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 quarterly column addresses the issues of living with MS.Dear MS Nurse,projections. Please protect yourself from Why do they tell us not to store our meds ininfection. Wearing a mask certainly is an easy the door shelf of the fridge?Terri C.way to do that.Binns: We open and close our refrigeratorsDear MS Nurse, many times a day, often standing with it openI have been having UTIs for months now. while looking for something, the items in theI am constantly on antibiotics. The symptoms door shelves cannot maintain a consistentdo not go away, and I feel sick all the time. cool temperature. This has the potential, forWhat can I do about this? I am taking cranberry some medications, to degrade the potencypills.Michael W. and shelf life.Binns: While UTIs can be common in women, Dear MS Nurse,they are rare in males. What you described What is the best anti-inammatory dietneeds to be assessed by a urologist and should for MS?Jon T.not be routinely treated by your primary care Binns: Many diets claim to improve MSdoctor with this degree of recurrence. If you symptoms. A couple of years ago, trials werehave a neurogenic bladder and do not empty conducted with several diets proposed tocompletely, urine can back up into the kidneys treat MS symptoms. All had no preservatives,and this becomes much more difficult to treat dyes, or additives. All had low or no sugar. All hadthan a bladder infection, which is more common . an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables,Dear MS Nurse, and whole grains. All had no processed food.I am getting worse every year. Ive had However, not one diet emerged as superior toMS since I was 32, and now I am 51 and my another. This information can allow anyonedoctor said there are meds to manage symptoms with MS to tailor their meal plan for personalbut nothing to stop me from getting worse at food preferences, which generally nets bettermy age. I am so discouraged. What can I do? compliance to a food regimen. Denise T. Dear MS Nurse,Binns: You do not say if you have primary My IgM levels are low after three years onprogressive or a relapsing form of MS. There a B-cell medication. What can I do to bringare denitely medications to slow progression them back to normal and how long will thatin both forms of the condition. It might be take? Shea S.time for a second opinion with a doctor who Binns: It is taking quite some time for me. Ispecializes in treating MS and not a general have been off Rituxan for 10 years now (sinceneurologist. Also, you are at an age where a year-and-a-half ago officially) and they werehormone levels tend to taper off and it might be still well-below normal when I last checked, fourwise to have a conversation with your primary months ago. My doctor said it varies from personcare doctor or gynecologist about hormone to person and depends on how long they havereplacement therapy. MS symptoms can seem been on a DMT that suppresses the immuneto worsen as estrogen levels decrease. Fifty-one system. Younger people seem to bounce backis a little early to be off a DMT for anyone. We know the greatest degree of progression quicker than those 50 and older from hisoccurs in most people during the fth decade observations; but I don't think there have beenoflife,so we want youtobeprotectedas enoughactualstudiestomakeanybroadmuch as possible during these years.msfocusmagazine.org 44"