Anyone still out there who’s not on regular medicines? If the answer is
in affirmative, you deserve a 21 Cannons salute. Considering that our age-group
is still in mid 50s, it looks highly unlikely and with a faint chance that you
are not taking regular medicines. We all are and must be one way or other put
on some meds by doctors for diabetics, high cholesterol, high blood pressure,
arthritic, gastrointestinal disorders, asthma, and least but not the least,
thyroid etc.
In 1996 I took my wife to Executive Clinic, Agha Khan Hospital, Karachi
for a random health checkup. For the sake of fun I also registered myself for
the checkup too though I considered myself in great health and fit as fiddle.
The test results were shocking; I was running high cholesterol level. Doctor
advised me to reduce and control the cholesterol with physical activities;
brisk walk, games, exercises and swimming etc. He also advised me to cut on red
meat and egg yolks. Much to my embarrassment my wife’s results were within
normal range. The very next day evening I was jogging on the footpath of the
main road of our residential colony. And most importantly my eating habits went
through transformation, forever.
When I turned 45 the text before me started dancing blurredly. I
couldn’t read vividly, and use computer to write unless the font size increased
to 16 plus. The result! I turned bespectacled for the rest of my life. In the
meanwhile, around the same period and still under 50, I fainted twice, briefly
though, on different occasions. It was diagnosed that fainting was owing to my
lower body sugar level. Around 53 I started feeling migraine frequently. The
painkillers gave relief but it remained recurring. Finally, I was given the
news that I was carrying persistently high blood pressure. More detailed
examination and tests, and doctors put me on regular medicines for blood
pressure and cholesterol. The doctor has told me that these meds will be life
long, if I want to live long. And recently, I started feeling pain in my left
knee while offering Namaz (Salah). Arthritis is knocking perhaps.
In addition, irregular intake of medicines keeps growing with the age
too. Throat infections, gastrointestinal disorders, thyroid, stomach ulcers, flu
& fever, etc., invade us with more frequency as our body weakens. We have
gone long beyond the prevention stage and struggling in remedial stage now.
Hence, medicines on our side bed table are adding up to soothe us.
Ageing process never stops. This is what I want to emphasize here, no
matter how physically you feel fit. The
medicines keep growing with the passing years. Body goes through changes
without notice, and sometimes with visible signs. Mental and physical harmony
gets disturbed and miscommunication takes place between them. For example you
may consider physically fit to jog for one kilometer but you give up after 300
meters panting heavily. You may think you can run across the road while fast
approaching vehicles are visible in your direction but …… don’t ever try this.
It could be extremely fatal.
While we live mentally active and smart all the life our physique begins
giving up slowly. The synchronization of both can be achieved to some extent
with "Dua and Dawa" (Prayers including meditation and Meds). I feel it sometimes
depressing over this changing phenomenon but the reality is; our time is coming
up. We have already lived much of our lives. The rest of our life demands
regular intake of meds to survive with some degree of “managing things
ourselves” rather than “remaining dependant on our young family members, nurses
or to the worst; old homes”.
So, the message is: Never feel agitated to add up meds with each passing
year. Be happy and live lively till the last.
