I woke up next morning. It was a long night's sleep, I guess more than 10 hours. My condition had worsened. My hands and legs were almost paralyzed. They had lost all the control from my brain and it was even hard for me to push myself to sit on the bed. Although I sensed it coming, I did not get worried about it. It was the first time I glanced at other patients. Almost every patient was having the tube in their nose like mine and drips in their veins. I was in the right most corner along the wall. Every patient was on the left side of me and it was really hard for me to turn my head to left because it felt like the tube is scratching inside my throat when I am turning my head left due to which later many doctors standing on my right used to complain jokingly that I am ignoring them. I told my father I had to go to pee. It was impossible for me to even get down from bed without anyone's support. He took me to the washroom by holding me with both the hands and every patient along with their relatives were staring at me in surprise. They were surprised seeing a 22 year old boy, in an IMC ward who couldn't walk and whose eyelids were drooped. They must have themselves declared some disease watching me as old people always do. My father left me standing along the wall. My shaking hands were supported by the wall and my legs and eyes were shaking without any control. I saw the same scene while coming back to my bed. My bed was about 10 meters from the washroom and those 10 meters with more than 50 gazing eyes felt like Cersei's walk of shame.
My doctor arrived hastingly to me. He surpassed every other patient to have a look at me first. My father was hoping to hear the good news while my mother was sure that she will. Doctor asked me how I am feeling, I said fine but it was inaudible. He was accompanied by four more doctors who were more like his students. He asked me to bend my elbow and raise it above as much as I can. I bent my elbow but couldn't raise it more than 10 degrees or so. He said there is no improvement which we have hoped for instead I see weakness than yesterday, that leaves us with no choice but to perform Plasmapheresis. The word Plasmapheresis was said in chorus by all of them because that was the only option and the students might have guessed it already. I was quite surprised by seeing the faces of the students who were all smiling while saying Plasmapheresis. Later I understood that they enjoyed performing it although it was damn painful for the patient. The doctor went to other patients after declaring his judgement. After half an hour, two of the students came and took my bed (with me) to the end of the ward. The ward was divided into two sections by a four feet wall. The section where I was now was for the patients who need extra equipments and machines to operate on them while the section where I was before were for the patients who just need medicines and constant care. Soon a sister injected needle of one drip into my veins. I always beckoned the drips whenever I used to see them in movies. About four years ago my mother was diagnosed with dengue and received ten or twelve such drips. That was like a record for me as I had never heard this much from anyone. As soon as the sister inserted the needle I thought of counting them. I used to count them daily and then I lost my count later after 37. Many times drips were inserted when I was sleeping. I used to sleep with half filled bottle and find another full bottle when wake up. After counting till thirty seven changed in front of me I stopped counting. Three more students arrived out of whom only one was a lady doctor. She took my mother and father to a safe distance where I couldn't hear anything, though I was watching them. I saw her give one paper to sign on it. I guessed my mother asked about it and the doctor explained it. My father took the paper to sign on it while my mother came to me. Her eyes were filled with tears. She said, "Everything will be fine." I asked her what did she say to you? But my mother said, "everything will be fine." The doctor requested my parents to go outside the ward. She had already scared me. The five students pulled the curtains all around me and straightened my bed and asked me to lie straight.
The five doctors or medical students ,I must say, were very casual about whatever was going to happen. They were chatting, cracking jokes and smiling all the time. One of them removed my jeans and said to me, "this will hurt a little." He injected anesthesia in to my groin and then opened a packet which had a long wire in it which had two ends on one side and one on the other medically known as DLFC. He inserted the wire into the same area and attached two small tubes to both the ends which then got filled by blood. Every one of them clapped with light hands by his achievement and precision of the procedure. I think they used to take turns with every patients and judge each other. A doctor then arrived with one machine which was plasmapheresis machine. Plasmapheresis was a procedure in which my plasma (liquid part of the blood) will be separated from RBC and other cells and then good plasma or a substitute of plasma which was albumen was sent back. One tube attached to me was for inflow and the other for outflow. Plasmapheresis was a time taking procedure and you cannot move from your position. You have to lie straight for the entire procedure. It took three hours for the procedure to end. My father asked them that will he be fine now? They said it's just the first cycle. You can't tell now. He will receive minimum of four more cycles every alternate day. He assured my father that I will be fine and running. He was not so rude like Dr. Mittal. They asked my parents to arrange for blood donation, not for me, just to replace what I am receiving so that blood bank is full for other patients. The curtains were pushed back and one more drip changed and I was left with my parents. It was a productive day I thought but the most painless one. There were other procedures which were about to give pain like never before. Moreover, I was about to witness the death of two people.
