I CAN WIN - "Please don’t take your body for granted and respect the pleasures of life that are bestowed upon you"

"Please don’t take your body for granted and respect the pleasures of life that are bestowed upon you"

January 1^st, 2013. Like all other people in this world I too was quite excited about the coming year and was making plans so as to decide my future actions. The main highlight of the year was my CA Final exams which were scheduled in May (and as usual was apprehensive about clearing them).

January was progressing and with it my health problems too started to rise. Like any other normal human being I too have faced health issues but that were limited to fever, cold, cough etc. But something started going terribly wrong with me and I could sense that. Well, with the end of May I got free from my exams but there were few tests that were still going on. All the doctors that I visited wrote a new test or some just repeated the old ones saying it might have gone wrong.

As all my blood tests were showing out normal I was going abnormal as I had no idea what was wrong with me. I used to get this terrible stomach ache, every month, on the very same date that used to leave me unconscious and crying with pain. All doctors applied various permutation & combination but could not give me a valid reason for my ache.

It was then in July, 2013 that I visited Asian Institute Of Medical Sciences on a recommendation of my relative (who’s a doctor there) to undergo some more tests. Thankfully, the team there is so well capable that they sensed something is wrong deep down and after a week of performing series of tests they gave me the news…..

So, I was suffering from CANCER… Yes…!! TRANSVERSE COLON CANCER is the term… There was blockage in a portion of my large intestine which was cancerous. 7^th July, 2013 was the date I came to know about it and this is the date that changed the course of my life. It’s too hard to digest that a mere stomach ache could be a cancer that was growing since past 2 years with absolutely no symptoms.

I was lucky enough to have got it diagnosed within time (As per doctors) as it was in its second stage and could be operated. So, after being admitted I was operated on 19^th July, 2013. While I’ll be cutting whole of my suffering story short, what I want to share here is the fact that sometimes there are no symptoms to warn you. No one could believe that I was suffering from cancer despite of the fact that I am a gym crazy person and love being fit (though I never took any kind of supplements to stay fit).

At an age of 25 where my other companions were busy shaping out their career or deciding to tie a knot, I was totally unaware whether I’ll be able to lead a normal life again or not. This term in itself is so scary that no matter how bold you are, it surely knocks you down. It took me 6 months and a lot of support from my family, friends & doctors to start with normal routine.

Life do gets unfair sometimes as evident in my case but as they say, if God gives you problems he surely gives you courage too. It’s again a new year and I again have dreams and planning for the year ahead but this time it’s all with a reality check. I’ll be undergoing few tests every 3 months to make sure everything is fine inside with follow ups with my doctors (Dr. Pawan Gupta & Dr. Saroj R Sahoo).

The whole idea of me writing my case story above is to just to give a message, that please don’t take your body for granted and respect the pleasures of life that are bestowed upon you. You’ll not even know how and when something small will turn out into something large and will leave you astonished.

(Submitted by the young cancer winner on 4th Feb, 2014)

    

"My children want me to live. Spent 4 lacs to treat my tobacco related oral cancer". I CAN WIN FOUNDATION

“My children want me to live. Spent 4 lacs to treat my tobacco related oral cancer. Wish I had never taken Khaini”

“I am Ganesh Prasad of Panama Gram, Bhagalpur District in Bihar. I took khaini (spit tobacco) for 30-40 years. I stopped tobacco for 10 years. Few months back I noticed a lesion (Chota Dana) in my mouth.  Initially I ignored it. But later I got it examined. It turned out to be cancer. I have got it treated successfully.

I belong to an ordinary family. I did not have the money for treatment. My children want me to live. They collected money and got me treated. My treatment cost around 4 lacs of rupees. I wish I had never taken khaini.

Watch "My children want me to live. Spent 4 lacs to treat tobacco oral cancer" 

- I CAN WIN FOUNDATION

I request all those who take khaini, Gutka or tobacco in any form to stop taking it. They would be healthier and happy and not a burden on anyone”. 

(Contributed by Dr Saroj K Sahoo, Cancer Surgeon)

Listen to your Inner Voice don’t take decisions only after listening outer world voice. Be-aware of Tobacco

At last I would like to ask all youngsters please

“Listen to your Inner Voice don’t take decisions only after listening outer world voice”.

By - Charu Vaish

I am 35, Started Rajnigandha 3 years back

I am 35, Started Rajnigandha 3 years back!

