The sharing of my intense emotions could be worthwhile to the senior citizens: All of a sudden I started getting discolouration of my skin, which made me fearful and nervous. The second more alarming change in my body made me lose my audio frequency. My left ear has a hole which could not be cured and is a gift of wrong diving in the pool. My right ear is going to be unfriendly, and I felt worried as to what would happen to me.
“Shall I pack up for my final journey,” I asked myself. “No. Not yet. There is a long waiting there,” I thought seriously to pacify myself. I should approach experts and find out the remedy. Anyhow I approached an ear specialist who after checking me thoroughly recommended a pill and ear-drops, and called me again after a week. I got myself operated for cataract a few days back, but the worry of turning deaf compelled me to consult a doctor immediately. I wanted all the parts of my body in perfect order and feared slackness on my part.
I was perturbed for my skin and ears both, but took courage and reached the hospital at 8.30 A.M, almost five days after my cataract surgery to get my turn early. There was a long queue of patients for the doctor to attend to and I sat on a cemented inbuilt bench along with other patients to take my turn. There was another senior citizen who sat huddled to me on the left side, having face with dark circles under his eyes, looked like a declining graph of sleep and anxiety. He remained silent for few minutes and ultimately opened up when I asked him at what time the doctor will come. He told me that he had a quarrel with the doctor last week, who doesn’t sit on his seat and is a good-for-nothing fellow.
The rift stated when the doctor asked, “How are you feeling now?” “I have absolutely no relief,” I told him. “Have you taken the medicine regularly and followed the instructions I gave you?” “Yes, I followed them seriously.” “Then why it so happened?” “Because you don’t take interest in patients, come late in your room, and don’t sit on your seat for five minutes at a stretch. You are not performing your duty seriously.” The doctor got puzzled and the guy looked to him a psychopath.”
“You are a senior citizen, you must behave properly.” “I will say insistently that you have an intellect like a vacuum.” “You must mind your language, before I call the peon to push you out of the room. You must keep peace with your doctor, and restrict yourself not to screw things up. Do you know you are stirring the ambers of discontent?” “I am not mad. I am doing everything in my consciousness, and I have set right so many persons like you.” “If you are not satisfied with my treatment, you should go to another doctor.” “I shall see that either you leave this post or work honestly.”
It was a misguided sense of courtesy shown by a senior citizen, which was not desirable. The things came to a head and caused a bit of turbulence. The situation was not conductive to intimacy, because I being severely sensitive to unfriendliness and harsh antagonism. The doctor derailed in anger, with adrenaline high, wrought up with fury and felt a desire to bash up into his head. He could not face this little crisis and went out of the room, leaving the patients under the care of another junior lady doctor. The man either feigned to be silly or pretended to be mad, not thinking even once to injure the pride of the doctor. The doctors usually get late while taking a round of the ward.
My turn was ahead of that puffed-up fellow and when the attendant called my number I entered the room and greeted the doctor as a courtesy. The dermatologist checked my skin thoroughly and told me the spots on my arms and face are due to aging and showed his inability to recommend any medicine for that. However, she recommended Aloe Vera -SPF for my rough skin. I came out of the room, ignored the man, and went straight to ENT specialist on one level up for getting my ears checked up. There was a long queue and my turn came after half-an-hour.
Doctor advised me to stop using ear-drops but continue taking a pill for another fortnight. He assured me that the drum will start working slowly and called me after fifteen days, with strict instructions to keep the ears dry. After getting the prescription I came out to go back home. Being terrified to exhaustion, I went to homoeopathic CGHS dispensary on my way home. The lady doctor attended me with utmost care for both the maladies and after prescribing medicine asked me to come after two weeks. I took the medicine and sat on the wheels of my car to reach home.
My grey spots didn’t fade rather gave way to some new ones, but the drum oscillations came back to 80% correction level. I shudder to become deaf but aging will have its effect, and I can do nothing except to consult experts, and prey God to keep me fit. I keep busy forgetting all these troubles and my hobby is to write and read others. I am senior in age and being a trekker for most of my life, I have cultivated a habit to go for morning walks, do some yoga and physical exercises, and thus to keep my agility alive.
Most of you, who are my age, would also not like to thrive under the curse of aging. By observing some discipline we can definitely keep ourselves fit and fine till we get a message for our last journey.