Facing the Cognitive Challenges of Multiple Sclerosis

When you think of MS, you visualize the physical distruction of the disease. "Facing the Cognitive Challenges of Multiple Sclerosis" deals with the mental challenges. I was diagosed in 1998, and encourage Gingold's book as a must read for MS patients, their families, friends, and caregivers. Easy to read, I think his is the first book I've read that makes some sense out of the senseless world of Cognitive MS symptoms, treatments and maintenance routines. I've purchased two copies so far and have two more promised to the staff at the Mellen Center (Cleveland Clinic). If you know someone with MS - this book details what life is like for us. If you have MS, this book validates that perhaps we are not alone our a vast array of symptoms. Share it with anyone who needs to understand MS.

This has been the best book I have read since being diag. with MS. He has described my life in detailed and it is the first time I have felt that there is someone else out there that has been dealing with the same thing that I have dealing with....cognitive issues. It has been very comforting to read this book and I highly recommend this book to anyone who has MS or is dealing with cognitive issues. He allows the reader to join in his days and see what it is really like to have to deal with cognitive issues every day and know that you are not alone. Thank you for this book.

Were I able to articulate what I have been going through over the past years I would have chosen similar situations .It is as though I had written this book How good it feels when somebody understands truly understands .As most who have been through the difficulties of MS know it takes time, time to get the diagnosis, time to adjust to the limitations that seem to get ever worse, time to realize that you can no longer handle what you once may have found so simple, time to deal with the ever growing frustrations of mental limitations as well as the physical, Time to get those you love and care about to understand what you are going through,time to adapt to a new life .You can get through this ! What Mr.Gingold has shown here is he knows he really knows what it is all about. He aptly describes the frustrations we encounter on a daily basis, the fatigue of the mind, as well as of the body .You can reclaim some of the joys of life, you can live a bit more simple. he has given many helpful tips but for me nothing has been more helpful than to have another soul know what you are going through .I had been seeing a Neurologist for six years and found myself in the deepest pit of frustration as he said all I was going through related to diabetic neuropathies .MY GP sent me to the MS center here at a local hospital and like detectives working on an old dormant case the great personal here went back over my old records ordered tests and put all the pieces together until they solved the puzzle.I cannot tell you how good it felt when my wife and I sat down with Martha, she answered questions before we even got them out, she described what we were going through to us,just when we were at a point of questioning our own sanity, she gave us support .This is what Mr. Gingold does .All those strange feelings, fears, frustrations, The limitations that have been imposed upon you from God knows where and they can be so odd, like being unable to make a phone call, or to have papers build up on your desk without being able to respond , the mind freeze ,Loss of concentration thoughts blocked while in mid sentence ,someone moving about sending your nerves into a tailspin along with noise and confusion, being unable to do more than one thing at a time, the odd physical sensations and pain, most people know some degree of the physical difficulty. few seem to know the mental hardships which are just as devastating .It helps to know it is not just you.That others understand, you are not alone in what you are feeling, then you can begin to make some changes that will allow you to cope. Here Mr.Gingold offers some insights much the same as Martha did for my wife and I. That can make such a great and wonderful difference .My wife had been watching the man she has known for 35 years fade from view and she was unable to understand or stop the process .I worried for her as I felt myself become overwhelmed by everything .We are now working in a positive direction with the help o

Thank God Mr. Gingold had the courage and generosity to break the silence and call a spade a spade. Reading my story, almost work for word, from another litigator desperately and secretly trying to keep all the balls in the air while inexorably sinking deeper into the morass of cognitive MS, has provided me the clarity to accept that this battle cannot be won on my terms so it is time to make peace with the disease and find a more MS-friendly, but still productive, life path. Mr. Gingold has provided an easily-read guidebook - a must read!

I thought my problems with MS were mostly physical and even those were invisible to most people. When I read this book by Jeffrey Gingold I felt sad and relieved at the same time. When I worked at the bank I had a similar experience to his.My customer just stood there as I look perplexed. I forgot how do do something that I had does hundreds of times. I just stood there and asked the person next to me if they could take over because I felt sick.I then disguised my memory problems with different strategies like he did. I have since retired fron the bank at the age of 39. I struggled to keep working with my diagnosis from the age of 31 but at 39 I had to change my priorities. I am going to try and get my family to read this so they can understand the struggle of this unpredictable disease. I highly recommend this book to someone with MS and medical personel that are working with people that have MS . Thank You Mr. Gingold!!! Susan