This proverb is a counsel of prudence. Timely action very often prevents a great loss. Steps taken early means less labour, better success, less chance of loss or damage. You may wonder why am I suddenly preaching about all this, that to writing up a blog... Well it's all to do with how I did not follow the wisdom of this age old proverb and had to suffer the consequences.
It wasn't just me who suffered but also my Family and a lot of my friends too. It is my attempt at confessing to the fatal blunder that I committed in the last 2 months and the pain that it caused to all my near and dear one's.
It wasn't just me who suffered but also my Family and a lot of my friends too. It is my attempt at confessing to the fatal blunder that I committed in the last 2 months and the pain that it caused to all my near and dear one's.
As most of you might know, I suffered a very serious medical condition on 21st December 2012 i.e. "Chronic Renal Failure" or more commonly known as "Kidney Failure" and then went through a painful (both physically and mentally) process to start my recovery. The physical recovery is something that my doctor is advising on and I do not have much leeway in there, just have to follow whatever I am asked to do. However the mental / emotional recovery wouldn't have been complete without me confessing to the fact that all this trouble was actually caused by my own ignorance or should I say foolishness.
I was suffering from High Blood Pressure since my SSC (10th standard) i.e. from 1992. It used to be around 200/150 and thereabouts. I went through a very thorough diagnosis but none of the doctors either in Nashik or Mumbai were ever able to tell me the exact reason for my high blood pressure. Even if it was hereditary it wasn't possible to be revealed at such a young age. That's when I started treatment for High BP. However at such a young age the body easily copes with the illness and I would not feel anything unusual. So, I started being careless with my medicine and also did not follow a really healthy lifestyle (my friends in Nashik would understand). Eating out in canteens, road side eateries, restaurants was a very common scenario.
Then in 1997 I got admission into an engineering course in Sangamner (near Nashik) and had to stay up in a hostel. The food in an around my college was pathetic in taste and hygiene So, as you would guess, I started eating on highway dhabas and the damage was constantly increasing. This is when I suffered my first major illness, or should I say I got my first warning. I suffered a serious respiratory attack and was bought to Nashik. I was admitted in hospital for 12 days. I underwent a renal angiography at Hinduja in Mumbai. This is where it was diagnosed that I have some rashes in my Kidney, which may be pushing my BP.
I was careful for sometime but as soon as I started to feel normal, I was back to being careless.
Jump to 2000 and I moved to Pune for my job. My careless lifestyle continued here as well. Then around 2001 / 2002 I got my second warning, my father suffered Kidney Failure and he was put on dialysis. I should have realised what High BP could do. But just because my body did not feel any kind of illness I continued to be as I was. I started consulting the same Nephrologist who was treating my Dad and after some diagnosis he warned me that if I did not take care I would be heading to the same state as my Dad. Again the same pattern, I took the medication and care for sometime and then back to being ignorant and foolish (or should I say a complete a***).
In 2004 one day after coming back home from a game of cricket I noticed blood in my urine and I rushed to see a Nephrologist in Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital in Pune. The doctor conducted blood tests and for the first time I found that I had a creat of around 3 and other kidney parameters also out of safety range. The doctor asked me to start dialysis and also suggested a biopsy. However, I took some medication for a few days and just because my BP was close to normal I did not go in for the suggested treatment.
"Just want to add here that the damage to my Kidney had started and this is a process which never stops. No matter what treatment you take, the damage to the nephrons in your kidney will continue."
Around 2006 I started to consult a Homeopath for my BP and Kidney issues. I took the medication for around 6 months but as there was no improvement (specially in my Kidney function) I stopped that treatment.
After this I simply followed my treatment for High BP, completely ignoring my kidneys. I did do a blood test from time to time and found my kidney parameters getting worse with time. However, I just ignored and never let anyone know (not even my family), even continuing my foolish lifestyle.
Finally the body gave up and in December 2012 I found that both my Kidney's were fully damaged and I could no longer escape dialysis. My creat was 19, urea > 250 and a potassium > 6. At these readings I shouldn't be alive, but maybe the prayers and well wishes of my family and friends kept me going.
