiple sclerosis news. Over the past nine-plus years, I’ve been living with MS, I’ve seen front-page MS stories and groundbreaking theories, as well as months of figurative handwringing. Last month we put out a call for questions to see what you might ask an MS expert. Today, I’m happy to announce that our first interview, on the topic of the likely new oral MS Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT), is posted and available for you to read in the MS Center. This interview with Dr. James Bowen, MD of the Swedish Neuroscience Institute is about the new oral MS medication, fingolimod. In the coming weeks we’ll be posting our interviews on the topic of CCSVI and Tysabri. Have a look, have a read, and let us know if there are question... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3831474 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:59:26 +0100 3831474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3823035&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fpaying-it-forward-with-ms%2F I don’t think it’s a particularly Seattle thing; in fact I expect that it’s likely more prevalent in many smaller parts of the country. Over the past couple of months, however, Caryn and I have been experiencing tiny bits of compassion known as “Paying It Forward.” On several occasions now, C has been in line for coffee (even in a drive-through) and been told that the person in front of her had paid for her coffee (or offered directly in come case). The typical reason – someone bought theirs the day prior. I love the idea of paying it forward and have been known to pick-up someone’s breakfast in a little spot without them knowing it or to leave an extra couple of bucks to buy the next person’s coffee. It’s just a little thing that we can do to totally change the trajector... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3823035 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:25:40 +0100 3823035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3813096&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fjustifying-our-ms-disabilities%2F None of us want to live with multiple sclerosis (although, it is better than the current alternative). We’d much prefer to go to sleep at night and not wonder what this disease could take from us in the night. We would rather have all the capacities we once did. I would have liked to keep going down my old path, even though I admit that there have been some positives to be mined from this experience. Why, then, does it seem that are we constantly feeling like we have to justify what we can or cannot do? Whether it’s simply having to explain why we’re using a disabled parking spot when we “look so good;” pleading with the boss for an air conditioner in the office; or the monster-pile of paperwork for disability insurance – making it known how our disease affects us takes up valu... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3813096 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:23:29 +0100 3813096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3808667&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-doctors-feelings-about-caring-for-abnormal-kids%2F2010.08.01 I’ve been practicing for sixteen years now, doing both internal medicine and pediatrics. One of the joys of that is watching kids under my care grow up and not having to give up their care just because they get older. The spectrum is wide, with some kids growing up in “normal” families with “normal lives,” others in “abnormal” families, and yet others with inherently “abnormal” lives due to illness or disability. But the kids aren’t the only thing that has changed over the past sixteen years. Their doctor has changed as well. My comfort zones have widened, not getting rattled by “abnormal” as I once did. I used to feel uncomfortable with the mentally and emotionally disabled, now I am not. I used to feel sorry for parents with “abnormal” children. I used to feel... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3808667 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:00:16 +0100 3808667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3807429&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F31%2Fhelp-prevent-suicide%2F “If I was going to kill myself, I wouldn’t tell you or anyone else.” As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who specializes in crisis intervention and Emergency Room Psychiatry, I hear that a lot. Over 30,000 Americans will take their own lives this year. More people die by suicide each year than homicide, yet suicides rarely make the nightly news. Sometimes it’s hard to know when someone you love and care about may be hurting inside and may need help. If your friends or family are thinking about killing themselves, and they don’t tell you, how can you help them? You can help because there are signs and clues before someone attempts to hurt or kill themselves, a prelude that you may be able to recognize after reading this information. Anyone can commit suicide. Suicides... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3807429 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:32:40 +0100 3807429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3784401&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthings-weve-learned-from-life-with-ms%2F Living with multiple sclerosis can be an uphill battle. The Life With MS Blog, however, has always been a two-way street. As I prepare for a 2.5-hour MRI this afternoon, I began to think about how much I’ve learned from all of you here in the community. For the first time, after comments earlier in the month, I thought about getting an anti-anxiety drug for the trip into the tunnel. I’m not actually going to take anything; I usually fall asleep in the thing! It was, however, just one of the many examples of times when I’ve learned from this wonderful group. Be they coping skills or side effects of drugs, experiences or opinions – you really are the best group of co-passengers anyone could wish for on the stupid-arsed ride we call MS! I do have to away here shortly, and apologize fo... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3784401 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:01:29 +0100 3784401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757922&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F15%2Fmel-gibson-bipolar-disorder-and-alcohol%2F As Mel Gibson’s voicemails to his ex-girlfriend continue to be leaked to the Internet this week, many media outlets are asking questions about Mel Gibson’s mental health. That’s no wonder — the voicemails are laced with profanity, racial epithets, and threats. In a 2008 documentary, Acting Class of 1977, he first talked about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But are the rants to his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva related to a possible mental health diagnosis? Alcohol? Or something else? It’s not easy to answer this question, because nobody except Mel Gibson, 54, and his doctors know. All we can do is speculate, based upon observations of his reactions, tone and behavior as recorded in the voicemails that are publicly available. So let’s take a loo... