Multiple Sclerosis for Dummies

Rosalind Kalb, Ph.D., Barbara Giesser, MD, and Kathleen Costello, ANP-BC, have over 80 years' combined professional experience in working with people living with multiple sclerosis. For each of them, MS was, is, and will be their chosen career.

Foreword xxi

Introduction 1

Part I: When MS Becomes Part of Your Life 7

Chapter 1: Meeting MS Face to Face 9

Chapter 2: So, Doc, What Do I Have? Getting a Diagnosis 25

Chapter 3: You Have MS — So Now What? 37

Chapter 4: Getting the Right Players on Your Healthcare Team 53

Part II: Taking Charge of Your MS 67

Chapter 5: Developing a Plan to Take Charge of Your MS69

Chapter 6: Managing the Disease Course and Treating Relapses 77

Chapter 7: Managing Fatigue, Walking Problems, Visual Changes, and Tremor 99

Chapter 8: Handling Problems with Bladder and Bowel Function, Pain, Speech and Swallowing, and Sex 119

Chapter 9: Getting Your Head around Problems with Mood and Thinking 141

Chapter 10: Considering Complementary and Alternative Medicine157

Part III: Staying Healthy and Feeling Well 171

Chapter 11: Paying Attention to Your Health — It's Not All about MS 173

Chapter 12: Handling Stress without Giving Up Your Life 185

Chapter 13: Coping with Progressive Forms of MS 197

Part IV: Managing Lifestyle Issues 213

Chapter 14: Presenting Your MS Face to the World 215

Chapter 15: Making MS a Part of the Family 227

Chapter 16: And Baby Makes Three, Four, or More: Planning a Family around Your MS 247

Chapter 17: Parenting: It Wasn’t Easy Before You Had MS! 257

Part V: Creating Your Safety Nets 273

Chapter 18: Keeping Your Place in the Workforce 275

Chapter 19: Getting a Grip on Insurance 289

Chapter 20: Planning for a Future with MS 303

Part VI: The Part of Tens 315

Chapter 21: Ten MS Myths Debunked 317

Chapter 22: Ten Questions about Exciting Leads in MS Research 321

Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Trouble-Free Travel 325

Glossary 329

Index 343

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