A mosquito changed my life..A little but forever

I don’t really know how to begin this post. This dates back to mid August 2009. Life was great. I was moving along making plans, holiday plans to Hongkong and Macau, it had been really long since I took a break. Birthday plans, it was coming up in a month’s time and I was really looking forward to celebrating it unlike in the past year or two. And then suddenly one single mosquito bite turned my life a whole 360 degrees around when I least expected it.
August 22nd Saturday 12:30 am- We watched some lame movie at home and were all settled in to sleep when my neighbour messaged asking if I would like to go and bring her Ganesh idol with her. I was feeling lazy and decided to head to bed instead. Around 2:00am I started feeling feverish. I thought it was just regular strain and popped a pill before I fell asleep again.
August 23rd Sunday 11:00am- I messaged at least 8 friends informing them that I couldn’t visit their Ganpati idols (which I was really looking forward to) as I was unwell. As expected, most of them assumed it was an excuse and am pretty sure they were pissed off with me as well.
August 24th Monday- The fever persisted, I saw the doctor and she advised we wait for a day before we take any blood tests as this could be a minor viral infection. I called in sick at work and received a firing in return for not answering my boss’s call.
August 25th Tuesday- Called in sick once again. We took the blood tests in the morning. Parents collected the reports that evening and it was confirmed. I was diagnosed with Malaria and Jaundice. Mom took the reports and visited the doctor. Dad was slightly relieved thinking that the malaria would cure in about 3 days and there wouldn’t be a huge issue.
Once mom returned from the doctor’s she looked slightly paranoid. “We have to admit you immediately. You have been diagnosed with the worst form of malaria. It’s called falciparum” she said. I was rushed to a nursing home nearby, where I was admitted in the ICU ward and a saline was put immediately. However I was very uncomfortable there. I found the doctors and nurses very rude, slightly illiterate and surroundings very unhygienic. Luckily for me my doctor and parents felt the same and arrangements were made to shift me to Nanavati Hospital.
By the time my masi (mom’s best friend since a zillion years) already arrived at the hospital with her son and husband. I distinctly remember my brother was actually trying and killing mosquitoes in the ICU ward. Just imagine!
Anyway the ambulance came and I was rushed on a stretcher into the ambulance (I had only seen these things in films; never in my life did I expect this to happen to me). The doctor (who was an idiot from the same nursing home) who was accompanying my uncle, mom and me suddenly diagnoses me with diabetes in the damn ambulance! (The report turned out to be wrong later, but even if I did have diabetes, was a thing to tell a patient on their way to the hospital?)
Anyway we reached Nanavati where my neighbour (also a doctor) had arrived and dad, masi and my brother were also there. I was taken into the ICCU ward (Malaria if too intense has the tendency to affect any organ of the body, hence the ICCU) in a horrible state and my tests began immediately. That night has by far being the worst night of my life and I don’t think I have cried as much ever (when I cry at the drop of a hat) in my whole life.
The saline was put, tests had begun, no diabetes, sonography, injections, medications and the works. My blood pressure had dropped drastically. Luckily for me one person was allowed to sleep the night in the room and so mom stayed back with me. Being an ICCU ward, no extra beds are allowed and poor mom had to sleep on the floor for all those 8 nights.
Anyway the next morning I was woken up at 5:00 am for a sponge (just because the nurse leaves her duty by 7:00am, we are woken up at 5:00am for a sponge). I was introduced to a bedpan for the first time that day. You can’t imagine my plight and the difficulty with which I got used to that system.
I was in the ICU for 8 nights with a different experience every night. One day they took a heart echo, the next they told us that I may require blood transfusion (which I didn’t luckily!). I took 8 huge injections daily. My hands were blue and swollen because they drowned 20 bottles of glucose through the saline.
Dad spent the days with me and mom spent the nights. My office was very supportive and didn’t bother me at all.
But the best part was the people who visited me every day between 5:00pm to 7:00pm and made me feel better. There’s not much I can say to all of you but thank you for taking the trouble to come and see me. Also those who were out of Bombay and unable to make it thanks for your constant calls and messages. Mom/Dad gave everyone of them to me.
I was at home after coming out of the hospital for more than a month. I remember the day I came home. I was weeping because the surroundings, my own house looked different and alien. Except for dad and mom I couldn’t meet anyone for like 4 days after I got back. It was an awful feeling.
But anyway I am back now, all fit and fine. Just one message from me to anyone who is reading this. I faced several repercussions for ill treating my body by going on crash diets. I know malaria is not really connected with going on a diet but my immunity which had everything with me getting better soon was so low that getting back to fitness to really difficult
This is one lesson I have really learnt from my illness. Stop crash diets and don’t strive for that size zero. It’s just not worth it. Trust me!
It took a mosquito and some very horrible memories for me to learn the same. You only have to read a blogpost!