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757922 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:30:22 +0100 3757922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746865&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-ms-newsmaker%25e2%2580%2599s-series-your-chance-to-ask-the-experts-about-ms%2F So much of what happens with us and our multiple sclerosis seems to happen to us. We go to sleep in one place with our disease and wake the next morning to find that we have been transported, in the night, to a new destination without signing the permission slip. Today, my MS friends, I am so very excited to announce a new series here at Life With MS Blog which will have you (all of us really) in the driver’s seat! With the help of the editorial staff of Everyday Health, we will arrange interviews with some of the movers and shakers in the world of multiple sclerosis. We’ve identified three very important (and somewhat controversial) subjects and are flipping through our virtual Rolodexes to rustle up some great interviewees. The three hot topics are: Professor Paolo Zamboni’s �... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746865 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:16:43 +0100 3746865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733183&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-mercury-climbs-hows-your-ms-today%2F While summer is finally making an appearance in my adopted city, I know that much of the rest of the country is absolutely melting!  I was in North Carolina all last week and was happy that my client had a well air-conditioned kitchen! Yes; I had to rally and make the trip even though I’ve been dealing with a new slip in my condition.  I planned much rest and no evening events, but still…with a 3-hour time change, full days of pretty intense testing, the heat back there and the kind of summer cold virus that we all hate; it’s been a rough few days (thus the lack of a post on Friday). So, that’s my MS this month; how’s yours? We do this every month to check in with each other and with ourselves. I know that it’s not steamy hot all over the country (and I’m sure once our frie... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733183 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:32:42 +0100 3733183 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729927&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F06%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-6-2010%2F How was your 4th of July? Did you have your hamburger and eat your hotdog too? Well, Independence Day was mild for me this year. Just a mix of work, board games and Chinese food. The only fireworks I experienced were the ones I heard outside my front door. But I think that’s what I appreciate most about 4th of July — our ability to be free. Free to choose how we spend not just holidays, but time, our thoughts and in general, our lives. In addition to our site here, other places like Oprah.com have asked users to declare things like their psychological independence and reader independence, respectively. For the 4th, I’m declaring my right to choose how to spend my days. This means less pressure to do what everyone else is doing, releasing obligation to participate in activ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729927 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:21:49 +0100 3729927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3726592&cid=t_119966_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fdr-seuss-quote-of-the-day%2F Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. – Dr. Seuss Post from: BlissTree Dr. Seuss on Being Yourself (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3726592 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:00:48 +0100 3726592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648685&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fpeople-say-the-stupidist-things-about-ms%2F While , “But you look so good…” may be intended as a compliment (or at least a deflector) coming from someone talking about your multiple sclerosis, there are other things that people say that is downright mean.  Whether or not it is intended, people can say some pretty hurtful things about (or actually TO) those of us living with MS. While I must admit that the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me was along the line of, “You don’t really need that cane; do you?”; in a recent article in the National MS Society’s Momentum magazine I read evidence of some pretty awful stuff that people can say. Sure, we could chalk some of it up to ignorance, some comments up to fear and some a deflection device for their own “stuff”.  Some of it, however, is nothin... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648685 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:26:29 +0100 3648685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3566720&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmay-i-ask-how%25e2%2580%2599s-your-ms-today%2F MS changes: Day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month. Every month, we try to take time in the first couple of weeks with the intent to allow for a bit of reflection and self-analysis about the current state or your Multiple Sclerosis. Feel free to leave a comment about your current successes and/or difficulties.  Ask questions of one another, or propose a topic for future blog discussions.  This monthly conversation has been going on for over 4 years now, and I don’t see a reason to stop now! As for my MS today? You may have noted a lack of posts this week until today.  I was working in Portland, OR from last Sunday and, quite frankly between the travel and the work I found my limits… about 100yds behind me! My next 6 weeks have me traveling a considerable amount (7 trips, 5 states ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3566720 Fri, 14 May 2010 17:50:04 +0100 3566720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3566662&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F14%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-21-2010%2F Is it too late for spring fever? Those of you who are anticipating the end of a school year or an upcoming vacation (based on the tweets of our Twitter followers and Facebook friends there are a lot of you) will love this end of the week list of top posts. Why? Because we’ve got tips on how to get motivated, build your confidence, open yourself up to the possibility of love and make use of all that time you’ve spent sitting, waiting and dreaming of something you’d rather be doing instead of what you’re doing right now. So here we go! How the Moments You’re Missing Can Lead to a Better Life (Mindfulness & Psychotherapy) – In between point A where you are and point C where you want to get to, there’s point B the here and now. Learn how to embrace... