The Diagnosis

I promptly returned home. I quickly had some food. My mother said I had not eaten any food at all. She was very much worried by my lack of appetite.

Myself and my wife both went to the hospital.One of my wife's relations had some back problem so he searched for orthopedics for more than three months. They switched from one doctor to another, finally found this doctor. My wife, in her worry, had called up all her relatives for some advise and this persons offered the advice.

We sat at the reception area waiting for the doctor. Suddenly, the relation(actually the sister of my wife's mother) appeared. She said they were in this hospital for the last one month or so.

After some time, the doctor came. We went to the consultation room. I told all my symptoms. He made me lay down on my back and examined my reflexes. After the examination, he said that a nerve had been pressurized at some point and further tests are needed. He wrote out an MRI test in which he prescribed cervical, dorsal and lumbar spinal areas to be scanned.

He also told us to check weight. After checking weight, I bumped into a low entrance and looked like falling down. But I recovered myself.

In the meanwhile, my wife had called up her father who was away in another city. She told him that we were seeing the doctor. And he was also worried and started by Airplane and came back by the evening.

All sat down and discussed. The total MRI would cost upwards of Rs.17500/- in the nearby hospital. I said I was not going to accept this MRI. I said I would take rest for some time and I would be okay. My wife was very angry.

The next day morning, one other quotation was obtained for the MRI. It costs around Rs.9000/- at another hospital. But, being so low on cost, there was a wait list. Hence, the scan was fixed for the next day evening.

In the meanwhile, I went to my office to submit the working papers I had with my self as I had returned from the Income Tax Office direct to home the day before. My senior observed me walking like a drunken man and asked about it. I told him the problem and said I would be taking rest for the next ten days and also, that a scan was required. With this, I returned home.

I was unable to walk even to the bathroom. My wife said she would arrange a tumbler for urine. Emptying of bowels was of course, ruled out because the inability to do so was the main problem. But, I ruled out any tumbler etc., But, my wife arranged a tumbler full of water for my brushing. I had my brushing at my bedside, had coffee etc.

We went to for the scan. My wife did not come with me. The scan lasted three hours. During the scan, the doctor performing the scan asked me if I had any fever. I said yes. I asked him what was the problem. He said we shall discuss later. But, he did not meet me again.

It was 10 pm by the time the scan was over. The people were angry because at the time of booking, we told the reception that three scans were required. But, the reception people did not pass on that information to the scanning people. But, they anyway did the scan.

At the end, they complimented me by saying that sir, we did not thing you might cooperated the way you did because you looked so diseased.

The Agony

After I had told my wife about the problem of loss of urge to urinate and inability to empty my bowels, I was actually able to empty my bowels once. I was taking homeo medicines and I thought it worked. I was going on taking painkillers. I was also taking paracetamol to reduce the fever.

One night, I woke up with a bad dream. I wanted to take the homeo medicine. I also wanted to empty my bladder. I was unable to take even one step. I felt pain all round my body including chest. I thought it might be heart attack. But, it was not. Each step I made towards toilet exhausted me. By the time I reached my bed again, I was as good as dead.

The next morning, I told my wife about the incident last night. She was worried.

One day, I was going to office and went to see my mother who was put up just at the end of the street. She told me that my trousers are not good. I went downstairs and to my house to change my trousers and got fully exhausted.

I was unable to cross the road properly. If any vehicle was on the horizon, it meant that I should not cross the road.

One day, I had to go to the Income Tax Office. I could not climb the stairs there. I had altogether stopped taking any sort of food at all.

One day, my wife tried another remedy. She brought hot water in a bucket and made me sit upon a stool and made me put my legs in the bucket. And she brought another vessel filled with hot water and put a cloth in that hot water and rubbed my back with that hot cloth. I felt some sensation in my legs and took them off the hot water bucket. My wife said nothing to worry because the sensation is still there in your legs.

One day, I went to the Income Tax Office. My wife called me up there. She said appointment had been fixed with a doctor in the afternoon and I should return immediately.