I saw Kiran in my clinic today. She had come with the following complaint - some unusual sensation in the throat, a feeling of something compressing in the chest, occasional tremors. Before coming to me she already had consulted number of Doctors at MAX and Apollo– ENT specialists, Physicians, Gastroenterologists-investigated thoroughly and had tried number of drugs but without relief for the last 6 months. People around her and herself started suspecting cancer. She was referred to me by a good friend of mine.

Kiran (name changed) is 35 years old educated lady. Married for 7 years  to a well to do self employed husband. Father in law a well established CA but now retired.  Kiran is mother of 4 year old son, got after 2 miscarriages.

I listened to her, examined her. I noticed hypertrophied papillae in oropharynx and base of tongue, small area of submucousal fibrosis in the retromolar area of oral cavity. She already was thoroughly investigated. My first instinct was to tell her to go home. I looked at her again, she had an anxious look, hair was not done properly, and she was in her bathroom slippers. I was thinking. She has come alone.  

I thought there is something missing in her presentation. I poked a little more. Is there anything that she wants me to know. With reluctance she said “I am taking Rajnigandha for the last 3 years”.

 Oh, I thought, so this is it. Now I could have given a shortest prescription – STOP RAJNIGANDHA and asked her to go. But was that enough!.

This was an unusual presentation  - an educated well to do lady, mother of a precious child taking  tobacco, started when the child was 1 year old!

I asked her “is everything fine at home”. She broke down.

For the next, one hour Kiran narrated her story. In short, Kiran felt isolated at home by everyone including her son. Son is pampered by in laws,  he gets everything he wants. When it comes to fulfilling any demands the son will go to dadaji and dadiji. If she objects, her objections are overruled.  Husband is totally silent to her complaints. But when the son has any health problems she has to run around.

So, now, is her symptoms related to Rajnigandha. Will my simple prescription of “STOP Tobacco” and some medicines help her relieve her symptom! Will she be able to quit her tobacco if I just gave her Nicorette (nicotine replacement therapy) or Champix, nag her for starting Rajnigandha, scold her.

I spoke to her, counselled her and hope to see her back after 15 days as a changed person. I hope my counselling will work and she would no more require Rajnigandha(tobacco)!!

All the three factors – physical, psychological and social have to be taken care to win over tobacco habit. 

Dr Pawan Gupta.

20.11.2013

Story telling

Hello everyone out there:

I recently read an article in TOI center page. It says writing something every day is very therapeutic. Write in one place (note book) everyday. Don't think who is the audience, who will read it. Write for the sake of writing. Whatever, whatever..... is the theme. When you read such writings after sometime, you will be amazed. These writing-sessions help in healing. They bring out your inner turmoil and give a sense of relief.

Reading the stories which we read as a child, is another nice activity. Our fables, stories, myths, religious anecdotes all pack a lot of hidden meaning in them. Short and crisp, they can bring a smile to your lips. Think of small jokes, which can shake you out of your depression very quickly. Talking to your(or anyone else's) young children and telling them stories is fun for them and you. Mahabharata is a treasure house of stories. I will now relate to you one which is close to my heart.
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Once, there was a Tapaswi. He was doing great Tapasya, sitting under a tree in a forest. Without moving, without eating, without talking, eyes closed, in meditation. Years paseed.

One day what happened. One crow from the tree had his 'dropping' on Tapaswi's head. Tapaswi got disturbed, and opened his eyes, looked at the crow in anger. The crow got burnt instantaneously, and fell to the ground. The Tapaswi got up. He was very hungry. He had not eaten for a very very long time. He went in search of food, and reached a village. He came to a door and rang the bell, a woman came out and looked at the person at the door. The Tapaswi said," I am hungry, give me food". She said,"Ok" and went in side. Meanwhile her farmer husband happened to come back from the fields. The woman got busy in helping him. He washed his face and hands, and sat down. The woman gave food to her husband.

While the woman was busy taking care of her husband, the Tapaswi got angry standing outside, waiting. He knocked at the door again. The woman came out of the house with food and an apology. The Tapaswi shouted at her, for her being late.

She very calmly replied,"I am not a crow!"

The Tapaswi touched her feet, his anger was gone. He realised that this Karmayogini standing in front of him has achieved a higher level just by doing her householder's duty.
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Om shantih shantih shantih.....