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3566662 Fri, 14 May 2010 13:33:06 +0100 3566662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3564028&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F14%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-21-2010%2F Is it too late for spring fever? Those of you who are anticipating the end of a school year or an upcoming vacation (based on the tweets of our Twitter followers and Facebook friends there are a lot of you) will love this end of the week list of top posts. Why? Because we’ve got tips on how to get motivated, build your confidence, open yourself up to the possibility of love and make use of all that time you’ve spent sitting, waiting and dreaming of something you’d rather be doing instead of what you’re doing right now. So here we go! How the Moments You’re Missing Can Lead to a Better Life (Mindfulness & Psychotherapy) – In between point A where you are and point C where you want to get to, there’s point B the here and now. Learn how to embrace... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3564028 Fri, 14 May 2010 13:33:06 +0100 3564028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556155&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F12%2Fa-womans-touch-increases-risk-taking%2F We all know the value of human touch. It’s one of the defining cornerstones of our existence since our birth — the connection between mother and infant. The importance of maternal physical contact and nurturing has been demonstrated time and time again in previous research. But what we don’t always realize is the impact simple human touch has on another person. A handshake, a touch of the shoulder — these things matter in more ways than we may realize. Could human touch increase our sense of security, as prior studies have suggested, which in turn could make us to make more risky decisions? That’s what two researchers (Levav & Argo, 2010) set to find out in a series of three experiments… The main hypothesis we tested is that certain forms of physi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556155 Wed, 12 May 2010 15:05:23 +0100 3556155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3530078&cid=t_119966_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FS7J4MU0nHTA%2F At the end of the 19th century the brilliant psychologist and philosopher William Joyce was due to give the keynote speech at a huge convention for psychologists. There was much excitement once news circulated that James had agreed to talk and people came from all over the country to see the great man deliver his wisdom. There was a huge sense of anticipation in the build up to his talk and when he finally came on stage the room was at fever pitch. He walked up to the lectern, surveyed the audience and said: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life buy altering his attitudes of mind.” That was it, that was his entire speech. He then walked off stage again, out of the room and presumably back to his hotel to raid the mini bar, leaving beh... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3530078 Mon, 03 May 2010 19:18:35 +0100 3530078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508246&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F26%2Fgratitude-grace-and-granola%2F “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus When I began my academic career and clinical practice, I would wake up every morning with a feeling of dread. The heaviness and ache on my chest and in my mind, the struggle to attack the day, was oppressive and demoralizing. This crush of morning depression weakened me so much, I was worn out even before the tsunami of “to do” engulfed me. Then one of my 12-step patients came back from a retreat marveling at how she was able to break this lifelong struggle she had in the morning, this heaviness and burdensome dread she’d wrestled with throughout her adult life. She was visibly more energized and jubilant. She had my attention. “Tell me more,”... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508246 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:35:22 +0100 3508246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3499197&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-and-compassion%2F Do you ever feel like you maybe don’t give yourself enough credit for doing as much as you do…MS and all? I had a very busy work weekend (which ran into Tuesday).  I had every intention of waking up on Wednesday, banging out a blog for posting and getting on with a productive day. And now, it’s Thursday! I really have no idea where yesterday went. By the evening I was beating myself up pretty good over what didn’t get done; including (but FAR from limited to) that blog… But this morning, even though I don’t feel 100%, I think I’ll get a little more done.  Certainly, I’ll not get everything done I want.  In fact I hope to get everything done I need and will call that a successful day.  But, here I am writing this blog so things are at least a bit better than yesterday. P... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3499197 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:32:31 +0100 3499197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3471922&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fapril-check-how%25e2%2580%2599s-your-ms-today%2F   Every month, Life With MS opens up the conversation about Multiple Sclerosis to your thoughts. Usually, I try to post this blog the first Wednesday of the month, but last Wednesday was when I heard about the CCSVI webcast and wanted to get that information out to everyone straight away!  In fact, that webcast takes place today (4/14) at 9:00am PDT. I’ve submitted my question.  I hope you did as well! So, this is a little late this month, but; How is YOUR MS today? I’ll not cover up the fact that my MS has been hanging around this past fortnight a bit more predominantly than I’d like. Between the “post-Novantrone” anemia, a 2-hr live TV program, Walk MS in Seattle and my recent fall, I guess you could say that I’ve had my share of MS this month already! But enough about m... