The article showing below was written in 2012
Cooper City man advocates for MS patients
Fast-Forward: Now 2020, much of what was written and wanting to do, is being accomplished
Cooper City man advocates for MS patients
5:28
p.m. EST, February
17, 2012
p.m. EST, February
17, 2012
For 10 years, Stuart
Schlossman suffered from symptoms that doctors couldn’t pin to a single
disease: fatigue, pain, memory
problems, vertigo, dizziness.
Finally in 1998, a doctor finally told him what he’s been waiting for: Multiple Sclerosis.
Schlossman suffered from symptoms that doctors couldn’t pin to a single
disease: fatigue, pain, memory
problems, vertigo, dizziness.
Finally in 1998, a doctor finally told him what he’s been waiting for: Multiple Sclerosis.
“I may have heard of it,
but it’s not something that stuck,” Schlossman said. “There wasn’t
much knowledge about it among anybody I knew either.”
but it’s not something that stuck,” Schlossman said. “There wasn’t
much knowledge about it among anybody I knew either.”
Joining a support group, he
found that his web savvy was helpful to others and he would pass along links
and article he’d read about the disease. Soon, the mailing list exploded to
Stu’sViewsandMSNews.org in 2008. Today, patients and healthcare professionals
around the world follow him on Twitter,Facebook, a monthly radio
show, Webinars, podcasts and live seminars.
found that his web savvy was helpful to others and he would pass along links
and article he’d read about the disease. Soon, the mailing list exploded to
Stu’sViewsandMSNews.org in 2008. Today, patients and healthcare professionals
around the world follow him on Twitter,Facebook, a monthly radio
show, Webinars, podcasts and live seminars.
What diagnoses did you hear
before MS?
before MS?
I was diagnosed by a
cardiologist that I had anxiety disorder and it really had nothing to do with
that. At one time somebody had made mention of a brain tumor, which many people
with MS are told it may be a brain tumor because of all the headaches.
cardiologist that I had anxiety disorder and it really had nothing to do with
that. At one time somebody had made mention of a brain tumor, which many people
with MS are told it may be a brain tumor because of all the headaches.
I was traveling outside the
country a lot, I wasn’t feeling well, I had to cut trips short and come back
early. I was told that by one doctor that a lot of my vertigo and dizziness was
caused by all my flying, all the up and down. It was ridiculous.
country a lot, I wasn’t feeling well, I had to cut trips short and come back
early. I was told that by one doctor that a lot of my vertigo and dizziness was
caused by all my flying, all the up and down. It was ridiculous.
What did you think of the
diagnosis?
diagnosis?
I was relieved because
somebody told me what was wrong. He told us what it was, but he didn’t want to
do any treatments. Back in the day, there was a time when a lot of neurologists
just diagnosed you with MS but then they didn’t want to treat you because they
said that the side effects of the drugs were worse than the symptoms you were
going through. They would rather see you get worse than put you on something.
somebody told me what was wrong. He told us what it was, but he didn’t want to
do any treatments. Back in the day, there was a time when a lot of neurologists
just diagnosed you with MS but then they didn’t want to treat you because they
said that the side effects of the drugs were worse than the symptoms you were
going through. They would rather see you get worse than put you on something.
How did your online presence
start?
start?
After I was diagnosed I was
always on the Internet to try to find out what was going on and I got involved
with a support group in Miami Dade. Most of the people there said, “OK,
this is what we’re doing this week,” but they didn’t know what was wrong with
them and their caretakers didn’t know. I found that I needed to provide
information I always got on the Internet. I was I was finding out about pain,
about fatigue, optic neurosis. My email list started out with 10 people; it now
exceeds 15,000 worldwide.
always on the Internet to try to find out what was going on and I got involved
with a support group in Miami Dade. Most of the people there said, “OK,
this is what we’re doing this week,” but they didn’t know what was wrong with
them and their caretakers didn’t know. I found that I needed to provide
information I always got on the Internet. I was I was finding out about pain,
about fatigue, optic neurosis. My email list started out with 10 people; it now
exceeds 15,000 worldwide.
What does Stu’s Views and MS
News do?
News do?
We provide information and
education via the Internet and via live seminars. It became a global thing,
there’s 12,000 people that follow me on Facebook. I’ve got thousands of people
that pick up the feeds that go to Twitter.
education via the Internet and via live seminars. It became a global thing,
there’s 12,000 people that follow me on Facebook. I’ve got thousands of people
that pick up the feeds that go to Twitter.
It’s become a major need. I
find that when we do education programs in the smaller towns in the state of
Florida, the people really don’t know… Information is not reaching rural
America and that’s something that I want to do: to give the information to
caregivers to rural America, to family, to friends.
find that when we do education programs in the smaller towns in the state of
Florida, the people really don’t know… Information is not reaching rural
America and that’s something that I want to do: to give the information to
caregivers to rural America, to family, to friends.
What other information
outlets do you have?
outlets do you have?
We average about 1,200
listeners on blog talk radio. It’s once a month on MS Unplugged called Stu MS
Radio. I do speaking engagements also about the patient advocacy and the
quality of life. The final summation all the time of what I talk about, what I
say is that I was once very arrogant, obnoxious, arrogant salesperson and now
I’m an arrogant, obnoxious humanitarian. And that’s what I feel I’ve become all
the time. Where I didn’t really care about what people did in the past, now I
find I care too much.
listeners on blog talk radio. It’s once a month on MS Unplugged called Stu MS
Radio. I do speaking engagements also about the patient advocacy and the
quality of life. The final summation all the time of what I talk about, what I
say is that I was once very arrogant, obnoxious, arrogant salesperson and now
I’m an arrogant, obnoxious humanitarian. And that’s what I feel I’ve become all
the time. Where I didn’t really care about what people did in the past, now I
find I care too much.
What advice do you have for
others with MS?
others with MS?
The patient knows what’s
going on with themselves – don’t leave it up to a health professional to know
what’s going on, don’t leave it up to a family member to tell the doctor what’s
wrong. Always go in with a list.
going on with themselves – don’t leave it up to a health professional to know
what’s going on, don’t leave it up to a family member to tell the doctor what’s
wrong. Always go in with a list.
People really need to be
proactive with themselves it’s not even about MS. It’s about life. Life is too
short for people to sit around and waiting for a cure for something. They’ve
got to be able to get out and live their lives.
proactive with themselves it’s not even about MS. It’s about life. Life is too
short for people to sit around and waiting for a cure for something. They’ve
got to be able to get out and live their lives.
What’s your goal?
We’re hoping to go
nationwide…. We’re global for blog talk radio, the website, the blog, and
that’s all global… but we want to do live seminars in other states. We want to
be able to grow.
nationwide…. We’re global for blog talk radio, the website, the blog, and
that’s all global… but we want to do live seminars in other states. We want to
be able to grow.
I am a volunteer and it just
helps me to fill my day and to feel complete as a person. I want to do able to
say, “I did something in life, I did something different.” I can even
have on my tombstone that I’m a humanitarian, an obnoxious humanitarian.
helps me to fill my day and to feel complete as a person. I want to do able to
say, “I did something in life, I did something different.” I can even
have on my tombstone that I’m a humanitarian, an obnoxious humanitarian.
Copyright
© 2012, South
Florida Sun-Sentinel
© 2012, South
Florida Sun-Sentinel
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