Saturday, August 9, 2008

Dementor's kiss

It took me sometime to realize why I was there. Thanks to the pain in my right abdomen, it helped me to figure out the whole story. “Someone please save me. Please help me. I can’t bear the pain… anybody… please” I cried. I wasn’t able to see properly, but definitely I can tell that humans walked around, as though I never existed. Perhaps I thought I was dead, but then there shouldn’t be any pain… Well how do you know how death is like idiot you have never experienced it, then I felt someone pushing my body, though my visibility was pretty poor the words OPERATION THEATER beneath a bright red bulb was crystal clear. Why am I being taken to the operation theater again? Something has definitely gone wrong.

It all started with a very good habit of yours truly. I never thought that such a good habit would fetch me a one way ticket to hell. And that habit was yours truly doesn’t like to waste food. In one of the parties when we all felt guilty for ordering more food I pitched in and said “I will try to finish it.” In the next party it was “Mani can you try to finish it” and in the very next it was “Don’t order more da we can’t eat… but… Oh Mani is there na, then no probs…” And slowly I became a glutton. When I was happy I ate more, when I was depressed I ate even more.

Things went even worse when I had to move away from my family in search of money (peanuts rather). I was always determined to get more peanuts and worked so hard that I ignored my health and had to pay the penalty. One day my stomach ached. Though I had umpteen stomach aches before, this one was ominous which made me wake up Venki (one of my roommates) at around 11 in the night and pay a visit to Manipal.
“Don’t you have any lady nurses?” I asked the male attendant who about to give me an IntraVeinous shot. “It’s very late in the night” came a terse reply. Ahh!!! I was deprived of the only good fact about going to a hospital. Then I underwent a scan – result negative. With a couple of tablets minus Rs.1000 they sent me home saying that it might have been a small food poisoning. I felt guilty for waking up Venki and 2 other doctors for nothing, though the solace was I really dint have anything malicious.

Soon I was proved right, for the pain kept me awake the whole night and I left for the hospital alone early in the morning leaving a message to sriram (one of my other roommates). Another IV but this time I was lucky, a Mallu nurse. Another scan but still they found nothing. I was again sent home with a couple of tablets and a big syrup bottle add-on minus Rs.2000 this time.

Next 2 days I was just lying in my bed hoping that the pain will alleviate. At last it did but I lost my appetite too with it. I would have continued with just fruits if not for Pavi and her mom, enjoyed home food for a week. I was to leave for Chennai to consult with my family doctor the following week since the pain hadn’t alleviated fully. Thanks to Venki, Sriram and Pavi, they took a good care of me till I went to Chennai. Bigger thanks to YOU-KNOW-WHO, my other egotist room mate who was absolutely nonchalant about my qualms.

... To be continued

1 comment:

Vandana Shenoy said...

Was the Mallu nurse a relief ?? ;) Or, was it because it was a "she" ;)
Nevertheless, eat healthy, drink healthy,sleep healthy, exercise and stay healthy !!