My story is a journey of ten long years. The journey of a decade. Ten years ago, the first-ever symptom of cancer altered my life forever. We were holidaying in New Zealand in May 2010 and arrived at Christchurch on the 1st of June.
It started with numbness in both my legs but I attributed it to the icy-cold weather. The numbness kept increasing every passing day. I did not feel exhausted either. But what happened on the 3rd of June transformed my life forever.
I fell and was unable to get up. A few hours later, the realization began to sink in that it is paraplegia. Without support, I was unable to stand or get up at all. We caught the earliest flight back to Mumbai.
Homecoming:
On 7th June 2010, the MRI showed plasmacytoma in the Dorsal Spine (D8/D9)region. The neurosurgeon suggested a Surgery to remove the excise from the spine. By the evening, I was admitted to Lilavati Hospital and was operated on 9th June 2010 by Dr.Bhojraj.
I was asked for complete bed rest for the next six months along with physiotherapy. I was even told that I might not be able to walk properly, ever again. But I fought all odds and after 28 grueling months of physiotherapy and exercises, I started walking normally again.
Symptoms of Myeloma:
Some symptoms of myeloma include back pain, high creatine levels, and blood pressure, high calcium, low hemoglobin, low White Blood Cells and Platelet count. Other symptoms might include frequent fractures, foam in the urine, frequently occurring cold, bone pain, High ESR, and Renal issues.
My Family:
We are a family of six. My wife Neelu has been my caregiver and stood like a rock throughout my bad days. My two sons are into a full-time business and my daughter-in-law is expecting a baby. Our beloved PET Enzo keeps all of us in splits.
My son got married to Dr. Vrinda, my best friends Dr. Rajesh and Dr. Pragya. It is only due to my family’s support that I could continue running my loss-making Architectural Consultancy business.
