When we are young and fit we don’t realize how lucky we are that all our limbs and joints are working properly. We just take them for granted. As long as they are working normally and perfectly, nobody is bothered or thankful for that. When one is young, one doesn’t worry about pains and aches because even if a minor pain/ache occurs, it’s gone within no time, thanks to the age factor.
I was no exception to this rule and all these years I was climbing two stairs at a time, coming down the stairs hopping, and walking brisk for an hour like a normal person. Climbing on to a stool and getting things down from the loft was not a big deal at all. Carrying vegetables and groceries at the same and walking home with all the weight was not a problem. But suddenly a few months ago, to be precise, as I stepped into my 50th year, all the above mentioned things started to seem like almost impossible things. My feet hurt if walked some distance, my ankles hurt when I stood continuously for some time, my knees reminded me of their presence when I tried to sit on the floor to do something and most of all, climbing up and down the stairs seemed like a herculean task. I was having problem in using both legs to go down the stairs and it was only one leg at a time. It was embarrassing and I remember asking myself if these were signs of ageing 🙂
I started wondering what could be the problem. Just a few days ago I was perfectly normal and now, so many problems! I tried to put the blame on my weight ( I’m carrying eight kgs of extra weight for my height), and on a bout of viral fever a fortnight back, which had left me weak. Also, I thought, stepping into half century zone could be the reason for all my problems. But I had to abandon the last thought immediately thinking of the ‘fit and fine’ older people in the family. I watched each and every person, specially ladies, walking on the road and realized that most of them walked normally but some seemed to have problem like me.
I detest going to doctors and thus, was trying to avoid it by pointing out various possible reasons for the problem. Initially, all efforts of my husband and daughter to take me to a doctor went in vain as I was foolishly confident that my problem will get sorted out on its own with time. But I was wrong. The problem aggravated and I had no other go but to visit the doctor.
So, I was taken to Sancheti, an Orthopedic hospital in Pune where I explained my problem to a doctor. On hearing my symptoms he asked me to get a blood test done for B-12, D-3 and Arthritis. The results indicated a severe deficiency of B-12 and D-3 vitamins! Though I found it difficult to believe that I had vitamin deficiency as nobody in my family has it, I was happy that it was not arthritis because I’ve heard that there’s no medication for it. The doctor put me on a course of Meconeuron injections (12 of them) and M bal plus and calcium tablets along with sachets of supplements to be added to milk once a week. I was told that most of the vegetarians get this problem as they don’t get enough of these vitamins in vegetables whereas they are said to be abundant in fish and eggs. It’s not necessary all vegetarians have this problem.
I feel extremely happy to say that halfway through the course of medication, I was back to normal and was walking without limping and there was no pain at all. I cursed myself that I was being adamant in not going to the doctor and unnecessarily suffering like a fool. Now its more than six months of my first day with the doctor and I’m like I was before entering into my golden jubilee year 🙂 The only hitch is that I’ve to keep popping in the calcium and vitamin pills throughout my life and do blood test periodically. I’m back to climbing up on to the stool and going up and down the stairs using both legs alternatively, but definitely with caution. I’m in ‘no risk taking’ mode now.
My experience taught me two things. One, there are specialists in every field of work and doctors are professionals meant to take care of our health and that we should let them do it. I am saying this because I know, most women are like how I was-they would rather wait and watch than go to a doctor and some resort to self medication like pain killers which is not a done thing. It’s wiser to go to a doctor and get things clarified and take proper medication to get rid of the problem.
Secondly and more importantly, when we go through any kind of pain, mental or physical, our family members feel bad for us and try their best to help us in all possible ways. But I really think that nobody, I mean, NOBODY, but the one who is suffering, can understand the actual extent of pain. It’s not their fault because unless one goes through it one doesn’t understand that pain is… oh! so painful 😦
mindlymusings 