What is an invisible string?
Dr.Murlidhar Rajagopalan head of dermatology, at Apollo hospital Chennai, Tamil Nadu for over 30years. His contribution or one could say his pure passion for dermatology lead him occupy several chairs and he’s one among the international advisory boards of all the major multinationals,I’m proud to say he’s the first person to represent India in the International Psoriasis Council, Atopic dermatitis Board of International Society which grew along with his basic interest in immunology. For past 17 years he has been heading international psoriasis council division of education and started their masters classes and fellowship programs.
His exceptional work on psoriasis drug development is being a life saver for many, and his research for the drug still continues.
He quoted “psoriasis; more than skin deep”,
Psoriasis; more than skin deep! One could feel the emphatic stress it carries to convey to the readers that it travels beyond our vision, beyond what is been reflected on the skin, beyond affecting the physic.
“According to me he’s more than a doctor, he’s a human having best interest in heart, a mentor to guide and last but not the least I would quote “He’s a genZ !””
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| Dr. Murlidhar Rajagopalan |
This conversation is kafkaesque. I am real.
- dr.MR
My parents always say we humans carry irredeemable debt to one other.
And I argue vulnerability is not the state of weakness.
Pemphigus vulgaris or an acute skin failure:
I walked inside the doctors room overwhelmed, he was more than kind enough to share his wisdom for the questions I rose along the conversations with patience. He showed his complete support when I told him about starting a blog. He taught me that everyday is a lesson.
The insight and clearance that I gained, I’ve tried my best to put them in words.
#Doctor when it comes to dermatology, people tend to take it unserious, their signs and symptoms for autoimmune disorders are often ignored . What’s your thought regarding this ?
People need to understand that there is no need to get alarmed for everything or gone ignored. And it is important to remember that not every autoimmune disorders are life threatening or end of the world.
Yes, it is hard to keep up with the signs and symptoms but ultimately we doctors are always ready to guide and treat them. When it comes to autoimmune disorders it is important to see a doctor who knows immunology, one who is ready to go a limp to use a drug that others are scared to, and choosing the right place for treatment as not all the Multi-specialities provide the necessary equipments. They all play the major role.
#Doctor you are seeing many cases everyday and dealing with many pemphigus patients, it is obvious that each case has its uniqueness that made you look forward on treating them. If I may ask what is different in my case.
(To be honest I wasn't sure to hear what was about to come out when he asked me “Do you want to know the bitter truth?”. Yet i nodded with great amount of confidence!)
“Triumph of human nature” ie. thinking, feeling and acting. The basic goodness of human nature is what makes one to heal.
So when you ask me what is different in your case: “your willingness to survive, willingness to listen and willingness to fight and wanting to become better” makes the difference.
#From the pov of a patient (I) was never able to accept the fact that my life isn’t going to be same, adaptation to a new lifestyle was overwhelming and what bothered the most was the dependence, the ineffable rage within me for putting my parents in such a position. Comment on it.
A philosophy it is, it goes beyond treating a patient;
“Assert your independence, asserting independence
not for oneself but for the people around you”
An ability of a human to assert independence, ie “will to survive, will to provide”, people should never lose that. It differentiates us from others and animals.
Animals show a great deal of scarifies but often left unnoticed. We humans have evolved to higher level, that is our independence.
Do remember, you are standing in front of me today, walking into my room on your own. Never forget the state when you came in a stretcher to meet me the first time. Yes, you were emotionally unstable but the rage to assert your independence is what healing you.
#I argue with my parents often and I try to make them understand that “not taking care of oneself is not selflessness rather it is a selfish act.” What is your opinion on this argument?
It is because they don’t understand what you are saying. Patients often don’t understand what I’m saying, I understand your argument because I’ve seen suffering over many years. “One could either evolve or given to it and succumb”. A person has to evolve to a different level to place this argument and you’ve evolved.
#Along this journey I’ve seen my parents suffer a lot more than me. The feeling of helplessness that they carry along, left with nothing but to place their complete trust on doctors and god. “Mental health of caregivers are affected more than a patient’s sufferings”. Comment on this.
Parents are completely emphatic and yes they feel the utmost helplessness. “Ability to trust a third person, in a state of complete helplessness, requires a great deal of courage”. Courage comes only from the outside world.
Yes, caregiver needs support, you got me to treat you for your sickness but they don’t have anyone. Support comes from a selfless society. It is important to have a some kinda support system in society, which understands this whole dynamics of the complexity of disease.
The world shouldn’t be judgmental when they don’t know what’s happening; “yet we judge!”
90% of the healing is based on trust and this trust is from the outside world.
“It takes a lot of courage to trust a third person in this judgemental society”
Do you know how much maturity, understanding and introspection takes for a person to say that anything that happened and happening are for good!
Last question-
#I believe that basic human dignity is their ability to clean themselves and help themselves in lavatory, one losses their complete hope when they lose this competence. What is your opinion?
This is what makes your case different from others do you realise that, when I came to your room during the rounds I asked you to go through it, you might think cruel of me but what was I doing was, I was augmenting your dignity. When someone has strong sense of dignity they are going do well irrespective of whatever happens. And these matters a lot. …..
As the conversation ended there, before stepping out of his room he said
“One has to break their ego to find and understand what’s going on with them; analysis!.
Never lose this insightfulness. Never stop looking at this perspective thats what makes who you are” ended with a warm smile and thank you.
On the way back to my home i was recollecting an incident during my admission, as the doctors spoke about the improvements I remember my shaky voice saying “thank you for trusting me sir” as I was lying on the bed with tears in my eyes. He replied with a soft smile “I would’ve not started if I didn’t”, the silent nods exchanged between lighted my heavy heart. As they left the room I felt proud of myself because I was once his non- cooperative patient and understood that faith has brought me here to him for my recovery and I say that’s the invisible string. The irredeemable debt every human carry, we are connected to each other through this string.
When people rant about their lives all I am able to think of are stepping outside the door in bare foot, wearing normal clothes, feeling the sunbeam without hurting my skin.
Beauty of life is understood when it is taken away from one!
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