When I felt the familiar heaviness in my body, I bravely faced it. “It’s OK,” I told myself. “I’ve been here before and recovered. I can do this.” As I lay in the hospital bed, a prisoner to the many doctors and specialists who checked on me throughout the day…

As I sat at the table across from my family, I forced an appreciative smile. But the smell of the home-cooked meal — lemon herbed potatoes, Greek chicken, and brown rice — was suddenly too much for me to handle. My husband had been working on this perfectly cooked meal…

In the five years before their first disease attack, people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) required significantly more doctor’s office visits and hospitalizations than their peers in the general population, a new study from Canada found. The researchers believe these findings point to the presence of an NMOSD…

I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, but for me, it’s rarely convenient when it does. Is there ever a good time to have a neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) attack? Even if I could schedule when my body decides to have a meltdown, my life wouldn’t…

Living with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) often means navigating a journey filled with both triumphs and challenges. While some days I feel that I’m managing the disease well, I quietly suffer on others. For loved ones and caregivers, understanding the subtle signs that indicate a rough day for…

Nearly 1 in 5 people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) experience early neurological symptoms prior to their first established NMOSD attack, new research suggests. These symptoms could represent an NMOSD prodrome, a disease stage where nonspecific symptoms emerge before the classic manifestations of the disease. A better…

The clinical symptoms of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in people in their 50s or older may look like those of a stroke — which can delay proper diagnosis and treatment of the the progressive autoimmune disorder, according to a case report and systematic literature review. That’s what happened…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with medical marijuana products. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Living in Colorado is a dream for many reasons, including the fact that there are over 300…

The presence of lesions in the brain’s middle medulla, a control center for breathing, increases the likelihood of acute respiratory failure in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study suggests. While middle medullary lesions on MRI were the key predictor of acute respiratory failure in patients with…

A small subset of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) do not accumulate significant functional disability in the 15 years following symptom onset, according to a recent study. Called benign NMOSD, these patients were more likely to be Caucasian, less likely to have spinal cord involvement at disease…