On Monday, 21 May 2012, I went for a blood sugar check on
empty stomach and the result was devastating- I was having excess sugar in my
blood! Where as the upper ceiling of blood glucose in empty stomach in the
morning is 110 mg/dl, for a normal human being, mine was 128-mg/ dl. What is
worse this excess level must have been continuing for quite some time; for, I
went for this check up on a haunch, which was lurking in my mind for last many
months.
What was this hunch or the sixth sense? Well, of late I was
experiencing itching all over my body. Itching, which was mild and not
virulent, yet sufficient enough to trigger the alarm bell for someone who has
lived in the shadow of diabetes for last three decades.
Why did I delay? Why did I not listen to my body’s alarm
bell earlier??
Well, one: simple negligence, which is the case with most of
the people from the sub-continent. Two: to derive a false sense of security in
being ignorant; not know, so not to worry! Prostitutes and people who visit them
routinely avoid an HIV test, hence an early diagnosis of the killer malaise,
under similar notions! It is a strange yet very prevalent kind of psychology,
where we avoid an early diagnosis fearing the worst and would rather live in
our self- assumed wellbeing! This is also reminiscent of my late father’s
approach, who was diagnosed of diabetes in similar circumstances almost three
decades back- in 1983.
What else is proved when despite having the premonition I
kept procrastinating? I could have checked my blood sugar level along with my wife,
when she checked hers a few months back. Then I simply shied away saying: No
that's not required.
(This is an unfinished article and I invite the comments of
my friends and students to make this informative and readable)
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