b'Medicine & ResearchA s k t h e M S Nu rs eA s k t h e M S Nu rs eCherie Binns is a MS-certied nurse living with MS. She is the patient healthcare liaison for MS Focus and a member of the MS Lived Experience Advisory panel for the Foundation. Her monthly column addresses the issues of living with MS.Dear MS Nurse,clothing that you wet and it cools by evaporation. Im going to start Ocrevus soon and I wantI have found that where I live, however, they to know how soon I will notice any positiveare not very effective because of our perpetual changes in my MS?Denise BH.high humidity (too high for evaporative clothing Binns: Like all medications, the goal of Ocrevusto work well).is to prevent worsening; it does not x theDear MS Nurse, damage already done. I found, however, thatMy wife has been on Copaxone for years when the inammation was calmed, I feltand it really works for her. Now the insurance well enough to prepare simple meals fromcompany will only pay for a generic brand scratch, which further reduced inammation toand even though her neurologist is ghting this the point where I was able to start moving more.change, she has gone weeks without taking These baby steps led to a huge improvementher injections. She is getting worse and I am in my symptoms once I had an effective DMTbeyond angry she has to suffer as her health on board. It is not just the medicine but theis declining. I pay $800 out of my pocket each accompanying lifestyle changes that willmonth for insurance. What should I do?produce the greatest improvements. Brian D. Dear MS Nurse,Binns:If she does not do well on the generic, I was recently diagnosed with MS. Anxiety isthen and only then, will a doctors note be extremely high. How do I handle this problem?sufficient to get her back on name brand withClaire S.most private insurance companies. She probably would not notice so much decline if she was Binns: Many of us have learned mindfulnessat least getting some benet from being on and breathing techniques to help or our doctorsthe generic medication. The pharmaceutical have prescribed something to take whencompany does have a patient support program anxiety really ramps up. Counseling maywhere they can and often do provide their help also. The rst year or two, until you getdrug at free or greatly reduced cost. the MS under control, may be stressful.Dear MS Nurse, Dear MS Nurse,My neck feels so stiff most of the time. It Is there cooling clothing that does not includemakes my head twitch when Im sitting still. ice packs? I have a real problem with heat. What can I do about it?Alyssa L. Catherine J.Binns: First, make sure that your doctor is Binns: Yes, there is a whole line of evaporativeaware, because you are likely experiencing a msfocusmagazine.org 42'