October - MS Queensland

The Toowoomba & District MS Support Group
YOUR SUGGESTION HERE
HERE!!
Enter our Competition this month
to win & see your chosen name here!
October 2015
NEXT SUPPORT GROUP MEETING Wednesday, October 21 10.30 sharp start,
you are welcome to arrive at 10am for a cuppa and chat before the meeting. Find us on the 2nd building on the right, on USQ’s Steele Rudd Dr
opp Steele Rudd College off Baker St, Darling Heights. Please bring a
plate to share and stay for lunch!
GUEST SPEAKER, 11.30am Daniel Borrows from Scott St Pharmacy
talking about mobility equipment as well as the Mobility Aides Subsidy
Scheme (MASS). Come and see what Daniel has to show you and
learn what tools you could use to get your independence back!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 PARENTS WITH MS This month we are meeting in
Wilsonton for morning tea. For more info  Joanna on 4635 3281.
To Jan for another stamp donation to help post the newsletter and for your
MS news articles for us to share! A big thank you to everyone who attended
the enjoyable support group birthday lunch and to Club Glenvale for a last
minute generously donated Club Glenvale voucher to raffle off at our lunch
last month which Judy won– Congrats! We missed Glenn who ended up in
hospital in Brisbane having a MS relapse while visiting friends –who also had our
prizes! We are pleased to tell you that Glenn is now home again and feeling better .
TOOWOOMBA MS SWIMATHON! NOV 21 See inside for more details!
MS QUEENSLAND SUPPORT GROUP FORUM, BRISBANE NOVEMBER 26 Would you like to represent the Toowoomba & District MS Support Group, by attending the QLD Support Group Forum? For more info
talk to the groups secretary Trish before or at the support group meeting
on October 21 on 4693 7232 or email gpschultz23@gmail.com
2015 MS QUEENSLAND CONFERENCE & AGM, BRISBANE NOVEMBER 27
Interact with MSQ staff and people with MS while listening to the latest research and
news relating to MS. Open to anyone to attend.
Win
by sending in your Catchy Name to Angelika for the newsletter!
Be creative and humorous if you wish!
The Toowoomba & District Support Group News
e.g Chiropractic News- “Back Chat”
Contact Angelika by October 14  4630 4025 or
email a.clutterbuck@hotmail.com with your entry!
One entry per person, winner decided at the October
support group meeting. A donated Movie Ticket or
Scratch-Its will be posted to the winner, your choice.
J
udith attended Moreton Bay College Wynnum, 1954/55 and won
the School Art Prize. She then studied art and design at QIT
and USQ and has been a professional artist working in commercial, industrial and textile design since the 1950's, and working
as an industrial and graphic designer saw Judith working at developing
a revolutionary industrial plastics process that is still in use today.
After winning an Australian textile design award, Judith's work went
on a world travelling exhibition to the U.S.A. Europe and Britain.
Studies in Sculpture, for mold-making, casting, resin, plastic, cement
and bronze sculpture brought commissions and prizes such
as the Westfield Sculpture Prize, Rotary International
Sculpture Prize, Redlands Watercolour Prize and many others. One of her large art works hangs in Queensland Parliament House.
Judith's art works are represented in collections world-wide,
including Britain, U.S.A. Canada, Ireland, Greece and
Sweden. Large ceramic sculptures and a range of traditional
wood sculptures are in
private collections as well as bronze plaques for civic installations in Australia. Judith lectured for the T.A.F.E. College in art and textile design, owned her own art gallery and art school in Brisbane and worked in the field of
printmaking, art restoration and designing textiles for the tourist trade around Australia and the Pacific. She formulated the first protein dyes produced in Australia for use in
her textiles and designed one-off dress lengths for the fashion industry as well as gorgeous evening wear.
Judith contracted Multiple Sclerosis in 1992 and has battled with deteriorating eyesight
from that time. She has worked as a MS Disability Advocate for 20 years, helping to
maintain the Toowoomba MS Support Group, and is a member of MS Qld., People
With Disabilities Aus. and Women With Disabilities Aus. Judy has won the following
service awards, Two Australia Day medals for services to the Arts. M.B.C. Founders
Medal for Outstanding Achievement, received
An exhibition encompassing the tireless search for the endless
nominations for
possibilities of Art and the creative mind
Toowoomba Citiby Jen Denise Stark & Judith Emmerson James
zen of the Year,
27 October – 22 November
Australian of the
Year and received
Open Tuesday to Friday 9-12noon Sat/Sun..10 to 2pm
an MS Qld Heroes
Offical opening Saturday 31st. October, all welcome
Award for MS
Toowoomba Art Society, 1 Godsall Street, Toowoomba
Advocate of the
Year.
Creative Adventures
On
September 16, 2015, Swiss pharmaceutical company
Roche announced that ocrelizumab, a drug originally
designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis that saw its development
stopped due to an association with infections, could potentially
treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as
primary progressive MS (PPMS) with minimal side effects compared to other commercially available drugs. Full details on the
clinical trial results assessing the efficacy and safety of ocrelizumab will be disclosed on October 7-10 at the Annual Meeting of the European
Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Barcelona, Spain.
MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system. The damage it inflicts in
some sections of the neurons, impair the conduction of signals in the affected
nerves causing deficiency in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions.
As a result, patients with MS may experience symptoms like difficulties in movement/coordination, changes in sensation, depression, visual problems, fatigue,
muscle weakness/spasms, problems with speech/swallowing, and bladder/bowel
difficulties. These manifestations may occur as episodes of sudden worsening
with possible amelioration (RRMS) or as continuous degradation over time without
improvement (progressive MS). Though the exact causes are not yet fully understood, it is believed that autoimmune disorders and environmental factors count for
the development of the disease. MS is considered the most common autoimmune
disorder affecting the central nervous system, and life expectancy of patients with
the disease is on average 5 to 10 years lower than healthy individuals.
There is no known cure for MS, but numerous medications are commercially available to relieve the symptoms and prevent relapses from occurring. However, these
medications have several adverse effects, being one of the most common the
irritation at the injection site. In the recent announcement, Roche states that ocrelizumab is comparable with other MS drugs in terms of safety. “It’s wonderful from a
safety point of view,” said Roche’s Chief Executive Dr. Severin Schwan in a news
release. “We have a safety profile which is similar to the interferons, to Rebif,
which is considered the safest MS drug class.”
Ocrelizumab can be delivered intravenously twice a year in order to reduce the
risk of patients skipping their medication, especially between relapses. Furthermore, ocrelizumab is also being tested in people with PPMS, a form of the disease
that affects around one in six of the MS patients. Roche expects ocrelizumab to
compete with other injectable drugs like Biogen’s Tysabri and Genzyme’s Lemtrada, as well as pills like Novartis’ Gilenya and Biogen’s Tecfidera.
Roche claims that ocrelizumab is able to reduce relapses and disability progression and that it looks like a promising treatment strategy for both RRMS and
PPMS. Roche plans to obtain marketing approval for the drug in the first quarter
of 2016, and then initiate its potential launch in about a year later.
Full article can be viewed at http://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/2015/09/17/ocrelizumab-promisingnew-treatment-multiple-sclerosis-minimal-side-effects/
See you at the
November 21
Toowoomba MS Swimathon!
Where: Milne Bay Aquatic Centre, Victoria Street,
Toowoomba
When: 6am - 6pm Saturday 21 November
Goal: $40,000
Entry Prices: Adult: $20 Student/Child*: $10 Family: $45
(2 Adults & 2 Children*) Includes Free T-Shirt!
*Children aged 17 and younger Enter as an individual,
team or join the MS Team! People with MS swim free!
Costumes welcome– be creative and have fun!
The MS Swimathon is a FANTASTIC day out – have
fun & support people with MS at the same time! It is a well
organised, professional and exciting day out for all; participants & spectators. You will personally contribute to helping
people in your local community living with multiple sclerosis
Your efforts are acknowledged in and out of the pool – great
prizes are rewarded to fundraisers and keen swimmers.
Swimming relay style for 12 hours is a HUGE achievement –
the personal satisfaction of completing this event is outstanding. Be part of a community that takes action to help
others in need
For more information on the Toowoomba
MS Swimathon or to help promote the event
please contact Clancy Feuerrigel P 07 3840 0887 or
Simon Gregory P 07 3840 0812
E swimathon@mslqld.org.au
Or see more information and register online
at https://msqldevents.com.au
Visit the Facebook Site The MS Swimathon-QLD
W
hat is a medicines list?
The more medicines you take, the more difficult it can be to
remember important information about them. A medicines list
can be a useful way to keep all the information about your
medicines together.
Keeping an up-to-date list of all the medicines you take will help you to get to know
your medicines, get better results from your medicines and enjoy better health.
Why use the MedicineList+ smartphone app?
Using the free MedicineList+ smartphone app means you will always have your
medicines and health information with you.
It can also:

