Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and was ready by the time Anto had arrived at our gate. He likes these outings with me, he reiterates and without much ado, we set off towards Ayyanthole where the doctor resides. The time was a quarter past 7. Anto and family weren't affected by the recent rains and the consequential floods but he pointed out the stretches of the Guruvayur-Thrissur road that were submerged during that deluge, to me, as we transited.
We reached the doctor's house on the dot at 8 but he was already reviewing an elderly couple. I'd, therefore, time for contemplation. Going through my medical records, the following were discernible and nothing seemed to have changed, despite my earnest efforts:-
(a) I'd become the doctor's patient in March this year, when my blood sugar readings were 180
(Fasting) and 250(Post Prandial) and the readings, now, were 186 and 300, respectively.
(b) And I'd not been sitting idle either. I was having/doing the following every day:-
(i) Fresh 'Neem' leaves (5 of them) on an empty stomach,
(ii) Soaked (From the previous night) Fenugreek and
(iii) The figure-of-8 walking exercise, for half an hour, in the morning and in the evening.
(iv) But, of course, I had a normal diet without restrictions, but a strict vegetarian one at
that, along with ice creams, fruits and bananas.
(v) And a generous intake of gooseberries.
The doctor seemed to be pleased seeing me and I'd told him as to why I couldn't make it last month. I also reported to him that I'd acquired a new toy, as per his suggestion - a one-touch glucometer! After a thorough examination, he'd the following to suggest:-
(i) My blood pressure was normal.
(ii) My sugar levels needed to be controlled and he has given me another week of strict
dieting before he has a look-see at my sugar readings. If they continue to misbehave,
then the tablets would be replaced with the insulin pricks (And I dread that!)
(iii) The other measures recommended are:-
(aa) Supper at 1900 hrs (I dread the idea!)
(ab) No bakery items - which means, no rusks with the morning tea, no sugar at all,
no mangoes/jack fruit, no ice creams.
(ac) Try to reduce weight.
(ad) No hard drinks either!
And frankly speaking, this is an unacceptable proposition!
After the check up and the suggested antidotes, we'd got down to talking about things that interested both of us. The places around his house were inundated that required him and his wife to move into his sister-in-law's house during the previous week. And after winding up our conversation, as I was leaving, I'd this one question that I couldn't resist asking him viz., "Doctor, what's the use of living when one cannot eat what one wants to. And the only thing that I'd be doing is to extend my old age which I ain't interested in. As I'd told you earlier, I don't want to plunge insulin needles into my system as I dread injections".
(Years back, my dad had said something similar to me when mom had restricted his diet on the advice of his doctor, after an incident of ischemia of his heart. It was then that mom, my sisters and I'd decided to avoid doing so because we wanted him to be happy so long as he was with us!...... A case of history repeating itself, I wonder?)
As I left the doctor's house, he told me that I could call him whenever I wanted and as Anto turned his auto rickshaw towards the gate, I'd glanced back to see the doc standing at his door and was there a worry writ large on his face, or was that all my imagination? I, sure, must be an errant patient of his. Finding that I'd caught him lost in thoughts, he waved at me and I reciprocated, instinctively.
Tailpiece.
Lekha and I will leave for Kottarakkara, by bus, AM 02 Sep. We shall be attending Aneet's - Ramadasan kochachhan's grandson - wedding at an auditorium in Adoor on 03 Sep. Lekha and her sister, Letha will go to Thiruvananthapuram on 04 Sep to invite my folks for the latter's son's wedding due late Oct and we'll return to Guruvayur on 05 Sep after meeting up with her doctor for a review and after picking up grocery from the canteen, thereafter. Maari will be our chauffeur in Letha's car!
We reached the doctor's house on the dot at 8 but he was already reviewing an elderly couple. I'd, therefore, time for contemplation. Going through my medical records, the following were discernible and nothing seemed to have changed, despite my earnest efforts:-
(a) I'd become the doctor's patient in March this year, when my blood sugar readings were 180
(Fasting) and 250(Post Prandial) and the readings, now, were 186 and 300, respectively.
(b) And I'd not been sitting idle either. I was having/doing the following every day:-
(i) Fresh 'Neem' leaves (5 of them) on an empty stomach,
(ii) Soaked (From the previous night) Fenugreek and
(iii) The figure-of-8 walking exercise, for half an hour, in the morning and in the evening.
(iv) But, of course, I had a normal diet without restrictions, but a strict vegetarian one at
that, along with ice creams, fruits and bananas.
(v) And a generous intake of gooseberries.
The doctor seemed to be pleased seeing me and I'd told him as to why I couldn't make it last month. I also reported to him that I'd acquired a new toy, as per his suggestion - a one-touch glucometer! After a thorough examination, he'd the following to suggest:-
(i) My blood pressure was normal.
(ii) My sugar levels needed to be controlled and he has given me another week of strict
dieting before he has a look-see at my sugar readings. If they continue to misbehave,
then the tablets would be replaced with the insulin pricks (And I dread that!)
(iii) The other measures recommended are:-
(aa) Supper at 1900 hrs (I dread the idea!)
(ab) No bakery items - which means, no rusks with the morning tea, no sugar at all,
no mangoes/jack fruit, no ice creams.
(ac) Try to reduce weight.
(ad) No hard drinks either!
And frankly speaking, this is an unacceptable proposition!
After the check up and the suggested antidotes, we'd got down to talking about things that interested both of us. The places around his house were inundated that required him and his wife to move into his sister-in-law's house during the previous week. And after winding up our conversation, as I was leaving, I'd this one question that I couldn't resist asking him viz., "Doctor, what's the use of living when one cannot eat what one wants to. And the only thing that I'd be doing is to extend my old age which I ain't interested in. As I'd told you earlier, I don't want to plunge insulin needles into my system as I dread injections".
(Years back, my dad had said something similar to me when mom had restricted his diet on the advice of his doctor, after an incident of ischemia of his heart. It was then that mom, my sisters and I'd decided to avoid doing so because we wanted him to be happy so long as he was with us!...... A case of history repeating itself, I wonder?)
As I left the doctor's house, he told me that I could call him whenever I wanted and as Anto turned his auto rickshaw towards the gate, I'd glanced back to see the doc standing at his door and was there a worry writ large on his face, or was that all my imagination? I, sure, must be an errant patient of his. Finding that I'd caught him lost in thoughts, he waved at me and I reciprocated, instinctively.
Tailpiece.
Lekha and I will leave for Kottarakkara, by bus, AM 02 Sep. We shall be attending Aneet's - Ramadasan kochachhan's grandson - wedding at an auditorium in Adoor on 03 Sep. Lekha and her sister, Letha will go to Thiruvananthapuram on 04 Sep to invite my folks for the latter's son's wedding due late Oct and we'll return to Guruvayur on 05 Sep after meeting up with her doctor for a review and after picking up grocery from the canteen, thereafter. Maari will be our chauffeur in Letha's car!
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