Awakenings

Does anyone remember the 1990 film Awakenings starring Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams? It was about a group of patients who were in a catatonic state after an epidemic infection, but who were revived after being given a new drug.

This film has been on my mind much recently, not just because I too feel like I have been reawakened to life, but because of the second half of the film, where the effects of the treatment start to wear off, and they return to their sleeping state. I suppose it is one of the risks of being an early patient, that you don't really know what is the likely long term outlook.

I have been asked by people ,who have seen my dramatic improvement, what is the prognosis, but I don't really know. The surgeon who did my procedure was delighted with the results he got, particularly on my right jugular, and said he didn't think I would re-stenose. But it is a risk.

So there is an edge to my delight in my relatively symptom free existence at the moment. Whereas before, on waking , I would do a body check to see what else had gone wrong today, what other joys the MonSter had in store for me, now I find myself on almost constant alert, looking for the merest hint that MS was getting the upper hand again and the effects of my treatment are beginning to wear off.

Meanwhile, I see people going off to try their luck with Liberation. As I write, two of my friends are in Bulgaria, and others are investigating the possibility for themselves.

And so the movie weighs heavily on my mind. Its tag line: There is no such thing as a simple miracle.