I sort of take pride in an 'inbuilt' warning system on my health. I often say that I never suffer for one day or two. If I am sick, I am really sick. My biggest health fears are not about typhoid or jaundice or fever or cough, but headache and weariness! I dont remember great pains, when I had fracture on my right arm during my childhood (period when I wrote in left hand and still scored 100% in Maths!) or when I had my first stitches due to an injury while playing cricket or even the recent accident in 2004, when I was hospitalized for nearly a month. Well, during 2004, I dont remember the august presence of anything!
Anyway, the weariness coupled with diarrhea in early July indicated that I cant return to Bengaluru so soon and I cancelled my ticket. I didnt expect to be diagnosed with piles but once diagnosed, I didnt want to waste a single moment in agreeing for an operation immediately. Such things should be nipped in the bud, so I thought. Courtesy my brother-in-law, who is a dermatologist, I got the reference of a good doctor who agreed to admit me for a piles operation after a day of observation. It was a strange operation because I didnt feel anything below my waist. I was later told that this is the same injection that is given in spinal cord for caesarian delivery in pregnancies. The pain during pre and post operation would easily qualify as the biggest pain that I had ever faced till now.
I didnt understand what was meant by 'inima' and thought it was probably a tablet that will induce diarrohea to clean the intestines before operation can start. I didnt expect such a pain (part I). Maybe it was more painful since I had piles. This was 'short' and I expected hollowness in my entire body (I lost atleast 2.5 kgs in that!). I was in a stretcher since then till atleast 6 hours, after the operation! I dont know, definitely didnt see, what they did during the operation though I was fully awake, seeing the ceiling and listening to the minimal talk between nurses but after the operation, nurse showed me what they had cut and it was a bloody mess. Not that I am likely to faint at such things, I was curious if they 'sewed' up anything because I didnt hear any related conversation during the operation, forget such sensation.
The doctor who gave the injection in spinal cord said that the numbness below the waist would go in 6 hours but it didnt go for 11 hrs! I wondered if that young guy screwed up by giving an 'overdose'! After 11 hrs, I realized that it was fully intentional for the pain that had no parallels before in my 'history' (part II). In official circles, we often joke about PITA (Pain In The A$$) though I used to wonder why 'itching' should be referred as 'pain'). Now I really knew what is PITA, though I still suspect if non-Indians would ever suffer from piles since they dont eat anything that is 10% hot as what we eat. I was also sore that Telugus who easily eat 10 times 'hotter' things dont seem to get piles. I am hardly known for my infatuation towards 'chillies'. Infact, in my childhood days, I had a problems of (tape)worms in my intestines, which was attributed to my love for 'sugar'.
As always, my body regroups very fast and I was walking within hours of operation, which probably convinced the doctor to discharge me the very next day morning. I did face 'peak' 1-3 second pains four/five times every hour or so (this is REAL pain), but by the end of day, frequency reduced and fully disappeared at the time of discharge. The doctor was confused about one thing. Have I lost my 'pain' sensation? He believed that I should have faced excruciating pain in the anus for atleast a week before operation. The problem as always is in adjectives. What is 'excruciating' for one may be 'unbearable' for some and 'manageable' for some like me. As it goes in 'Apocalpyse Now'-
Pain is easy to handle -- but nobility.. the nobility of a man is judged by how much truth he can handle.Now, I came alone to Bangalore to see if I can manage alone. The 'western commode/toilet' in my Bangalore flat could also be helpful. Let me see how much truth I can handle!
Update: 18 July 2010
Ok Ok I know that chillies may have nothing to do with piles! I referred to the usual refrain, atleast in India, that eating 'hot' food is the reason for piles and also the doctor advised me to be cautious (atleast for some time), especially those with 'hot' ingredients.
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