Mom's Story, a Child Learns about MS is available in more formats

Mom's Story can be found on the following sales channels:
Apple -
Kobo -
Oyster -.
Page Foundry -.
Scribd -
Tolino -
Also available on Kindle, Nook,
Available as .Mobi and .epub files from mjnickum@saguarobooks.com

GiveAway

Enter to win:

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/0a71db8e470f5b54

Thinking Problems in People With Multiple Sclerosis

When you've got multiple sclerosis, losing your keys or forgetting a name can be scary. You wonder whether the illness is clouding your thinking.
It's true that over time, about half of people with MS can have some cognitive problems. That means poor focus, slowed thinking, or a fuzzy memory.
Often these problems are mild and don't really interrupt your daily life. It's pretty rare to have severe thinking problems. They affect about 5% to 10% of people with MS.

Signs of Impaired Thinking in MS

The clues that you have fuzzy thinking due to MS are often subtle. You might not notice them until a friend, co-worker, or family member points them out. You may:

• Struggle to find the right words to say
• Forget things you need to do or tasks already done
• Find it hard to plan or set priorities
• Have trouble concentrating, especially when two things are happening at once

MS usually does not hurt your intelligence or long-term memory. It won't change your ability to read or carry on a conversation.

Tests and Diagnosis for Impaired Thinking

If you suspect impaired thinking, talk with your neurologist or family doctor. Fuzzy thinking can have many causes.
Your doctor can make sure your problems don't come from normal aging or drugs that may cause confusion, depression, anxiety, or fatigue.
Once you have any health problems fully treated, the next step is usually testing. Your doctor may refer you to a neuropsychologist, speech pathologist, or occupational therapist.

MS and Rehab for Your Brain

If test results show that MS is to blame for spotty memory or poor mental focus, you may want to try rehab to sharpen your thinking. It can include:

• Memory exercises on a computer
• Home or work strategies with notebooks, organizers, or filing systems to help you remember things

It’s possible, but rare, that thinking problems become so severe that someone with MS needs constant care or can't live on their own. If this becomes an issue, discuss your options with your doctor and family. A social worker or psychologist also can help explore options for care.

Can Medicine Help?

Scientists are doing studies to see whether the drugs that slow the nerve damage in MS -- called disease-modifying medicines -- can help with thinking problems, too.
Others are looking at treatments, such as Alzheimer’s medications, that may temporarily improve your memory and focus. Ask your doctor to give you updates on any promising results.

From www.WebMD.com

Writeoncon

The WriteonCon Online Writers Conference was great. After a first day server meltdown, everything proceeded well. I received welcome, useful feed back on all of my submissions. I read a lot of interesting stuff by other authors too!

Writeoncon

Have you registered for the Writeoncon online conference yet? I did (it's free). I uploaded my picture book this morning in the critique forum and already have received 2 critiques and the conference hasn't started yet! Go to http://writeoncon.com to register...

Front Page Listing

I am featured on the "Front Page" of the AuthorAdvance website...www.authoradvance.com

Mom's Story Event

The program at the Microsoft Store was fabulous. In addition to my videotaped interview, the Vice President, Programs & Services of the Arizona Chapter for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society attended, providing useful information about the Society and its services. Everyone who attended received a complimentary teeshirt from Microsoft. The video will be available on YouTube soon.

Mom's Story Event

See you at 6:00 pm at the Microsoft Store...

Mom's Story Event

Preparing for the event at Microsoft Store. I'll do a "dry-run" on the interview and reading with a colleague. This will give us a time measure and iron out any wrinkles. I've already connected with the Microsoft Store Event Team. We're almost ready to go. Hope to see you on Friday, July 30 at 6:00 pm.

The Microsoft Store Event

On July 30th from 6:00-8:00 PM the Microsoft Store will be hosting an event on multiple sclerosis (MS). Mary Jo Nickum will discuss Mom’s Story; A Child Learns About MS.

The Microsoft Store and Mom's Story

The Microsoft Store will be hosting an event for kids and families that have or know someone with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) on July 30th, 2010 from 6:00-8:00 PM. You will have the opportunity to meet with Mary Jo Nickum, author of Mom’s Story; A Child Learns About MS. Mary has been diagnosed with MS for over 30 years and is an inspiration for all of those learning to cope with this challenging disease. Her book provides information on how to better understand MS, who gets it, how the disease is diagnosed, the various forms of MS and listing of material and organizations available to assist families in the fight against MS. While parents are learning from Mary Jo in the theatre area, the kids will be provided with fun activities to learn more about the store and the technology used in everyday life. They will even be introduced to future technology through an entirely interactive experience with the staff! We hope to see you there!
When: Friday July 30th, 2010
Welcome time: 6:00-6:30
Event time: 6:30-8:00pm
Where: The Microsoft Store
Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall
7014 E. Camelback Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 308-0800

Light Refreshments will be provided
**RSVP: Space is limited for this event, so please do not wait to RSVP.
RSVP: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=149256

Mom's Story, A Child Learns About MS

I'm working hard on designing teaching materials for Mom's Story. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Biomarkers Test for MS Nine Years Before Symptoms Appear

A small study analyzing the blood of healthy people who developed MS, along with the blood of those who did not, has uncovered “blood signatures” that may lead to a diagnosis of MS before symptoms appear, and consequently earlier and more effective intervention.

