Multiple Sclerosis: A Real Life Story

chillibreeze writer — Rehana

Put your troubles in a pocket, with a hole in it.

- Old Postcard

Life is not always a bed of roses but also the thorny arena of troubles and tribulations. A person’s innate character is manifest during testing times.

Similar to the moment a symphony comes to an abrupt pause, problems jolt our being. And that’s exactly what happened to me when I was threatened with the first ‘big’ problem.

It was during my late teens, that I began to experience weakness down my lower limbs in addition to an unsteady gait. I ignored it at first as overwork or maybe a figment of my skillful imagination. However, as my condition worsened to the extent of not being able to walk independently I accepted the existence of a serious problem.

The general physician, I had been to put me through a battery of tests. Numerous samples of my blood and urine were obtained. The medics curled me like a foetus and extracted my cerebro-spinal fluid. All along these tests my mind prayed earnestly for the absence of any serious ailment. As I went through the cold, dark aperture of the MRI scanner, my thoughts hovered from suicidal to the self-probing question “Why me…?”

The mandatory tests and examinations over, the doctors confirmed the presence of scarred nerve fibres in my brain. The announcement mutilated my self-confidence. I was shaken to the core, unable to accept what the fact was. I felt like the world had just come crashing down on me. A most unwelcome intruder was wrecking my life, trying to rob me of my bliss both physically and emotionally. I cried for days on end with little respite. The neurologists prescribed IV doses of medication which required admission to the hospital for at least three weeks.

I went through the hospital stays with comforting support from my family and friends. I must highlight my mother’s role here because she was a persistent pillar of moral strength and still is. Of much help were the many motivational, self-help books showered on me by good friends and well-wishers.

The physical exercises I performed under expert assistance helped me with my gait. The hospice care, medication, physical-therapists helped me regain my lost muscle mass from disuse, coordination in walking and with it my confidence too. Thanks to them, I am now an independent person perfectly ambulatory and capable of commuting long distances without assistance. The physicians have recommended continued physical therapy for the sake of maintaining agility.

The occupational therapists helped me recover my finer hand movements required for writing. I had to relearn all the cursive strokes one by one. It was a tough task at first but slowly and surely I realised the importance of rewiring my brain. My daily regimen included writing a minimum of twenty pages. The three months of persistent effort paid rich dividends and I was able to write legibly once again (Rosalind C. Kalb, p.33). Thereafter there was no stopping me and I returned to college to finish my degree.

Much self-pity and condolences later, the initial setback was overcome. My morale was amplified manifold after meeting many successful survivors of the disease at the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India. Their buoyancy rubbed on me and assured me of a life beyond MS. During the therapy I had been initiated into Reiki of which I am a master now. I treat those I can and help myself too. In the meanwhile I learned Iyengar Yoga to keep fit and flexible.

What kept me going in spite of the unsolicited disappointments was an unswerving conviction that whatever had happened to me was a passing phase designed to change the pattern of my life for the better. I should say that at the end, it gave me a new perception of life. I learned many things around me which I wouldn’t have hazarded to discover without the arrival of this robber.

I have now realised and accepted that life is meant to be lived and not lost in grief. I was given a new purpose in life when I signed up to work as a volunteer for the Cerebral Palsy foundation of India. From that day on I have tried to reach out to the lesser fortunate children there and forget about my condition.

Fortunately for me, I haven’t had any relapses of the condition and the neurologists say it could be a case of the disease burning itself out. Whether it is the Reiki, Yoga, my positive thinking or the concoction of alternative therapies helping me, nobody is certain of and by the way, is it of any consequence now? (Christine A. Larson, p. 87) As they say there isn’t an answer to every problem in life!

References:

Beth Ann Hill (2003) Multiple Sclerosis Q & A: Reassuring Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Avery Christine A. Larson (2007) Alternative Medicine, Greenwood Press

Randall T. Schapiro (2007) Managing the Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, Demos Medical Publishing

Rosalind C. Kalb Multiple Sclerosis: The Questions You Have - The Answers You Need (2000), Demos Medical Publishing

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