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3471922 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:26:54 +0100 3471922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408438&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F26%2Fpsychotherapy-the-active-treatment%2F My friend Anne and I were talking the other day when the conversation turned to a recent airplane flight she was on. She recounted how it was on one of those smaller, turboprop planes with just 3 seats per row: “We hit some turbulence and then it was like we were free-falling. It was only a few seconds, but it was the scariest moment in my life. I felt so helpless and out of control. I know it was irrational to think anything bad would happen, but still …” When a person isn’t in control of his or her own destiny, most people feel powerless. Powerlessness can lead to feelings of helplessness as well. Most people prefer to be able to exert some influence on their destiny, on their future. We’d like to think that we actually have something to do with the way our ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408438 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:06:18 +0100 3408438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3411295&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F2osR98ZZUnQ%2F Awareness, Acceptance and Action “The Three A’s” can be an extremely powerful tool in coming to terms with our alcoholism/ addiction or codependency. The first part of this tool is Awareness. We shatter our denial by becoming aware of our feelings and the nature of our disease. We do this by listening at meetings and identifying with other members’ feelings and experiences. As our contact with others who have similar issues increases and our willingness to participate in our recovery increases, we find that our awareness also increases. The temptation to take action at this point is strong. Yet, it is wise for us to wait until we truly know what it is we are trying to change! Acceptance comes when we are willing to admit our feelings and experiences to ourselves and... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3411295 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:37:10 +0100 3411295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378617&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2F4-years-of-the-life-with-ms-blog%2F Sometimes, life with MS can be an annoyance.  Sometimes, life with MS can be depressing.  Sometimes, life with MS can be frightening.  Sometimes, life with MS can be uncertain.  Sometimes, life with MS can be exhausting… I hope, however, that you’ve found the Life With MS Blog to be, at least sometimes, a comfort! This week marks the 4th anniversary of the Life With MS blog and I quite frankly cannot believe it’s been that long!  Well over 600 postings, thousands of comments, tens of thousands of regular readers and I sometimes feel as if we’re just getting started! Many things have changed since that first posting in 2006; new website, new formats, new topics, new treatments… lots of new!  We’ve consistently seen new readers join our community. We’ve also lost track of... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378617 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:12:00 +0100 3378617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331349&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F04%2Fon-being-a-student-therapist-week-four%2F One of the “fun” parts of being a Master’s student (fun in quotes because it depends on how you take it) is that you get to be a guinea pig. Not just in your own experience as a learner, but at the mercy of professors doing research, doctoral students conducting experiments, and random investigators from other universities sending out electronic surveys via email for you to fill out regarding all aspects of your counseling life. All of them say participation is completely optional and there’s no compensation, but would be very much appreciated. Last semester, I pretty much agreed to participate in everything. My helping nature made me think, “You might be asking others to do this someday yourself, and good karma comes around.” This semester, I am way more protectiv... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331349 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:30:51 +0100 3331349 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322519&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhow-are-you-proactive-with-your-ms%2F Let me begin this posting with a disclaimer.  I am not an expert at living with multiple sclerosis.  I am a student of living with my MS. Last week we began an 8-week course of “Empowered Living for Couples”.  The program is offered by my local chapter of the National MS Society and taught (though she prefers “facilitated”) by my dear friend Maureen Manley. For the next eight weeks, a group of 7 couples will take 2-hour journeys of discovery and (hopefully) learn skills for living our lives more aware.  I suspect the concept may be a little touchy-feely for some, but I’m looking at it as; anything that may help us live our lives better, in the company of this uninvited guest, is worth a go. Part of our initial meeting divided us into two groups (the haves and the have nots) w... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322519 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:18:10 +0100 3322519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311748&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F25%2Fbuilding-assertiveness-in-4-steps%2F All of us should insist on being treated fairly — to stand up for our rights without violating the rights of others. This means tactfully, justly and effectively expressing our preferences, needs, opinions and feelings. Psychologists call that being assertive, as distinguished from being unassertive (weak, passive, compliant, self-sacrificing) or aggressive (self-centered, inconsiderate, hostile, arrogantly demanding). Because some people want to be “nice” and “not cause trouble,” they “suffer in silence,” “turn the other cheek,” and assume nothing can be done to change their situation. The rest of us appreciate pleasant, accommodating people but whenever a nice person permits a greedy, dominant person to take advantage of him/her, the ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311748 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:29:08 +0100 3311748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298469&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-music-of-the-mri%2F “Take a picture, what’s inside? Ghost image in my mind Natural pattern like a spider Capillary to the center” Sitting with our morning coffee on Sunday, our pack of dogs snuggled around and on top of us, Caryn and I were listening to NPR’s Weekend Edition. It’s a little thing we try to do on the weekends to recover from one week and steel ourselves for the next. As soon as I heard an introduction of a segment with the letters “IRM”, my attention was caught. It is the acronym, in many languages for what we know as MRI. I made that correlation quickly. What I wasn’t getting was that this was to be an interview with a French singer about her new album. Well, as soon as they played title track from Charlotte Gainsbourg’s release IRM, I knew that my assumption ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298469 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:12:46 +0100 3298469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3291987&cid=t_119966_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fcommunicating-emotions-aspergers%2F I’ve noticed in the very rough time I’m going through I have trouble communicating emotions and feelings.  I feel like thats because I have a hard time with my emotions, or understanding them. I’m curious if other people with Aspergers have issues communicating feelings and emotions?  