Is it possible to keep a positive attitude when you’re constantly fatigued? How about if you occasionally wet the bed?
With multiple sclerosis (MS), physical symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to vision problems, bladder dysfunction, balance problems, dizziness, and more. But there’s no pattern of symptoms that applies to everyone; MS affects each person differently.
One thing everyone with MS can relate to, though, is the unpredictability of a condition that can have you feeling fine one day and lying flat on your back the next.
Figuring out how best to live with this incurable disease and the challenges it throws in your path can be overwhelming if you try to do it alone. So why not turn to other people with MS who know exactly what you’re going through? You can find a lot of them on the internet, blogging, creating podcasts, and sometimes posting a video or two.
In our favorite MS blogs, you’ll find plenty of inspiration, brutal honesty, new experiences, frustrations, successes, highs, and lows.
Regardless of where they come from and what they do, all these bloggers provide advice, encouragement, and a no-frills look at what life is really like when you’re living with MS.
1. Accessible Rach
When Rachael Tomlinson was diagnosed with primary progressive MS at age 51, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, aiming to prove that living with MS “shouldn’t have to be an uphill struggle.” In her writings on Accessible Rach, the United Kingdom–based blogger broaches topics ranging from disability and accessibility to plus-size fashion and beauty. Check out her posts on living with irritable bowel syndrome in addition to MS, dealing with impostor syndrome as someone with a chronic illness, and why it’s okay to not be okay. You can find the self-described patient advocate on Instagram, too.
2. MS Bites
A registered dietitian nutritionist and certified MS specialist who began her career advising people with cancer, Mona Bostick shifted to working with the MS community after being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 2008. On her blog, MSBites, Mona works to keep “Dr. Google” in check and regularly busts the myth that diet is a “magic bullet” for the condition. She also addresses commonly asked questions, such as, “Have you tried this diet for MS?” and “Will turmeric supplements really help people with MS?”
3. Tripping on Air
Ardra Shephard’s generous use of profanity and friendly, conversational writing style make Tripping on Air feel like a chat with a friend. Her hilarious posts discuss the daily struggles of MS — like how MS can mess with your mojo, having to admit to her husband (“The Banker”) that she wet the bed, or getting the flu during a fancy birthday dinner in New York City. She also talks about what it was like to “come out” to her friends about having MS. Candid and charming, Ardra’s blog is the perfect remedy for any of your down days.
4. Dinosaurs, Donkeys, and MS
5. An Empowered Spirit
As the title suggests, Cathy Chester’s blog focuses on empowerment and encouragement for people living with a chronic illness, because, she says, “No matter what adversity you face, life is still delicious.” Diagnosed with MS in 1986, she aims to help readers feel “less lonely, isolated, and overwhelmed than she did when she was diagnosed,” assuring them that the road is “a lot less bumpy when we travel together.” An Empowered Spirit discusses Cathy’s own life and interests and also provides up-to-date medical news to equip you with resources for a positive and healthy life. In December 2021, after taking some time off from her blog, Cathy reflected on knowing when to step back and focus on your own well-being in times of craziness.
6. Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me
Despite the challenges she has faced with MS, including learning to love the body that has let her down, Nicole Lemelle is an upbeat writer who hopes to educate, reassure, and inspire her readers in all things MS. Those who come to My New Normals appreciate her candor and positive attitude, especially when things aren’t going as planned. Like when, for instance, you get so desperate, you start believing in spam emails or you’re late for appointments because you’re running on “MS time.” Her posts touch on the very fibers of how MS can really change you, and she clearly hits a nerve in her readers; one of her most popular posts, titled “I Hate,” has garnered more than 200 comments. While her symptoms mean her blog isn’t updated as frequently as it once was, her website is still host to dozens and dozens of previous posts, and you can keep up with her on Twitter and Instagram.
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9. Yvonne deSousa.com
If you’re looking for a funny blog about MS, look no further than Yvonne deSousa.com. Yvonne’s posts are full of anecdotes about her daily trials with the illness, and she can find humor in any situation — from mistaking “slipper fuzzies” for ants to the fatigue of laundry day, and even her January 2019 cancer diagnosis (in a post entitled “About a Boob”) and subsequent experience with reconstructive surgery. She’s also a published author: You can order her book, MS Madness!, on Amazon.
10. A Life Less Traveled …
At age 31, Michael Wentink was living the dream. He and his wife had just had their first child, he’d recently graduated from his MBA program, and he was director of a Fortune 500 company. Then he was diagnosed with MS. Although he worked for as long as he could, his position as an executive eventually became too overwhelming. He then medically retired and took on his current role as a writer and podcaster living with MS. Along with A Life Less Traveled ..., Michael is a contributor to The Mighty (check out his posts about the difficulty of medical retirement and living with MS during COVID-19) and has appeared on the DISabled to ENabled podcast, hosted by Jessie Ace.
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11. Think in Decimals
Edith Solenne Monk was diagnosed with MS at 16. “As much as I hate that being my opening line,” she says, “it’s become a big part of my life.” It’s also a big part of her blog, Think in Decimals, which she’s been writing since 2015. She’s an avid traveler and has written about trips to Canada, Transylvania, and the Alps, among others. (Her favorite part of New York City? The “lovely, accessible, concrete" pavements for wheelchair users.) She also does a lot of campaigning to draw awareness to the struggles faced by people living with a disability, whether it’s workplace discrimination or issues with the social care system. Eloquent and inspiring, Edith’s blog is a must.
12. Ashley’s Life With Multiple Sclerosis
At age 22, with a husband and two sons and having just finished school, Ashley Ringstaff was diagnosed with MS (as if she didn’t have enough on her plate). But her blog proves just how far you can go with a chronic illness. If you ever feel like MS is taking over your life, just look at her post on what you can do with the condition — written, naturally, in response to hearing about all the things she supposedly can’t do. She talks about losing friends and taking anger out on family, her 10-year anniversary of being diagnosed with MS, and how to find yourself after diagnosis. Along with her posts on Ashley’s Life With Multiple Sclerosis, you can read more from her at MultipleSclerosis.net, along with a number of other inspiring contributors who share their stories.
Additional reporting by Laura McArdle and Christina Vogt.