To purgatory and back
In August 2024, I was trying to reduce my weight by decreasing my food intake. I did start losing weight, but then the weight loss did not stop and I kept losing weight. by November I had lost more than 10 kgs. Had become weak and very thin.
We, Varsha and I, had gone to London to visit Chaitali on her 50th birthday on 1st of December. she was planning a grand party for that. We were to return on 5th of January.
In London we attended her 50th birthday, in spite of the fact that I was quite weak Varsha and I danced a little. We were staying at Chaitali’s.
On the night of the 18th of December, I tripped and fell down, while going to the toilet, hurt my lip and head. I discovered that I had become quite weak and had lost my sense of balance. I had two successive falls while we were moving in the market areas and hurt my head. I had become totally disoriented. I was unable to even stand up or go to the toilet. Had to move or even sit in the car without assistance.
I was taken to Saint Georges Hospital in an ambulance, where I was admitted for about five days and many test were conducted. All parameters appeared normal, except that I had lost a lot of body weight and muscle mass. I was sent home and we had to extend our stay and stayed in London, and came to India on 16th February.
I was unable to move on my own and needed support of Raja and Chaitali, even to stand up.
After reaching Delhi, I was taken to Max Hospital for check ups and almost every test in the books was done, but without successful diagnoses. Also consulted, also consulted a very senior skin specialist who was the doctor for Varsha’s parents. He got the biopsy done for my scalp. This report took almost 10 days. With this finally the diagnosis was done. It was diagnosed as a fungal infection, histoplasmosis, that had affected my entire body and had started attacking my organs also.
A senior doctor of Max Hospital recommended me to consult o specific doctor in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, who happened to be a specialist in this field. We met the recommended doctor, and I was admitted in Sir Gangaram Hospital for 17 days for enabling them to test the medication on me, which was to be given intravenously in the drip. It had to be done in the hospital and was an SOS situation, to monitor the dosages and the reaction of the strong drugs that were being pumped into my body.
I was allowed to go home after 17 days in the hospital and to continue the medication orally ar home, and consultation which could be required for the next one year recovery has started and slowly I was regaining my body weight and muscle strength. I had had blisters on my head, tongue and gums, which had now started healing. gradually, as the mouth’s blister healed, I was able to eat normally, in spite of the fact that I had no appetite and desire of eating. I was undergoing physiotherapy simultaneously to regain muscle strength and to enable me to walk. Finally, I was able to walk without support and it appeared like a big achievement.
Finally, now I am in the recovery stage after about five months of Suffering because the diagnosis had finally been done correctly and the very senior Doctor Who had recommended the biopsies. when he saw the report, exclaimed that he was seeing this rare infection after a period of almost 45 years.
At this juncture, there was scan’t hope of my survival but I managed to pull through.
My head injury, although it was external, there was no internal damage, except that my vision became slightly abnormal, defective and hallucinating. My peripheral vision is also affected at the moment. I am walking, but I find it difficult to notice obstacles and things, and at times bump into them .
At present, I am allowed to eat anything. There is no restriction on food. Do I need to concentrate on having proteins, to build up my muscle mass.
In this period, I realised how important the family is how our children put their jobs on second priority and spent time with us to help me and Varsha, with the issues and the problems of hospitals and doctors. Money was spent like water without any consideration of their savings. I am very “lucky” and I am obliged to the family of really taking care of me. now the children have gone back to work and there homes, but the medication and exercise required is followed up by Varsha to the T. And I give her support full credit of my recovery and her being able to cope with the tensions of looking after a person like me, who is stubborn, has a lot of fixed ideas, and is not very easy to manage. I had started calling her my Savitri - who sent Yama back who had come to take her husband, and I actually mean it.