Do others have trouble with severe emotions communicating why [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3291987 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:20:31 +0100 3291987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3291001&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FRp6b8xxtj5c%2F Sensual thoughts? Do you experience flights of fantasy when you have sex, followed by intense guilt that you might have betrayed your partner? Many people in recovery from alcoholism, addiction and co-dependency seem to have this sort of reaction. See list of male and female fantasies at end of this article. You might be surprised to know that sexual fantasies are far more common than you think, and can in fact add value to your relationship. A sexual fantasy, also called an erotic fantasy, is a deliberate fantasy or pattern of thoughts with the goal of creating or enhancing sexual feelings; it is mental imagery that an individual considers erotic. A fantasy can be a long, drawn-out story or a quick mental flash of sexual imagery; its purpose can range from sexual motivations, such as sexu... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3291001 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:44:00 +0100 3291001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216639&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F28%2F7-tips-for-making-the-most-of-online-support-groups%2F Online support groups can be a great source of emotional support and valuable health information you won’t find on any website from the National Institute of Mental Health or others. Some people are a little leery of joining an online support group, however. Others don’t quite understand what benefit they may gain from joining one. Still others understand a support group’s benefits, but feel like they still don’t gain as much from joining one as they had hoped. Your experience in an online support group will inevitably vary. But these tips may help you get the most from your experience, and keep your expectations in check. 1. Take what you need, leave the rest. Many people come into an online support group with their story, asking a specific question about treatment... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216639 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:01:20 +0100 3216639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197894&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fself-injury-patterns%2F Self-Injury Why do people engage in self-injury? Even though there is the possibility that a self-inflicted injury may result in life-threatening damage, self injury is not suicidal behavior. Although the person may not recognize the connection, SI usually occurs when facing what seems like overwhelming or distressing feelings. The reasons self-injurers give for this behavior vary but ALL ARE SUBCONSCIOUS MOTIVES. The reasons given are; Self-injury temporarily relieves intense feelings, pressure or anxiety Self-injury provides a sense of being real, being alive – of feeling something Injuring oneself is a way to externalize emotional internal pain – to feel pain on the outside instead of the inside Self-injury is a way to control and manage pain – unlike the pain experienced throug... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197894 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:34:06 +0100 3197894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3164057&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fskr3BwGQku8%2F DEFENSES to PROGRESS in Recovery and Living If, instead of being honest, we respond without naming a feeling, we are hiding. The ways we hide our feelings are many, and we call them defences. Each defence prevents us from being known. These behaviours are typically practiced by alcoholics, addicts, co-dependents, adult children of alcoholics, compulsive gamblers, sex [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3164057 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:16:18 +0100 3164057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146026&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F06%2F5-things-not-to-worry-about-in-therapy%2F Psychotherapy is full of both extraordinary potential benefits and some possible pitfalls. We’ve discussed some of those things in past entries. But there are some things in psychotherapy that you just shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about. They may seem important or worth worrying about, but it’s just a waste of your time, energy and focus. Here’s a few of them. 1. My therapist is judging me. A lot of patients spend a lot of time worrying about what their therapist must think of them. That’s because you spend a lot of time sharing deep, emotional and personal stuff in therapy. Some of it may be embarrassing, or some of it may simply be out of the mainstream. Some of it may be things that happened to you as a child, that you had no control of. No matter... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146026 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:35:30 +0100 3146026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3136593&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F02%2Flife-is-unfair-now-what%2F I probably don’t go a week without hearing some form of this complaint — life is unfair. It’s usually in the form of: “I can’t believe this happened to me! Why do bad things always seem to happen to me!?” “I’m a special person, why shouldn’t I be treated like someone special?” “Why does everyone else seem to succeed where all I can do is fail?” “I didn’t make the team/get the job/get asked out on a second date/get any of the attention my other siblings got.” You see how it goes. On and on, we don’t run out of examples of where we believe we’ve been untreated unfairly in life. Here’s how I try and look at it though — life is a never-ending game of learning. When something bad... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3136593 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:32:22 +0100 3136593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084827&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F12%2F14%2F5-ways-to-show-you-care%2F Wondering how you can show someone in your life that you care about them? Here’s a few suggestions that may help you do just that. 1. Do It, Don’t Say It. You know that old common wisdom, “Actions speak louder than words”? Well, it’s true. While you can apologize for not doing something until you’re blue in the face, you’ll gain so much more appreciation by another in your life by simply doing it in the first place. Yes, it means you have to work harder to keep on top of things to begin with, even with simple things like taking out the trash or running that errand you said you would. But the reward is that your loved one will know you care because you just did it without being asked or reminded to do so. 2. Refuse to Argue and Pick Your Battles. Ar... