Alejandro

After turning 40 years old, getting married, and having his first child, Alejandro experienced some weakness in his knees and difficulty walking comfortably in his slippers. For a year after, Alejandro started to trip more frequently and decided to go to his doctor for what he thought was a knee problem. With physical therapy exercises, Alejandro’s knee inflammation and foot drop “didn’t get back to normal, but it did get better.” He realized that something else was wrong when his foot healed from an injury, but he still had trouble walking. Alejandro was referred to a neurologist. An MRI showed multiple lesions in his brain and spine and he was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis (MS).

After diagnosis, Alejandro continued to fall regularly but infrequently.  As he began to fall more often, Alejandro attributed it to the circumstances, and not necessarily to the fact that he had foot drop and weakness in his legs that worsened with fatigue. The same year that Alejandro had his second daughter and started Tysabri as his Disease Modifying Treatment, he started to experience extreme fatigue. To manage his fatigue, Alejandro reduced his socialization, spent more time at home with his family, and focused on work. Emotionally, Alejandro knew that even though everything was great in his life, there was also something “off.” Upon describing his inability to sleep and symptoms to his neurologist, Alejandro was diagnosed with depression.

Alejandro’s neurologist prescribed him antidepressants and recommended that he talk to a therapist and psychiatrist. However, Alejandro “didn’t feel that it worked” the first time and therefore, lost “faith in the whole process.” After reaching out to close friends, Alejandro listened to one of his friend’s suggestions and enrolled in a behavioral science program that required a hospital stay. Over the course of the program, Alejandro learned about depression and how to recognize his symptoms, and how to separate depression from his MS. Alejandro found this knowledge empowering and today uses resources and support to help him with his depression. As an immigrant to the United States, Alejandro’s primary concern was his professional success, not necessarily his social or physical health, but MS spurred him to rethink his priorities.

Today, Alejandro takes Tysabri as his MS treatment, baclofen for spasticity, Ampyra for muscle strengthening, vitamin D supplements, Modafinil for fatigue, and daily medication for anxiety. As a father living with MS, Alejandro used to worry about being a good father but now he reminds himself that he is “doing a lot” and remains aware of his limitations. Now, Alejandro experiences balance issues, foot drop, debilitating fatigue, and cognitive distortions that come with the fatigue that can sometimes cause anxiety. Alejandro also experiences spasticity in his leg and foot, memory issues, and pain in his shoulder, leg, knee, and foot. He can walk unassisted for short distances but uses a cane when he feels tired. Alejandro is part of a MS support group that meets once a month. He enjoys talking and processing MS with others who are “all living the same life, just in different clothes.”