Well, I had one of painful week recently and I thought sharing what happened will make me feel better. It was Friday, a festival for all women in India. Although college management didn't declare us a holiday, none of our classmates went, which implies that even I didn't attend the college.
My mother, who was being treated for some issue had low sugar levels in early hours, which hit the all time low"27", which was absolutely shocking! It was early in the morning 03:30 hours, when I was asked to test the blood sugar levels, as both my aunt and uncle were not much aware of that blood sugar levels measuring machine. I woke up and when I saw the reading "27", both of them were shocked, made her eat some chocolate, biscuits, and milk with high amounts of sugar content in it. I slept off, not knowing the intensity of danger, as I was half slept. Then again, as usual, when I woke up at 06:30 AM, I checked the sugar levels again and it was like 41 or so, which is considered to be low, but better than what it was earlier.
As it was a festival day for women, my aunty started the proceedings of her prayers to Lakshmi Devi, and my mother came out to hall, where she gave blood sample to a lab guy, who tested the blood levels manually. I was on my laptop, doing an artwork for the upcoming independence day, with background of the Rang De Basanti movie. I just took bath, so as my aunty and uncle. My mother asked me to switch on the geyser, which I did. Then after sometime, I herd my aunt scream "Kalavathi... Kalavathi.." which made me leave the laptop as it is (movie was not even paused). My mother was in a terrible situation at that time. Face bulged, eyes widely opened, trying to vomit something which she was unable to. She leaned forward, and myself and my uncle provided her support so that she won't fall down.
We called an aunty, who stays exactly above us, who was a good old friend of ours. She was helpful in many other issues and she even was this time. She called a nurse, who resides in our apartments, and we called a local hospital called "ADRM Hospital" for an ambulance, which never turned up. I went downstairs to stop the ambulance, whenever it comes- but it never turned. By the time I was returning home, I don't exactly know what happened, my mother was lying just beside lift with everyone rubbing her legs and hands.
I was absolutely tensed! One of our family friend, Mr. Sudheendra called 108, which proved it was good for nothing. On suggestion of some aunty present over there, my aunt called an auto, in which my mother was carried to ADRM Hospital, about a kilometer and half away from my place. We four members somehow adjusted in an auto, with me rubbing the legs and hands of my mother in initial stages, then trying to improve her heart beat by hitting on her heart. My uncle was almost half out of auto and my aunt was sitting beside the auto driver, as she had no place left. My uncle was tapping on my mothers cheek, shouting "Kalavathi, edheelamma, een aagodilla" (wake up Kalavathi, nothings gonna happen). My mother was in a awful situation groaning in a low tone, fighting for her survival. My aunt was afraid to see her face because of her facial expressions, and she was almost on tears.
Some how, within fifteen minutes of time, we reached hospital and the doctor came right to auto beofre my mother was taken to him. He checked the pulse and decided that she got some "stroke" and she had to be taken immediately to "Andhra Mahila Sabha." He said "stroke occhinatlu undi, immediately Andhra Mahila Sabha ki teeukovellandi" (it seems that she got a stroke, take her immediately to Andhra Mahila Sahba). I herd this term somewhere, and for a moment, I thought it was P.Obul Reddy School which had same thing. But the Auto driver asked the doctor if it was Dugrabhai Deshmukh Hospital at Vidyanagar, and then it hit my mind that yeah, DD Hospital was also under the same thing.
Then immediately, the auto driver started going to that hospital. I was completely hopeless. It was four kilometers away from the ADRM Hospital and it was a Friday morning peak hour. I decided to take the auto in a longer route, which is in all the substreets present in Bhag Amberpet- DD Colony- Shivam and then Vidyaganar. It was the route, which myself, with few of my college friends take to reach the college bus, due to the fact that Praveen's home comes in that route so as Sree Ram.
My mother was in awful situation, as said earlier. this "stroke" thing by the doctor made me help first in ther working of heart, because that works better than anything else. My uncle was talking to her, shouting loud, so that she can hear something and reply us. She didn't. As soon as we crossed Praveen's house, I shouted "Mummy, Praveen gani illu ide choodu" (this is praveen's home)..... yet no reply! Then we crossed Sai Baba temple, where I prayed in my mind to gift her strength to hold on till we reach hospital. "Mummy, appudu gurthunda, nenu Casio lo ee Sai Baba temple lone play chesa, Ramanamurthy sir program ippincharu kada", (Mummy you remember, I played Casio in this temple that day, Ramanamurthy sirs prigram) expecting some sort of reply because it was a big program by my sirs Tabla and keyboard students in that temple, which was attended by my mother, few of my relatives who resided in Nallakunta then- Yet no reply.
Many thoughts were running in my mind, but I kept them all in my mind, due to the fact that someone has to be brave, in the absence of both my father and brother, who didn't knew all this was going on. We crossed our bus stop, Choupal fresh, and I yet again said "Mummy, maa bus stop ide" Yet no reply! Soon, within two minutes, we reached hospital. My mother was somehow taken on to a stretcher, with great difficulty. She was hurriedly taken into ICCU of KPR Heart and Lung care wing of DD Hospital. My aunt hinted the doctors that she had low blood sugar levels earlier that morning!
To be continued!
