My friend with multiple sclerosis

My friend with Multiple sclerosis

We won't name her.

She was my classmate at the medical school from 1985- 1991. Subsequently, of course we remained at the same institute, but we opted for different branches. She joined the department of anaesthesia, while I became an Ophthalmologist. We parted in 1994.

I had not had much of a contact with her for years. Only a couple of weeks ago, another classmate revealed that she now has multiple sclerosis (MS). Those, who do not know anything about the disease, it can be described as follows:

Our brain and central nervous system comprise of a complex set of electrical connections of neurons that are akin to electrical wires that we see in day to day life. Just as the electrical wires have their insulation, these neurons are also wrapped within a sheath called myeline sheath. MS is an auto immune disease, which means, our body's defense mechanism would perceive certain ingredients in the sheath to be of "foreign origin" and try to combat them. This would be a gory affair resulting in casualties! As a consequence of neuronal dysfunction, a lot of activities can go into disarray. Depending upon which nerve is involved, you can have problems in walking, eating or something else. Some may develop visual dysfunction due to swelling (inflammation) in the optic nerve - that carries visual information up to your brain. The process whereby the neuronal sheath is damaged, is termed "demyelination".

She has not had visual symptoms, although for one of my medical students these were the starting symptoms of the disease.

I recently had an opportunity to see this classmate of mine who has been lately on an immunomodulator drug called "interferon".

She has been through a facial paralysis and recovered. To make the maters worse, the partS of her central nervous system that are exhibiting demyelination include a crucial part of her spine that controls the respiratory muscles - the cervical C3,4,5 region.

During our meeting, the tremendous grit and determination was writ large on her face. A fighter that her close friends call her, was quiet obvious. I would like to add, that physicians often make bad patients since they seem to have a "panoramic view" of their illness.

She was certainly different!

In fact it was she who suggested the diagnosis to the doctor who was treating her. Knowing everything about the disease, yet behaving so compose, I feel is a remarkable feet.

As the time progress, the research on MS, that ranks among the priority areas, would lead to better treatment options. Meanwhile she continues to fight a disease that she (and rest of us alike) had heard litle about during our graduation. With her current treatment she is leading a normal life to those who do not know anything about her ailment: She looks and behaves like the rest of us, drives to the hospital she works in, sticks to the treatment making sure that her interferon injections are scheduled at he week end allowing room for the fever that would ensue.

Wish a speedy and complete recovery you fighter!

Bye!

Arthur Ashe's memorable quote

“If I were to say 'God, why me?' about the bad things, then I should have said 'God, why me?' about the good things that happened in my life."


Dear readers,

A fellow ophthalmologist just mailed me an information (the above quote) about Arthur Ashe, the tennis player who died of AIDS. It seems there are many people with a rationalist attitude about their illnesses. Arthur Ashe clearly lived what some would not imagine!

Goodbye!

A survivor from Bombay

Do you recognize this child?

He is Moshe - the only surviving child of Rivka and Rabbi Holtzberg who were recently gunned down by terrorists in Bombay. (I won’t call it Mumbai but Bombay that belongs to everyone!)


The child is inconsolable back in Israel.


A two year old constantly looking for a mom who would never come back. A mom who would just remain an elusive angel for the rest of the child’s life.


Fortunately he has a whole nation full of empathy behind him. But that can not win him his mom back!


Look at him again and think. How would he cope with the loss? What would this child be in future?


Now turned inwards, and look into your own miseries.


We often tend to feel that our own miseries have been the worst. The “Why me” question tends to creep up every time something befalls upon us.


In reality your own suffering or illness can indeed be a major one. May be while I am writing this you are about to have a recurrent, stubborn tumor removed by a neurosurgeon. May be this means, diverting family resources while you have an unmarried daughter and an unemployed son. I can imagine how sometimes you wished, things end for you or may be the secured job you have had, now goes to your this son in question, who has not found a job despite an impressive CV.


A friend of mine calls this tendency to consider your own plight the most troublesome one, a kind of mass masochism that prevails, whereby deep inside you feel happy to be in the situation that is by no means an enviable one. An example would be, behaving as one at the receiving end when someone has written you off in a relationship. “I did such and such thing for him / her, and this is what I got in return”, is a thought that would be instantly gratifying but would do little in long run.


Accepting your miseries would on the other hand empower you to handle them.


The void in Moshe’s life will always there even with a nation behind him. But little Moshe will have his own remarkable journey to have his own tryst with destiny!


Amen