Its all about the bouncebackability!

Twenty Seven days are enough for a journey to hell, and back. Ask me, i experienced the trip myself. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Yep, that's the gentleman who decided that i had too hectic a life, and that i deserved a break. A long one. Well, once Mr. Salmonella had made his decision to put me out of action, i didn't have much of a choice did i?

So there i was, lying on the hospital bed in the not-so-hospitable ICCU, wondering what in the world was happening to me. Those 8 days in the ICCU were a nightmare, and i wish no one has to go through what i went. Wires coming out of my body making me look like Inspector Gadget, injections being administered to me every morning, doctors and nurses hovering around me like vultures around an animal carcass, blood being taken from my body almost every morning for some test or the other. There's even more, but i cannot describe it because i simply don't remember it. Yes, i remember very little apart from the things i mentioned above. The only other thing i remember was curtains being drawn around me to isolate me from the other patients. That's it. And i vaguely remember my friends who had come to visit me. Heck, i was in complete delirium. I felt like a prisoner of Guantanamo Bay. A prisoner who had been kept there for ages to rot.

After about 8 days, the docs decided the ICCU didn't require me anymore. So i was freed from prison, but kept under house arrest, or more specifically, shifted to the more homely ward room, where i was the only patient, in complete isolation, in complete comfort, with an awesomely comfortable bed that i could control with my remote, and of course, there was the comfort of a television too. Wow, i deserved atleast this much after the struggles of the ICCU.

But i'd have made a big mistake had i thought that i was going to be alright thereafter. In fact, far from it. For another week, i had fever thrice a day, rising and falling like a sinusoidal curve, and making me restless and impatient. The fever would rise to 101, then 103, then fall back to 102, then fall back to 98, then suddenly rise back to 104, then come down to 102, rise to 103, fall to 101, stay there for half a day, then rise again to 104, before plummeting to normal body temperature. The utterly dynamic nature of the fever brought me in tears, because i didn't know when this torture would end. On one instant, i would be sweating profusely. On another instant, i would feel cold as hell, trying to cover myself with as much of the quilt as possible. The sheer frequency with which the fever was fluctuating was truly unbelievable.

The doctors were perplexed too. They had absolutely no idea what it was that was affecting me. They were as clueless as M.S. Dhoni on a tennis court. They suspected Typhoid, but they couldn't be sure, and you can't blame them because they carried out a million tests on me and all of them turned out to be negative, i.e., normal. They had no proof of any disorder or infection. They didn't know what to treat me with. But owing to their experience and panache, they made a good decision to treat me for typhoid, because that's what it almost was in the end.

Spending a day in the ward room was tough initially. I had the T.V. which i could watch at anytime of the day. But name me one channel that keeps you entertained throughout the day. You can't, because there simply isn't one!! Apart from my daily dose of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., a little bit of W.W.E., and some random war movies on H.B.O., there was nothing else to watch. Nothing! I was up by 7 every morning, and there was nothing else to do besides watch television. But apart from Baba Ramdev, there wasn't anything else to keep me entertained! Haha, i simply had to make do with that. I can't really complain because it is obvious that mornings don't really bring out the best out of T.V. channels, but what the hell! Thankfully, they later started showing wrestling, which i'm quite fond of. So my boredom slowly crept away. Watching wrestlers being flung in the air, being pile-driver-ed into the canvas, watching them taunt each other into street fights, watching them hop around the ring hurling abuses at their opponents. That's what i'm talkin' about!! Hahaha, by the 5th day, it had become my early morning dose. Well, with due respect, anything is better than watching early morning pravachans from saints, however well known they may be. :) Apart from television, i had John Grisham and Frederick Forsyth to give me company!

The best part about falling sick is the attention you get. Everyone is sympathetic towards you, and you are forgiven for everything you might have done. It's kinda fun i must admit, albeit quite shamefully. Hehe. But honestly, the fun lasts for only 2-3 days, after which you realize the plight you are in. Being in hospital in the lap of luxury is not exactly overwhelming. I'm a very dynamic person and i need to move around. But all i could manage was to move left or right in the confines of my bed. I was getting frustrated by the day, but it used to vanish in the evenings when my friends dropped by to pay me a visit. I always looked forward to the evenings, hoping some friend or the other might pop up and keep me happy and elated for the rest of the evening. I honestly cannot thank my friends enough for the amount of support they gave me throughout. To take out time from their busy schedules to come and meet me and cheer me up was something i shall never forget.

Now i'm finally back home! At long last!! It feels great to be back on your home turf, because you have access to all your favourite things, most important being the internet, or more specifically, Orkut. :D :D

I'm getting better by the day, and within me, i feel ever so ready to go back to college, get back to business. After almost a month long hiatus, it is necessary to have that hunger to get back with a bang. Which is exactly what i am feeling right now. I have three projects, semester studies, vivas, GRE studies and assignments and journal work sitting right on top of my head. It's up to me to deal with the mess and sort it out. Easier said than done, though!

This ordeal has taught me a lot. It has made me realize the perils of eating outside food. It has made me respect my parents even more, because without their continuous motivation and care, trust me, i would still be in hospital. I cannot thank them enough for the things they have done for me and the trouble they had to endure because of my illness. This ordeal has taught me to respect my health big time. It has taught me to be mentally strong. It has taught me more than what life has taught me so far. That is what a trip to the hospital can do for you. I had to learn it the hard way, but i am glad i have learned my lessons. For how long though, we shall have to see.

But for now, its all about the bouncebackability! ;)

Until next time, stay healthy! ;)