AN ODE TO MY DAD.....5

AN ODE TO MY DAD…..5

One thing my father never liked was taking medicines. He always believed that one must give more to the grocer than to the Pharmacist. He always used to look down on people who used complain about health issues. Throughout his active life he lived with that principle.  He was also fond of his total independence. He used to say that he would life his life in his own terms and condition. He would say that he would avoid the dependence on anyone.

But God the almighty, had a different, rather very different plans for him, we might as well call that a cruel plan. But who can challenge his wishes! Dad started slowly falling on and off at different locations. It may inside the house, in the street corner etc. This started since 1992-93. We could not leave him to go anywhere alone. He started repeatedly complaining that his health was not at its best. The same was very unusual for a man of his nature. Since he had some hearing impairment for a long time we thought that the same might be due to vertigo and used to advise him to watch his steps and not to get up from sleep abruptly.

But as things started going in a roller coaster ride down the hill we took him to a neurosurgeon. After a scan it was diagnosed that he had a tumor in the brain. On consolations the doctor said that the same had to be operated at the earliest and sent for biopsy.  Accordingly in 1995 he was taken for surgery in Chennai. The doctor assured him a minimum life expectancy of additional four to five years. Dad was not told about the operation and he was told that due to accumulation of some fluids the doctors are trying to drain the same out using a stent etc. That was more or less the preliminary stage of the operation.

Those days, I used to work with Cadburys in the sales function in Chennai. I used to stay with him in the hospital after my days work. I used to be dead tired after morning work and more or less doze off early. He wanted to talk to me all the time in the night as he was free all through the days. He used to complain that I was visiting him in the hospital only to catch up some sleep!!

His head was shaved and scrubbed. He was ready for moving into the operation theatre. By then he was becoming suspicious of the procedure. But we reassured him and moved him into the operation theatre stating that the procedure was to drain accumulated fluid in the head which was causing him to trip and fall repeatedly. The operation was successful. He was slowly recovering from the procedure. The tumor sent for biopsy was looking like a floret of cauliflower. It turned out to be benign to the relief of all of us. When we were in the hospital we could see the suffering and nightmare of many small children, adults with budding children whose future was bleak and uncertain. We thanked God that he was so kind and benevolent to our family.

After the operation my father looked as if he had a slight stroke. He lost more or less his left side movements. His face had a depression in the left hand side. His speech was not coherent and slurred. But he was fully conscious of all that was going around and anxious to get home back as soon as he could. He was discharged after a week. On returning home he first wanted to have his bath. With help the same was done. Then as per our regular practice he wanted to apply his regular tilak on his fore head. By then a mirror was passed to him and on seeing his face he was totally taken a back and become inconsolable.  ………… To be continued…..