"We are not yet able to treat people with MS to prevent the onset of the disease but knowledge is power," says Anat Achiron, a professor of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and vice-dean of research at Sheba Medical Center. "Every time we meet a new patient exhibiting symptoms of MS, we must ask ourselves how long this has been going on. We can diagnose MS by brain MRI, but we've never been able to know how 'fresh' the disease is."

If doctors can predict the onset of MS early enough, intervention therapies using immunomodulatory drugs or beta-interferon drugs that stave off MS symptoms might be used.

Examining blood samples of twenty19-year-old Israelis who were inducted into the army as healthy soldiers, and the nine of them who later developed MS, Achiron and her team at Sheba were able to use a "high throughput analysis" using more than 12,000 gene transcripts expressions. The screening compared similarities and differences in the blood of those who developed MS and those who did not, eventually establishing biological markers.

"Those who will develop MS will show a different blood signature from those who will not," says Achiron. "When we compared the gene expression signatures, we saw a similar pattern of the same working biological processes."

These early genetic markers may now be used to test for MS up to nine years before healthy young adults start developing symptoms. And because MS is thought to have a genetic component and a tendency to be found in siblings, Achiron says the biomarkers can be used as a tool for brothers and sisters of people with MS. The goal is to learn more about the genetics of MS through this new discovery, with the hope that early intervention therapies may be more effective, and help advance medicine toward a cure, according to Achiron.

Typically by the time a person notices symptoms, significant and irreversible nerve damage is already done.

MSFoundation

Ning

I just joined a Ning. http://bookmarketing.ning.com/profile/MaryJNickum

A Ning is a social platform for an interest or passion online. Every member can reach millions of people from across the world to explore and express a particular interest, discover new outlets, and meet new people with shared pursuits.

I'm bringing the existence of a book marketing Ning to everyone's attention. Whether or not you choose to join, is your decision. I provided the link so you can check it out if you want.

As the author of a children's chapter book, I think any help with marketing is a plus. I think other authors may feel the same way.

Mom's Story, A Child Learns About MS

I will read, discuss and sign my book, Mom's Story, at Park Falls, WI Public Library on June 16th at 3:00 pm

With MS, am I going to end up in a wheelchair?

The natural course of MS is highly variable, and it is impossible to predict the nature, severity or timing of progression in a given patient. Some people with MS will have a more progressive disease course than others.

In some cases, the course of MS over the first five years may provide a clue to the progression of the disease over the next 10 years. Recent studies indicate that 90% of patients with minimal disability five years after onset were still ambulatory at 15 years. It is estimated that at 20 years after diagnosis, about 1/3 of people who receive no treatment may require a wheelchair or other assistive device.

With the present immunomodulatory therapies, the goal is to slow the progression of disability. Some people with MS respond quite well and may have no progression over years. For others, the treatment may slow, but not stop the progression. It is important to be proactive and work with your healthcare provider in order to obtain the most appropriate treatment, thus obtaining the highest level of benefit.

New slide show

Mom’S Story

View more presentations from mjnickum.

Multiple Sclerosis Question 4

Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis


Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, weakness, spasticity, balance problems, bladder and bowel problems, numbness, vision loss, tremors and depression.

Not all symptoms affect all MS patients. No two persons have the same complaints; no one develops all of the symptoms.

Symptoms may be persistent or may cease from time to time. Most patients have episodic patterns of attacks and remissions throughout the disease course. Symptoms may remit completely, leaving no residual damage, or partially leaving degrees of permanent impairment.


Because the symptoms that define the clinical picture of MS are the result of nerve lesions causing disturbances in electrical conduction in one or more areas of the CNS, the nature of the symptoms that occur is determined by the location of the lesion. For example: an optic nerve lesion may cause blurred vision; a brain stem lesion may cause dizziness or double vision; a spinal cord lesion may cause coordination/balance problems.

Mom's Story is available

I will be attending "Talk MS" on May 1 at Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort. Mom's Story will be available there.

Multiple Sclerosis Question 3

Who Gets Multiple Sclerosis?

Statistics indicate that there are currently 350,000 to 500,000 people in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with MS. Two hundred people are diagnosed with MS every week and over 2.5 million people are living with the disease worldwide. However, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not require U.S. physicians to report new cases of MS and the symptoms of the disease can go unrecognized for some time, these numbers are only estimates.
MS is more common in women, appears more frequently in Caucasians than in Hispanics or African Americans, and is relatively rare among Asians and certain other ethnic groups. MS is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50, although it can develop in young children and teens as well as older adults.