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,Dear MS Nurse, What is one piece of advice you would giveI am only 28 and was recently diagnosed to someone newly diagnosed?Mary G.with MS. My aunt had MS for 50 years and Binns: Get on a disease-modifying therapy asrecently died of it. Im scared. Should I let my soon as possible to stop prevent further damage.boss know and le for disability?Monica M. The current thinking within the treatmentBinns: Fifty years ago, there was nothing to community has shifted during the past ve yearstreat MS or slow its progression. We got our or so to starting newly diagnosed individualsrst treatment 30 years ago and today, there on a high-efficacy therapy at the outset versusare more than two dozen approved therapies. starting with an older, less effective medicationGetting on therapy can now keep you in the with a lower side effect prole. We are seeingwork force and active for decades. You are at individuals on HETs staying in the workforcea perfect stage in life to take advantage of all longer and often not transitioning to morethat life has to offer and you owe it to yourself progressive forms of the disease.to stay engaged and active with the help of a Dear MS Nurse,medication to treat your MS. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosisDear MS Nurse, three months ago and cant get in to see anI have read that lifestyle changes (diet, MS specialist for four more months. How canexercise) can make my MS better and have I speed up the process? I dont want this to getbeen doing that faithfully because I dont have worse.Brian C.insurance and cant afford the medication Binns: Four months is unlikely to make anymy doctor wants to put me on. I dont seem to signicant difference in the long-term as longbe getting any better. What else can I do? as you keep that appointment and start a DMTMarc W. shortly thereafter. In the meantime, there areBinns: All of the MS medications have patient-some things you can do to lower inammationassistance programs for those who have no and prevent further damage. If you smoke,(or minimal) insurance to cover the cost of stop! Smokers and those who live with smokersthe medications. Your neurologists office will progress at a rate much faster than those whobe able to start this process to help you get do not smoke or live with smokers. Reduce or stopfree medication or a lower copay. Ask them your intake of rened sugars and start eatingto do that. only fresh, whole foods without preservativesDear MS Nurse, and additives. Try to be more active. People who exercise regularly report less fatigue andI have recently been diagnosed with MS lower levels of stress than those of us who areand my friends and family keep sending me more sedentary. Keep your mind active witharticles about cures and are willing to pay for yourworkandfamilytolowerstressandme to go to Mexico for stem cell therapy. How anxiety levels. Youve got this.do I know what to believe? Vicky O. msfocusmagazine.org 42'