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084827 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:35:31 +0100 3084827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3059825&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fend-of-year-wrap-up-how-is-your-ms-today%2F It’s hard for me to believe that another year has slipped away!  The holiday season has begun and the days will seem to pass even more quickly now. Time to take a moment for our monthly check-in: How’s your MS today? We open this posting each month for ruminations and thoughts on the subject of each person’s personal journey with multiple sclerosis.  Reading back through your comments this past year, I see that much has been going on in our bodies for many of us. As for my MS, I’ve “recovered” from the MS thing that was plaguing me last month.  I put the word in quotation marks because I’m not back to the old baseline, but I seem to have stopped the slide.  So, that’s good; right? The next two weeks are going to be very busy as we prepare for our trip to Ireland.  I’... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3059825 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:35:44 +0100 3059825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056854&cid=t_119966_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2F_4OIhlyXE4M%2Falzheimers-caregiving-lots-and-lots-of.html There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative. -- W. Clement Stone.... Bob DeMarco Alzheimer's Reading Room Editor The typical person has 60,000 thoughts per day. Along with these thoughts come feelings. In a real sense, you are what you think. Alzheimer's caregivers are bombarded day after day with negativity -- it comes with the territory. As a result, it is easy for a caregiver to become negative. I often envision caregivers trapped in a negative space thinking the same negative thoughts over and over. It reminds me of hamster running around the wheel -- going nowhere fast. If a caregiver is constantly saying negative things about their own stati... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056854 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:02:56 +0100 3056854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048173&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F12%2F02%2Fbelieve-in-you%2F What do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror? Do you feel confident or do you shrink away from it as soon as you can? Do you experience positive or neutral self-talk or do you start to notice doubt whispering or screaming at you? How you answer those questions helps to determine how you feel about yourself. The key to confidence is believing in you. So what exactly is doubt? Doubt is thinking about yourself in a negative, vulnerable way or thinking you’re not equipped to handle things when the facts show otherwise. Doubt causes you to stop actively participating in life and enjoying the world around you because you get stuck in your own head. You get bogged down internally by self-criticism, second-guessing, and analyzing the unlikely less than favorable outcomes of situa... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048173 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:33:02 +0100 3048173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044804&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F12%2F01%2Fdealing-with-eating-too-much-guilt%2F It’s the week after Thanksgiving and as you try and get back into your daily routine, you can’t help but feel that maybe you ate too much. At our house, it was the celebration of Pie-a-palooza that did us in. (Is there such a thing as too much pie?!) So you’re sitting there thinking, “Gosh, I’m full. I must’ve gained 10 pounds over the holidays. Why did I eat so much?” The dark specter of guilt raises it’s ugly head… What can you do?! Weightless blogger Margarita Tartakovsky has six suggestions on how to make it stop: 1. Accept your feelings and move on. OK, acknowledge that you feel guilty and realize that this is just another feeling. But like other feelings, it will go away. 2. Tell yourself you’ll go back to eating healthfully. N... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044804 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:39:03 +0100 3044804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981139&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F11%2F10%2F11-kinds-of-therapy-to-help-you-grieve-a-loss%2F Many readers are grieving loved ones, and the grief certainly contributes to their depression. A fantastic book I just came across is Solace: Finding Your Way Through Grief and Learning to Live Again by Roberta Temes, Ph.D., a noted psychotherapist and the author of “Living with an Empty Chair” and “The Tapping Cure.” I have reprinted with permission of her publisher 11 ways kinds of therapies, or activities, to help you grieve a loss. What can you do to feel better? Sometimes you need to take action. When you do something to relieve your feelings and to give yourself a sense of achievement, you are accomplishing your journey through bereavement. Here are some activities–and some behaviors you can do–that are therapeutic for you during your bereavement. ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981139 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:27:10 +0100 2981139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963237&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fspeaking-of-november-how-is-your-ms-today%2F I love the folk song January Man by Dave Goulder.  The first time I heard the song was in a version sung by Christy Moore while driving a back road of County Kerry, in Ireland. In this song, each month is represented by a man.  “The poor November Man” as the song goes, “Sees fire and wind and mist and rain and winter air.” Good Grief…the November Man has MS! Each month we take time in the first week to allow for an ongoing discussion of how your multiple sclerosis is treating you.  This is a popular spot for comments and an open exchange of ideas and issues. I love to go back and read the comments throughout the month. As you may have gathered from my last few postings, my MS has been making itself known even more than most days.  I’m battling, these days.  My legs are hea... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963237 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:27:19 +0100 2963237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842807&cid=t_119966_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Fpositive-thinking-to-change-your-mood%2F Since we are trying to avoid the use of mood altering substances as our first defense against negative feelings, it leaves us with the question "How do you make yourself feel better?". You know what I mean right? Those times in life when you feel lost, vulnerable, worthless, sad, hopeless...and all those other crappy feelings that I left out. How do you turn your feelings around and make yourself feel better without reaching for that instant fix? The truth is there are a lot of ways to make yourself feel better without resorting to using drugs but the thing that we need to accept is that when feelings are concerned...there is no such thing as instant gratification. It is a very hard thing to accept that sometimes you are just going to have bad feelings. I'm not talking like ouch I stubbed ... