A chronic illness diagnosis can be stressful, overwhelming, and scary, especially when the illness is rare and has no cure. When my daughter Bella was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) in 2017 at age 9, we were instructed by her doctors to spend one hour online learning everything we could…
NMO treatments
As someone with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), I am no stranger to steroids. Like most NMO patients, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I jokingly refer to them as “the devil’s Tic Tacs” because of the potential side effects, many of which can be quite serious. On the flip side,…
When I was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), and five years later, properly diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), I was told that a hallmark symptom of each disease was optic neuritis. This occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the optic nerve, causing inflammation, which can lead to…
Six months ago, a blood test revealed that I had developed a rare side effect — a condition called hypogammaglobulinemia — from a biologic I’ve been on for five years for neuromyelitis optica (NMO) as well as two types of arthritis.
My heart goes out today to the neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients in Cuba for two reasons. Firstly, it is difficult for them to access treatment right now. Secondly, the island is experiencing tropical weather. Neither factor is helpful for NMO patients. Mileidys wonders if we are in the…
When I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) in 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hadn’t yet approved any medications specifically to treat this disease. However, doctors could select various therapies to help patients prevent or deal with attacks. When NMO patients had an attack, doctors treated…
Recent Posts
- Every time I turn to Dr. Google, I get an immune system mystery
- Conventional NMOSD treatment effective in double-negative cases
- Grieving how NMOSD has left me uncomfortable in my own skin
- Enspryng outperforms standard immunosuppressants in NMOSD study
- Slow and steady: I’m ditching big resolutions and easing into a new year
- Late-onset NMOSD responds better to newer, highly effective therapies
- New biomarker may help gauge disease severity in NMOSD
- The longest night of the year offers hope of brighter days with NMOSD
- Advanced plasma exchange therapy effectively eases NMOSD attacks
- Reaffirming that access to healthcare is a human right