I curse fate I can’t even walk straight: Arjun

Hyderabad: What do you do when even the simplest form of physical activity appears as, and becomes, an arduous task? How do you cope with a situation in which just getting off the bed and brushing your teeth without falling forward is treated like an accomplishment? These are questions that every person afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS) asks themselves.

In a candid chat with Deccan Chronicle, Arjun, who wished to be identified only by his first name, a Hyderabad resident suffering with MS, says, “you struggle to do even mundane tasks every day. A simple act of getting down the stairs without holding the railing is difficult. Sometimes, you will miss a step. At times, you will sway like a drunkard and would be perceived as one by those watching you.”

“Watching sports like the Olympics fills you with rage, when you see Usain Bolt running across the stadium, after winning the gold in the race. It fills you with untoward rage as you struggle even to walk a couple of steps. As if that was not enough, the growing fatigue in your system makes you want to go back to bed and laze the rest of the day. But, that is not possible, as the drugs for MS aren’t cheap and you need them to make sure that you have a considerably healthy life,” says Mr Arjun.

Some of these statements might come across, not as the angst of a person afflicted with a chronic neuro-degenerative condition, but instead, as several people perceive, as ramblings of a person deeply addicted to substance abuse, or heavy smoking or drinking. The condition has even the world of science in a conundrum, with scientists still looking for a cause for the condition.

Multiple sclerosis as a condition is usually diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 to 50 years. It effects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves in a person. This, in turn, causes various bodily functions to work incorrectly. “Living with MS can have a dastardly effect on the quality of life a person leads. Sometimes, you will curse yourself for having such a disability, then curse your fate. But, in the end, you still struggle to walk in a straight line or accomplish things that most people tend to do effortlessly,” Arjun added.