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842807 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:00:03 +0100 2842807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2793216&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F14%2Fwhy-women-and-men-fake-orgasm%2F Chances are that if you’ve been in a relationship, and you’re a woman, you’ve probably faked an orgasm. But did you know that men fake them too? The research that brings us this important sexual discovery was conducted at the University of Kansas on 180 male and 101 female college students. The students completed an anonymous survey about their sexual habits. Not surprisingly, some of the college students were still virgins — 15 percent of men and 32 percent of women surveyed had not yet had intercourse. Of the students who had had sex, nearly 30 percent of men reported faking an orgasm, compared to 67 percent of women. Some of the participants admitted they also faked orgasm not only during regular sex, but during oral sex, manual stimulation and phone sex as well... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2793216 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:32:48 +0100 2793216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2789098&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-and-relationships%2F Sometimes multiple sclerosis puts you (at least me) into a position you might not expect… I have been asked to sit on an advisory committee which is putting together a retreat for couples where one partner has multiple sclerosis (I must admit the hilarity as I’ve had three remarkably unsuccessful relationships since my diagnosis)! Reading the pre-registration surveys that these folks filled out was a real eye-opener!!! The place where each side of these relationship equations “lives” is hardly balanced.  For example; when asked if they felt there was a “health balance” in their relationship, the partners with multiple sclerosis answered 75 percent Yes.  The partners without MS only answered 50 percent in the affirmative. When asked “why” they thought the relationship was ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2789098 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:48:58 +0100 2789098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737944&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhealthy-lifestyle-changes-and-multiple-sclerosis%2F Sometimes it seems that Multiple Sclerosis is going to be MS no matter what we do!  We take our prescribed disease-modifying therapy, we down our “other” meds that are devised to reduce symptomatic issues; we work with our docs to live the best life we can. I’m wondering today, what else you do to live a better life with Multiple Sclerosis?  What changes have you made to the way you live your life (they may or may not have changed your MS) that have made you feel more in control of your life and your disease? I’ve read from you in these pages over the past 3-odd years about diet changes (some drastic, some subtle); exercise regimes including yoga, stretching, swimming, etc.; changes in careers, hobbies; just about everything.  I thought it might be nice to have a place w... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737944 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:15:43 +0100 2737944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2613993&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fits-been-july-for-a-while-so-hows-your-ms%2F Did multiple sclerosis grab hold of my brain in the first week of the month?  Did it grab hold of yours? We usually try to open the cyber floor for an open discussion of how everyone’s doing with their MS midway through the month.  However, this month it seems to have totally slipped my mind!  Must have slipped everyone’s mind (save Rusty, but it took her a couple of weeks too)! I’m writing this at midnight (PST) and I’ve yet another busy day that begins in just a few short hours so I’ll keep this brief. As you read earlier this week, I’ve started this Low-Car Diet and EVERYTHING away from the house takes longer now.  When you couple that with the heat and the extra walking this busy week is becoming something less than pleasant. I’ll make it through… we always do. ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2613993 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:31:06 +0100 2613993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598407&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fruminations-of-a-life-with-multiple-sclerosis%2F “My name is Trevis Gleason and I live with multiple sclerosis.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve begun a speech with those words.  Someday, someone’s going to get the Twelve Step joke and blurt out from the back of the crowd, “Hiiiiii, Trevis.”  Until that day, it will be my own little private joke, I guess. I wonder, sometimes, if I haven’t let multiple sclerosis define me. More correctly, I suppose, is that I wonder if I haven’t defined myself as multiple sclerosis.  Even that is too simplistic.  Likely it’s closer to the truth if I say I’ve used MS to redefine the person I have become.  It’s a little trick I’m guessing we all play on ourselves; this redefinition we’ve been forced to undertake an... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598407 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:59:14 +0100 2598407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570987&cid=t_119966_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-ms-community-weighs-in-on-the-health-care-debate%2F What does the multiple sclerosis community think about changes to medical policy?  This week in Washington, DC lawmakers began what is sure to be an arduous national debate on the subject of health care reform.  Already “both sides” are waging an advertising campaign based upon people’s fears and hopes. I figured that as we go into the long Independence Day holiday weekend, we might afford ourselves to express (and maybe someone making decisions a chance to read) our thoughts on the subject.  Few diseases have a more significant lifetime economic impact as multiple sclerosis. Even with “excellent” coverage, many of us are either cornered into taking one drug or another because of outrageous co-pays or give up many rewarding aspects of our lives so we can af... