Information and opinions on Multiple Sclerosis from Kimberly Fabrizio at MultipleSclerosisCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037 http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037 http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/20458/maze Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:45:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio  I'm not going to tell you how to apply for - and receive - Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. I haven't applied and I likely won't for quite a long time (numb fingers and toes crossed). Frankly, I'm freaked out by the whole process; by the idea that I'd have to quit my job before I'd even apply and then it's likely I'd be denied and denied for months and months to follow. I'm still... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/20458/maze http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/20050/ms Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:01:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio Understanding M.S. is overwhelming at times. OK, it's overwhelming pretty much all of the time. When I had cancer, I had a much easier time grasping the disease and its treatment options. It seemed, at least in my particular battle, to be well defined and my learning curve was minimal. M.S. is a whole different story. Despite the uncertainty of this disease though, there is one constant - the immune system.  Autoimmune disorders occur... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/20050/ms http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19891/glass Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:03:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio Turbo-shopping. That's what I call it when I fly through the grocery store, filling my shopping cart to the point where items are barely hanging on to the metal edges, and doing it all in less than 45 minutes. I used to love turbo-shopping. I typically would do it when I shopped right after work or whenever I was in a hurry. I know where everything is in the store, so it's easy to fly through aisles, grabbing merchandise on the run.... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19891/glass http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19735/pay Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:22:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio We do it all the time, unless we're naturally wealthy. We rob Peter to pay Paul. We do it in order to pay our bills - choosing to the buy generic milk over the brand name that is pennies more. Those of us who live paycheck to paycheck may forego paying the cell phone bill in order to pay the electric bill that is twice as high this winter. Those who can't afford their medications may rob their own dinner plates to be able to purchase... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19735/pay http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19641/ironic Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:56:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio One of the frustrating things about the MonSter is that no one really, truly knows what causes it. While researchers and doctors don't know with absolute certainty what causes the disease, they study the people who have it and then try to draw some conclusions and correlations. There is some evidence that there is a hereditary factor to M.S. Not a single soul in my family has the dreaded disease though (not that I'm wishing it on... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19641/ironic http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19640/redhead Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:54:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio As I learn more about this disease they call M.S. and its innate ability to strike fair-skinned people, most of whom are women, I began to wonder about the existence of scientific research as it relates to redheads and medical conditions. More on that later, but first let me provide a little background on what life is like - as a redhead. It seems many of our funniest family stories revolve around my birth. My mom tells of the day that I... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19640/redhead http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19639/end Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:52:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio I'm guessing all M.S. patients ask themselves this question at one point in time. My first question, when we started exploring whether or not I had the MonSter was "Do you die from M.S.?" I now know that the answer is "No!"  Somewhere along the way, I asked one doctor or the other if I was going to end up in a wheelchair. Like so many answers to questions regarding M.S., the answer began with "I don't... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19639/end http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19618/bruised Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:41:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio My ego is bruised and so is my tummy. It's been a crazy few days in Casa de Fabrizio. It all began on Monday evening when I completed my daily injection routine. It was tummy night and apparently I must have injected too close to my belly button. The good news is that I now have verifiable proof that there really are muscles in my pooch of a tummy! The bad news is that hit one of the muscles and my entire belly has been blacker than the... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19618/bruised http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19638/thattha Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:48:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio December 17th was my dad's 68th birthday. It's only taken 39.5 years and a diagnosis of M.S. for me to finally relate to my father. I mean, really relate - on a peer-to-peer level. I visited my folks to celebrate his birthday. During the afternoon, as we sat in the living room, my dad told me a story. He pointed at the front window, where the Christmas decorations hung and said, "That thing fell off the window the other... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19638/thattha http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19635/brain Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:41:00 -0500 Kimberly Fabrizio I finally have a good explanation for what's been going on in my brain and more importantly, an even better description of what I'm doing to treat it. As I often say, I'm not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV). This is one laywoman's description of M.S. and of my personal treatment with Copaxone. It's the best way yet that I've been able to demystify my disease while coloring a simple explanation of how I'm battling... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/30037/19635/brain