Navigating Life with Multiple Sclerosis

by Kathleen Costello, Rosalind Kalb, Barbara S. Giesser

Overview

Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes a myriad of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that impact function and quality of life for those with the disease and those providing care. Navigating Life with Multiple Sclerosis is a practical guide for meeting the challenges of this life-long, unpredictable disease.

This insightful guide offers a detailed description of the essential components of comprehensive MS care, from disease and symptom management, rehabilitation to enhance function, safety and independence, social and emotional support, and attention to overall health and wellness for both patients and caregivers. Each chapter offers solutions and guidance based upon the authors' interdisciplinary perspectives and years of clinical and research experience. The person with MS is the center of the care team and this book provides guidance for communicating effectively with healthcare providers, participating comfortably in shared decision making, and advocating confidently for personal healthcare needs and priorities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197748695
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/03/2025
Series:	Brain and Life Books
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Kathleen Costello, MS, ANP-BC, MSCN
Associate Vice President, Clinical Care
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
New York, NY
Nurse Practitioner
Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis Center
Baltimore, MD



Ben W. Thrower, MD
Medical Director
Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute at Shepherd Center
Atlanta, GA

Barbara S. Giesser, MD
Clinical Director, UCLA Multiple Sclerosis Program
David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine
Los Angeles, CA

Table of Contents

About the Brain and Life® Books Series

Section 1 MS Overview
Chapter 1 What is MS?
Chapter 2 Diagnosing MS
Chapter 3 Comprehensive Care Over the Lifetime

Section 2 Symptoms of MS
Chapter 4 Multiple Sclerosis Related Fatigue
Chapter 5 Mobility Symptoms
Chapter 6 Sensory Symptoms
Chapter 7 Mood and Cognition
Chapter 8 Bladder and Bowel

Section 3 Health and Wellness
Chapter 9 Your Overall Health and Wellness
Chapter 10 Support Partners, Care Partners, Carers, Caregivers - This is about You
Chapter 11 Exercise and Physical Activity
Chapter 12 Diet and Nutrition
Chapter 13 Relationships and Communication
Chapter 14 Intimacy and Sexuality
Chapter 15 Reproductive Issues
Chapter 16 Planning for the Future While Finding Meaning in the Present

Appendix 1: Disease-Modifying Therapies
Appendix 2: Additional Resources

Glossary
About the Authors
About Brain & Life® and the American Academy of Neurology
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Navigating Life with MS is authored by Dr. Barbara Giesser, a highly respected neurologist who has set a high bar of comprehensive and collaborative care in MS as a professional standard. This book, whose topics range from a definition of the disease, to the diagnostic and treatment process, lifestyle issues such as reproduction and self-efficacy, also provides the reader with a look into the future. Although targeted toward the lay reader, healthcare professionals will find this a remarkable teaching tool for novices in the field as well as patients and their families. This book is a MUST for a library on multiple sclerosis and is a model for other such works on long-term chronic illnesses." —June Halper, MSN, APN-C, MSCN, FAAN, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Chief Executive Officer, Consortium of MS Centers, Hackensack, NJ; and Executive Director, International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses

"Kathy Costello, Ben Thrower, and Barbara Giesser, have produced a book for people with MS, which is about the facts, nothing but the facts. This book allows the reader to get started on the right path and navigate the current MS map to live a more fulfilling life despite the diagnosis. It is well written and will convert a non-medically trained person to one with fluency about MS. Managing MS is about disease management, symptom management, and person (psychological) management. The authors have hit on each and have explained the use of pharmacological (drug) therapies, rehabilitative therapies, and psychological, mental health therapies with a dash of practical financial management. This is an essential resource for those interested in multiple sclerosis for any reason. My hat is off to the authors!" —Randall T. Schapiro, MD, FAAN, President, The Schapiro MS Advisory Group; and Clinical Professor of Neurology (Retired), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

"This book will be equally handy to individuals with MS, to family members, and to healthcare providers as it's written with all of these groups in mind." —Everyday Health

"Navigating Life With Multiple Sclerosis is without a doubt a must have read for anyone newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For those already diagnosed with MS the book offers a clear and concise up to date resource complete with a glossary that will most certainly result in you having a better knowledge of the state of multiple sclerosis as it is today. ... For a family with a loved one recently diagnosed with MS this is simply a MUST READ, there is just no question about it." —MS Unites

"The authors provide a succinct and easy-to-read summary of the important biomedical points in the literature... Although this topic may be upsetting for those who have minimal symptoms or are newly diagnosed, it is often not covered and is essential information. This further demonstrates the authors' dedication to providing a comprehensive guidebook to those who are living with MS and their families." —PsycCRITIQUES

From the Publisher