remind you how and when to take your medicines so you can get the most out
of them

help everyone involved in your health care to know which medicines you use
so medicines mistakes are prevented

help your doctor and pharmacist to check and review your medicines so they
can make the right decisions about your health

provide vital information about your medicines in an emergency, helping to

ensure your safety.

Enter and update your information, and set alarms to remind you when to take
your medicines.
Need help with the MedicineList+ app?
Check out our FAQ pages for iPhone and Android users.
If your question isn't covered, please email us at medicinelistplus@nps.org.au or ring 02 8217 8700.
MedicineList+ smartphone app features

Barcode scan your medicines or select from a pick list.

Follow links to more medicine and health information on the
NPS MedicineWise website.

Edit, update and print an easy-to-read Medicines List.

Set alarms for medicine doses.

Set calendar alerts for refilling prescriptions.

Add details about your health conditions.

Record details about your medical tests and results, and
have your results graphed.

Save your information as a PDF, and email the PDF to any
email address.
Choose the Medicines List that suits you
In addition to the MedicineList+ smartphone app, the NPS MedicineWise
Medicines List is available in two other free formats:
Medicines List (paper) — a form that you can download, print and write on
Medicines eList — a form you can fill in and save using your computer's internet
browser.
Source. http://www.nps.org.au/topics/how-to-be-medicinewise/managing-your-medicines/
medicines-list/medicinelist-smartphone-app
MS
Queensland is looking for new members for
their SMAC Committee from Brisbane, Cairns, Emerald,
Ipswich, Mackay, Rockhampton, Roma, Sunshine Coast and
Toowoomba.
What is SMAC? It is the Services Management Advisory Committee.
What does it do? SMAC is a conduit between the MS Queensland management
team and people with MS, their families and carers;
Provides a representative forum for discussion on MS Queensland's services; and
Offers recommendations for MS Queensland's service-related issues brought forward by the Director of Services. Meetings of one hour's duration are held every
quarter by teleconference, all you need is a phone!
Applications are due by Monday 6 November 2015.
If you have any questions, please contact Glenys Ward from MS Queensland
on glenys.ward@msqld.org.au or 07 3840 0854.
Having trouble filling cup cake papers with cake mix due
to lack of core and arm strength? Place the cup cake/
muffin trays on a lazy susan (circular tray on a 360oC turn
table) so you can sit down at a table and do this task more
easily. Thanks Nicole!
Save your energy and time and shop (or sell) from home where you can, gifts,
groceries, meat, fruit & veg, stationery, banking, photos, the variety is huge, don’t
know how? Ask for help to get you off and running!
Make a deal with someone who drives- if they take you out, you can bring
your parking permit (so handy for anyone coming up to Christmas!).
TOOWOOMBA MS SUPPORT GROUP CONTACTS
President
Glenn
4666 3812
email gmill600@hotmail.com
Vice President
Darryl
4636 0406
email dconnell57@dodo.com.au
Secretary
Trish
4693 7232
email gpschultz23@gmail.com
PwMS Contact
Trish
4693 7232
email gpschultz23@gmail.com
Newsletter
Joanna
4635 3281
email tjleane@bigpond.com
Parents with MS
Joanna
4635 3281
email tjleane@bigpond.com
SMAC Twmba Rep Jon
4635 5481
email carajon2@bigpond.com
Services, Management & Advisory Committee
“A conduit between MSQ management and people with MS, their families and carers.“
www.mssupport.org.au
FACEBOOK Nicole “MS Support Group Toowoomba”
MS QLD Regional Service Co-ordinator/ Immunotherapy RN, South-West QLD
Janice Wheeler Available Mon-Thurs
Email janice.wheeler@msqld.org.au
Phone 07 4638 9327 Mobile 0408 186 690
MS Queensland Infoline 1800 177 591