My doctor arrived hastingly to me. He surpassed every other patient to have a look at me first. My father was hoping to hear the good news while my mother was sure that she will. Doctor asked me how I am feeling, I said fine but it was inaudible. He was accompanied by four more doctors who were more like his students. He asked me to bend my elbow and raise it above as much as I can. I bent my elbow but couldn't raise it more than 10 degrees or so. He said there is no improvement which we have hoped for instead I see weakness than yesterday, that leaves us with no choice but to perform Plasmapheresis. The word Plasmapheresis was said in chorus by all of them because that was the only option and the students might have guessed it already. I was quite surprised by seeing the faces of the students who were all smiling while saying Plasmapheresis. Later I understood that they enjoyed performing it although it was damn painful for the patient. The doctor went to other patients after declaring his judgement. After half an hour, two of the students came and took my bed (with me) to the end of the ward. The ward was divided into two sections by a four feet wall. The section where I was now was for the patients who need extra equipments and machines to operate on them while the section where I was before were for the patients who just need medicines and constant care. Soon a sister injected needle of one drip into my veins. I always beckoned the drips whenever I used to see them in movies. About four years ago my mother was diagnosed with dengue and received ten or twelve such drips. That was like a record for me as I had never heard this much from anyone. As soon as the sister inserted the needle I thought of counting them. I used to count them daily and then I lost my count later after 37. Many times drips were inserted when I was sleeping. I used to sleep with half filled bottle and find another full bottle when wake up. After counting till thirty seven changed in front of me I stopped counting. Three more students arrived out of whom only one was a lady doctor. She took my mother and father to a safe distance where I couldn't hear anything, though I was watching them. I saw her give one paper to sign on it. I guessed my mother asked about it and the doctor explained it. My father took the paper to sign on it while my mother came to me. Her eyes were filled with tears. She said, "Everything will be fine." I asked her what did she say to you? But my mother said, "everything will be fine." The doctor requested my parents to go outside the ward. She had already scared me. The five students pulled the curtains all around me and straightened my bed and asked me to lie straight.
The five doctors or medical students ,I must say, were very casual about whatever was going to happen. They were chatting, cracking jokes and smiling all the time. One of them removed my jeans and said to me, "this will hurt a little." He injected anesthesia in to my groin and then opened a packet which had a long wire in it which had two ends on one side and one on the other medically known as DLFC. He inserted the wire into the same area and attached two small tubes to both the ends which then got filled by blood. Every one of them clapped with light hands by his achievement and precision of the procedure. I think they used to take turns with every patients and judge each other. A doctor then arrived with one machine which was plasmapheresis machine. Plasmapheresis was a procedure in which my plasma (liquid part of the blood) will be separated from RBC and other cells and then good plasma or a substitute of plasma which was albumen was sent back. One tube attached to me was for inflow and the other for outflow. Plasmapheresis was a time taking procedure and you cannot move from your position. You have to lie straight for the entire procedure. It took three hours for the procedure to end. My father asked them that will he be fine now? They said it's just the first cycle. You can't tell now. He will receive minimum of four more cycles every alternate day. He assured my father that I will be fine and running. He was not so rude like Dr. Mittal. They asked my parents to arrange for blood donation, not for me, just to replace what I am receiving so that blood bank is full for other patients. The curtains were pushed back and one more drip changed and I was left with my parents. It was a productive day I thought but the most painless one. There were other procedures which were about to give pain like never before. Moreover, I was about to witness the death of two people.
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