Appendages and Pain

“Help me,” those big, innocent, liquid eyes had emoted, welling with tears. Unable to articulate in words but implicitly trusting you, the adult, to alleviate the pain. And you have no idea of what is going on – nothing hurts more.

“It is unbearable, amma. Will it not just stop permanently?” asked my son today morning, from miles away. He was miserable and I felt utterly, abjectly, helpless.

One never realises the importance of an appendage until it hurts. When he was about 1, my son, normally a very active and bubbly child, just lay down and wailed, looking at me most pitiably but still filled with hope. Putting the otoscope in, the paediatrician pronounced, “Ah. He has otitis media.” Huh? “A middle ear infection.” I had not even known ears could get infected. He was put on a 10 day course of an antibiotic. On the 12^th, he had his next infection. And so it was for months. Antibiotic after antibiotic. Every other week.

An audiology scan revealed he had only 75% hearing in one ear. “But that is just the inflammation. He will get perfect hearing back soon after the surgery,” reassured the otolaryngologist. My 2-year-old was wheeled into an operation theatre surrounded by a gaggle of strangers and given anaesthesia. When he came to, he was crying and vomiting. The surgeon had inserted a tube into the ear to allow for drainage. The tube would fall out automatically in about 6 months, he said. The poor kid had bad luck. It was out within a month. Back to the antibiotics. Then Surgery 2 for a permanent tube insertion. Then, a year later, another surgery to remove the ‘permanent’ tube.

Four years ago, the boy, now a strapping teenager, had an ear infection again. The antibiotic did not work anymore. “Antibiotic resistance,” he said. It deeply influenced his choice of coursework in college.

These and other incidents made me read up a lot on health issues. Friends joke that I am half a doctor myself – why, even my doctor first asks me what I think I have before he makes his professional pronouncement! The spate of ear infections means I literally break out in a sweat if I see anyone fiddling with ears and have stopped to ask perfect strangers if they are feeling alright.

Even in this day when one’s embryo can gestate in another’s body, one’s own health can still not be delegated. No matter the affluence or the influence. My late father in law, a physician, would remark – whether we leave assets for our children or not, we definitely leave behind our diseases. While we cannot combat genes, we can definitely work to maintain what we have and defer illness for as long as possible. Nature vs. Nurture.