Beware before falling into money making hospitalization traps
Ameet Marathe
It all started when my wish to consume food started diminishing. My appetite went down to almost half of what it used to be. My weight started dropping till a point where I realized that I had dropped almost two stones.
With a sudden drop in my appetite, I found myself being able to consume only 1 chapatti and a small portion of rice in a day. Baffled with the mystery, we decided to consult a doctor.
Surprisingly, on my visit to a gastroenterologist, he did not check one of the most important parameters- my blood pressure. Although my BP was 140/260 my body displayed no symptoms. It was only after we visited another consultant for treating kidney stones (the only problem the first gastroenterologist had diagnosed) we could figure out my ailment.
What was to follow was a nightmare. My emergency hospitalization was just the beginning of my troubles. Subsequent to discharge, it was my creatinine levels which became the trouble maker. Frequent follow ups with our doctors had no effect as they steadily rose. I even underwent a few cycles of dialysis for the same.
Despite this, our troubles were far from over. The levels kept soaring and we started falling deeper into the dialysis trap. Infact, they also suggested a possibility of a kidney transplant. It was during this turbulent time in my life that I understood how the whole medical sector operates and how invaluable is a patient’s health when it comes to making money.
Fortunately for us, the fall was broken by a messiah well versed in Ayurveda. The medicines worked like a wonder and now I am doing fine with the need for Kidney transplant eliminated altogether.
In all this, my family stood behind me firmly. A lot of credit goes to my wife who juggled all the responsibilities- my hospitalization, the house as well as our office.
All in all, it looks like second opinions are a must. Allopathic practitioners seem have disregarded Ayurveda as a branch of medicine. But I feel it’s a conspiracy to make money. Our traditional form of medicine is still very potent when it comes to certain ailments.
