Health is Wealth!

Today is the last day of the Pink month and I have something to share.

A week back I had gone for my complete annual check-up like I do every year.

Like any annual health checks you would know, it started with a 12 hour fasting (and hunger pangs). Blood tests ( ouch!). Urine sample in the smallest container (precarious, if you know what I mean). Drinking water till my stomach felt like a dam about to burst. And then all this followed by sonography, eye check, dental check, ECG, Bone density test, this test, that test and many such battery of tests spread across many floors of the clinic.

Till I ran out of my battery. Phew!

Luckily, at the end of the rigmarole, I was still breathing when I heard the magic words. “Your tests are now complete, please come back tomorrow to collect your reports.”

I let out a collective sigh! Yes, collective, as all my body organs joined me in this chorus effort.

Ok, let me not be too dramatic. It wasn’t that bad at all.

But all I wanted to do was run home and have a good shower. Away from the overbearing “antiseptic” smell which had invaded my nasal passage and by now infiltrated even the linen clothes I was wearing. Yes, you guessed it, I abhor the smell while I know some who get a high on it.

Now, coming to the point.

The main reason I had gone for the check up was to do Mammography. Having a history in family, my sister and me, have been advised to go for an annual Mammography test every year. And it had been almost two years since the last one. Not a wise thing to do, I understood.

I was confident that all my blood parameters whether blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. would be within normal range. But what was worrying me was the result from Mammography.

Here I was the next day, back in the hospital staring at my reports.

Guess what, as expected all my blood reports, Sonography, ECG, Bone density, etc. reports were normal. Yippee, Well done Priya!

But the one I feared most was unfortunately, not very clear in its findings. The report suggested that there were cysts and I would need to do a sono-mammography to confirm whether the cysts were benign.

Hmm! Now what?

As any body would, I imagined the worst. It appeared that my doubts were about to get confirmed and slightly reeled under that thought.

Pressed the numbers, spoke to Ashish, gave him the feedback over the phone and he reassured me that all is well. He asked me to get that test done at earliest to put my doubts to rest. Felt a wee bit better.

The next step was to get this keeda out of my mind asap.

The gynecologist during my chat with her had advised that the best machines for mammography (or any radiology related issues) were available at PD Hinduja Hospital and next year if its that particular test, I should visit Hinduja Hospital only.

Well, I didn’t anticipate that I would have to visit the hospital in the same week itself. Anyway, I called their call center, took the appointment for Sono-mammography at Hinduja Hospital and it was scheduled for Friday (which was yesterday).

Well, my friends let me share the happy news that the results are normal and the radiologist confirmed that cysts were benign. All the symptoms that I imagined I had for Breast Cancer were confounded. I was happy in the realization that one year at least I did not have to worry.

And even if it happens, I know I will trounce over it like my brave mom did eleven years ago.

What I want to share is that it is important to do annual checks, to detect any illnesses in advance so as to increase your chance of beating the shit out of it.

Eleven years ago, my mom was forced to get the annual check up done by her sister (my maushi) when she was visiting India. Yes, forced.

Like anyone, my mom thought she was perfectly healthy and fine till we got the dreadful report in hand.

A lesson we have learnt in our family for life.

Not everyone is lucky to have a sister like Jyoti maushi who urges you strongly to get that health check done.

Sad news is that we need to do it ourselves.

We have to wake up and realize that. These annual checks are not just for our sake but also for the benefit for our near and dear ones. If someone is seriously unwell in family it’s the entire family which gets sucked into the vortex of stress and trauma. We all know that, so why delay and make matters worse.

Here is why I urge all my friends to go for a health check annually or give it as a gift to your parents, spouse or sister/brother. This Diwali, instead of real gold, why not give a Gold Package for an annual checkup.

As for me, I am relieved right now.

But I am still searching on Google to find out who that brilliant person was, who coined the famous but least appreciated phrase ‘Health is Wealth’.

Here I am, signing off in the pink of health!