It was the April of 1993. Thursday of the third or fourth week, Dekh Bhai Dekh was on. That was when I first got an asthma attack. Been a long association. A lot of midnight visits to hospitals, innumerable days off school, special treatment from March to May, sacrifices, loads of prescriptions, immunotherapy, unwanted sympathy, and a lot more.
Allergy to wheat dust always made me hate April. Used to get too exposed during school days, so every morning a decision had to be made - whether I am fit enough to spend half a day outside. I could never participate in any Annual Day functions of the school 'coz it used to be in the first week of May and I could never go for rehearsals on Saturdays or stay back after school. While teachers got to know the new students in the new academic year, I used to be the one with the maximum holidays and a medical certificate. Could never come to terms with it then. Just hated everything that made me miss school!
Around '99 it got real bad. I'd almost started taking it as a given that I'll be rushed to the emergency once a season. And it did happen for four consecutive years. Inhalers just didn't seem to work.
I was 14 when somebody suggested that I take a treatment from the Patel Chest Institute. So we tried that as well. The doctors there made many claims, increased the number of doses of medicines, and that year was one of the worst of all time. So it carried on...
The pollution levels weren't getting any better, and neither were the global weather conditions. Delhi's March became what April used to be, and on the day of my last 12th standard board exam, I was just glad I could reach back home. It was March and so I wasn't carrying my inhaler.
In first year of college, I met Dr Jaggi, and so started a long ordeal of about 65 injections over a period of six months. Immunotherapy it was this time. My family likes to believe it helped a lot and that I am much better post the treatment. Well, I am much better, but I get a feeling it is because over the past four years, I have mostly been indoors during these months. But whatever the reason may be, things have been much peaceful lately. And that led to complacency. There still are a whole lot of precautions that I need to take. But when you feel fit, you tend to not care much. So I did not stop my ice-creams, cold drinks, chocolates, etc. this season, and I got a taste of the past today. It was horrible, and I hate myself for having acted so stupid.
The state of things is quite bad all around. Every second person I meet now has asthma. It was still a unique thing that people listened about in awe 15 years ago. Allergies is one thing, but pollution and global warming another. I wonder what tomorrow holds.
Allergy to wheat dust always made me hate April. Used to get too exposed during school days, so every morning a decision had to be made - whether I am fit enough to spend half a day outside. I could never participate in any Annual Day functions of the school 'coz it used to be in the first week of May and I could never go for rehearsals on Saturdays or stay back after school. While teachers got to know the new students in the new academic year, I used to be the one with the maximum holidays and a medical certificate. Could never come to terms with it then. Just hated everything that made me miss school!
Around '99 it got real bad. I'd almost started taking it as a given that I'll be rushed to the emergency once a season. And it did happen for four consecutive years. Inhalers just didn't seem to work.
I was 14 when somebody suggested that I take a treatment from the Patel Chest Institute. So we tried that as well. The doctors there made many claims, increased the number of doses of medicines, and that year was one of the worst of all time. So it carried on...
The pollution levels weren't getting any better, and neither were the global weather conditions. Delhi's March became what April used to be, and on the day of my last 12th standard board exam, I was just glad I could reach back home. It was March and so I wasn't carrying my inhaler.
In first year of college, I met Dr Jaggi, and so started a long ordeal of about 65 injections over a period of six months. Immunotherapy it was this time. My family likes to believe it helped a lot and that I am much better post the treatment. Well, I am much better, but I get a feeling it is because over the past four years, I have mostly been indoors during these months. But whatever the reason may be, things have been much peaceful lately. And that led to complacency. There still are a whole lot of precautions that I need to take. But when you feel fit, you tend to not care much. So I did not stop my ice-creams, cold drinks, chocolates, etc. this season, and I got a taste of the past today. It was horrible, and I hate myself for having acted so stupid.
The state of things is quite bad all around. Every second person I meet now has asthma. It was still a unique thing that people listened about in awe 15 years ago. Allergies is one thing, but pollution and global warming another. I wonder what tomorrow holds.
7 comments:
Take very very very good care of yourself.
Take a good care of yourself.
There are certain things you can't control in life....I hope you take care of things you can!
God Bless!
humph. 65 injections must have been bad.
Take good care of urself aarbee. there are a lots of macros to be shot!
You have rightly said that we tend not to take care of ourselves when we are anywhere near fit. It's difficult to resist whatever we must not eat or whatever we must not do....
But, when we fall sick, our family members suffer along with us too. So, thinking about them, we must take care of ourselves....
I hope asthma doesn't trouble you much this year. Everything will be alright.Keep smiling like always:-)
Woodsmoke
Hmm.. I shall. Thanks.
B.
Right said. Thanks.
Apoorva
:) yes, lots of macros. Thanks.
Butterfly
I agree, it's the family that suffers more. Thanks for the wishes. :)
I know what you are talking about! You are right when you say "things are bad all around". The pollution is killing!
The worst part about all this is it is mostly out of your control. I take efforts to stay fit, but still have asthma for several years now. Controlling food and doing yoga helps control the frequency, but for the last few days, it has re-surfaced. The fact that I was in a newly constructed house supervising woodwork and generally dusty work, doesn't help.
Take care of yourself. Sweet dreams of a clean, green world.
Oh, woodwork and dust can be bad! You take care too. And we'll dream together.
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