Emergency

Hospitals are associated with the serious aspects of life  like disease, suffering, pain, death, healing and birth. I know of so many people who dread going to hospitals because of it’s sombre atmosphere. For me Hospitals bring in memories of my father and his battle with disease. My first stance with Hospitals started way back when I was Vizag. I was working then and I was the only one who lived with my Parents. Life  was fine, but one fine day my Dad complained that he was not feeling well. I skipped work that day and my Mother and me rushed him to the hospital. We got him admitted. The events that followed were unpleasant and came as a shock to both of us.  He began vomitting suddenly. Almost all the food he ate was brought up. He fell unconscious in front of our eyes and could not stand on his feet. He spoke abnormally and we could’nt understand a word of what he was saying.  Both me and my mother panicked and with the help of the nurses and another distant relative we managed to take care of him that complete day.

Doctors attended him  and finally gave us a shock of our lives. They said that he was suffering from salt depletion and his body could not retain salt. There was ionic and salt imbalance. But at the same time he could’nt take in excess salt as he was suffering from blood pressure. That was the major issue. They gave up on him and told us that even if he survived, he would not be mentally stable. Tears flowed down our eyes. We were not prepared for this and we pleaded with the Doctors to shift him to the ICU.  

He was shifted to the ICU at midnight. We stayed awake the whole night and headed home in the wee hours of the morning.   The next day we took it in turns and visited him in the ICU. He was only sleeping and could’nt speak a word. The third day he showed signs of stability.  He was then shifted to the general ward and he stayed there for the next fifteen days. By  God’s grace he recovered and we brought him back home and after that his life was never the same. 

I got married in the year 2007.  I went to Vizag  to my parents place for my delivery in the year 2009.  Life as they say is unpredictable. A few days later the same events occured and again I was the only one with them.  My mother found my Dad in an unconscious  state when she went to give his morning Tea. History was repeating itself, but this time we were in for a bigger shock. After the tests it was found that both his Kidneys had failed. After that our lives revolved around hospitals. I headed back to Bengaluru as I was advised  not to take on stress. My father was  flown down to Kolkata for treatment. I escaped most part of the suffering, but my mother’s life revolved around hospitals for the next eleven months. He finally passed away on 08 July 2010 but not before he saw his naughty grandson Aiden.