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570987 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:45:20 +0100 2570987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452707&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F06%2F04%2Frevenge-the-psychology-of-retribution%2F Your boyfriend just broke up with you and you’re thinking, “Wow, he left his favorite t-shirt over here at my place. He wouldn’t mind if I cleaned the toilet with it, would he?” Revenge is sweet. Or is it? Psychology research on the study of revenge suggests the picture is a little more complicated than a feeling of satisfaction after we’ve taken out our revenge on another. Researchers call revenge the psychology of retribution, and our feelings about revenge the “revenge paradox,” because when we take out revenge on another person, we often feel worse afterward when we thought we would feel better. Vaughan over at Mind Hacks has the commentary on an article that appeared in the APA’s Monitor this month: One of the most interesting bits is w... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452707 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:10:09 +0100 2452707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441691&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F27%2Ftermination-10-tips-when-ending-psychotherapy%2F The end of the psychotherapy relationship is a difficult phase of therapy. Perhaps the second most difficult one, next to actually making the decision to try out psychotherapy in the first place and pour your heart out to a complete stranger (albeit a professional). Therapists call the end of therapy “termination,” which doesn’t help in the “let’s give this a warm, fuzzy-feeling name to make it sound as least scary as possible” department. In everyday society, we typically “terminate” bugs or contracts, not relationships. But that’s psychology for you, always promoting psychobabble when simply calling it “ending therapy” would’ve sufficed. Ending any relationship for most of us is not something that comes easily, or is... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441691 Wed, 27 May 2009 10:00:30 +0100 2441691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441696&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F24%2Fsaving-lives-one-page-at-a-time%2F At the International Conference on the Use of the Internet in Mental Health in Montreal earlier this month, I discussed how far we’ve come in 15 years of mental health online. But for all my discussion about social networking websites like PatientsLikeMe.com and Twitter, one of the slides sticks with me. It’s the slide on “Suicide… Read this first,” a single, static webpage that’s been online since 1995 and written by Martha Ainsworth. Its purpose is singular yet deceptively simple — help people understand their thoughts and feelings about wanting to commit suicide, and hope they take enough away from it to make the choice to live another day. It has been read by nearly 8 million people during that time. Yes, that’s right — 8 million pe... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441696 Sun, 24 May 2009 11:09:00 +0100 2441696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376218&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F28%2Fwhen-you-disclose-too-much-in-therapy%2F A normal part of the psychotherapy process is something therapists call “disclosure.” This is simply your telling the therapist your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, which is a normal process of most types of psychotherapy. Sometimes, though, we have thoughts or feelings which are very near and dear to our hearts, or feelings or experiences that we are deeply embarrassed about. When we share such experiences or feelings in therapy, we might feel like we have “disclosed too much.” And once you let the cat out of the proverbial bag, it’s hard to know how to continue on in the therapeutic relationship. Disclosing “too much,” however, is not that uncommon an experience. The psychotherapy relationship is an odd one, the kind of relationship that you... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376218 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:00:34 +0100 2376218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376566&cid=t_119966_133_f&fid=35124&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Faspergerwoman%2F%7E3%2F6FapIzV9W1E%2Fabout-empathy.html This is the only life we getand it is filled with autismwell, there are worse conditionsif you think like that you may bring up 'the poor kids in Africa'the most hateful thing about autism is the lack of empathy I think.How I wished to be able to show maximum consideration towards others.To be without the ever lasting feelings analyser.Lack of empathy may be called less empathybecause it is there but does not show in the regular, accepted wayIt srongly depends on who I am with if my feelings come up straight awayGod, I hate most about autism the part of having less empathy for others. This makes social situations so hard. Because there is just nothing in between. It is just that grey, dull, stone in the place where feelings should be there. It's so frustrating.I hate it!Anyway, I am doing ... The Art of Being Asperger Woman blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376566 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:09:00 +0100 2376566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365129&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F23%2Ftv-relieves-loneliness%2F In a study that should surprise no one, new research suggests that a person can increase their feelings of belongingness — the sense of being in a social situation — by simply watching television. TV can act as a social surrogate for actual human contact, making us feel like we have a social relationship with the TV characters. It may not be real social relationship, but it appears that may not really matter in terms of its relief of feelings of social isolation and rejection. And if television can be shown to do this, it’s not a huge leap to imagine the value of the Internet in also relieving social isolation. In fact, some research has already been published that shows just that (see previous link). Is any of this a “good” thing? Well, it depends on how you... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365129 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:13:43 +0100 2365129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348536&cid=t_119966_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F19%2Fguidelines-for-good-listening%2F My publisher, Guilford Press, reminded me to tell you about The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships, just released in its second edition. The book by Dr. Mike Nichols explores the ways in which poor communication skills have robbed us of the comfort and security that can only come from genuine human interaction. He then offers “a wealth of practical techniques, simple exercises, and easy-to-reference tips for becoming a better listener and establishing solid lines of connection with those around us.” Listening, as I noted recently in a blog entry about improving your communication skills in a relationship, is a core component to a healthy relationship. Many relationships fail simply because one or both partners in a relationship aren’t ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348536 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:46:40 +0100 2348536