I underwent a Kidney Transplant on 31st January 2013. My mother donated one of her Kidney's and gave me a second life. I am recovering well now.
The reason for this blog post is not to tell my story or to feel sorry, but just to let everybody know that whatever happened to me was not unfortunate but it was all my mistake. The fact that I actually betrayed everyone, family and friends, with my carelessness and lies.
I definitely do not want to waste this second life that I have got, I owe that much to my family and friends, so I hope I put the stitch in time this time.
I was suffering from High Blood Pressure since my SSC (10th standard) i.e. from 1992. It used to be around 200/150 and thereabouts. I went through a very thorough diagnosis but none of the doctors either in Nashik or Mumbai were ever able to tell me the exact reason for my high blood pressure. Even if it was hereditary it wasn't possible to be revealed at such a young age. That's when I started treatment for High BP. However at such a young age the body easily copes with the illness and I would not feel anything unusual. So, I started being careless with my medicine and also did not follow a really healthy lifestyle (my friends in Nashik would understand). Eating out in canteens, road side eateries, restaurants was a very common scenario.
Then in 1997 I got admission into an engineering course in Sangamner (near Nashik) and had to stay up in a hostel. The food in an around my college was pathetic in taste and hygiene So, as you would guess, I started eating on highway dhabas and the damage was constantly increasing. This is when I suffered my first major illness, or should I say I got my first warning. I suffered a serious respiratory attack and was bought to Nashik. I was admitted in hospital for 12 days. I underwent a renal angiography at Hinduja in Mumbai. This is where it was diagnosed that I have some rashes in my Kidney, which may be pushing my BP.
I was careful for sometime but as soon as I started to feel normal, I was back to being careless.
Jump to 2000 and I moved to Pune for my job. My careless lifestyle continued here as well. Then around 2001 / 2002 I got my second warning, my father suffered Kidney Failure and he was put on dialysis. I should have realised what High BP could do. But just because my body did not feel any kind of illness I continued to be as I was. I started consulting the same Nephrologist who was treating my Dad and after some diagnosis he warned me that if I did not take care I would be heading to the same state as my Dad. Again the same pattern, I took the medication and care for sometime and then back to being ignorant and foolish (or should I say a complete a***).
In 2004 one day after coming back home from a game of cricket I noticed blood in my urine and I rushed to see a Nephrologist in Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital in Pune. The doctor conducted blood tests and for the first time I found that I had a creat of around 3 and other kidney parameters also out of safety range. The doctor asked me to start dialysis and also suggested a biopsy. However, I took some medication for a few days and just because my BP was close to normal I did not go in for the suggested treatment.
"Just want to add here that the damage to my Kidney had started and this is a process which never stops. No matter what treatment you take, the damage to the nephrons in your kidney will continue."
Around 2006 I started to consult a Homeopath for my BP and Kidney issues. I took the medication for around 6 months but as there was no improvement (specially in my Kidney function) I stopped that treatment.
After this I simply followed my treatment for High BP, completely ignoring my kidneys. I did do a blood test from time to time and found my kidney parameters getting worse with time. However, I just ignored and never let anyone know (not even my family), even continuing my foolish lifestyle.
Finally the body gave up and in December 2012 I found that both my Kidney's were fully damaged and I could no longer escape dialysis. My creat was 19, urea > 250 and a potassium > 6. At these readings I shouldn't be alive, but maybe the prayers and well wishes of my family and friends kept me going.
I underwent a Kidney Transplant on 31st January 2013. My mother donated one of her Kidney's and gave me a second life. I am recovering well now.
The reason for this blog post is not to tell my story or to feel sorry, but just to let everybody know that whatever happened to me was not unfortunate but it was all my mistake. The fact that I actually betrayed everyone, family and friends, with my carelessness and lies.
I definitely do not want to waste this second life that I have got, I owe that much to my family and friends, so I hope I put the stitch in time this time.
