The Bunion Story

 

A few months ago my husband said that he had a bunion, I tried correcting saying it’s a banian, a vest worn in India. As he showed me his big toe, the bone jutted a bit, it was a bony bump on the joint at the base of his big toe with a ring-like swelling around it.

He pointed it out and said, ‘This is a Bunion, I do get pain and swelling sometimes but today it seems hot and feverish”

‘Did you experience this earlier? I asked worried.

‘I remember it being worse a few years ago.’

We decided to consult our family doctor, Dr. Kannade, he has been an authorized medical authority and our family physician for many years. After listening to our concerns, Dr. Kannade prescribed a few medicines. Dr Kannade is also a good friend of mine, he is a regular writer, with many of his pieces published in the Times of India.

The next day, the bunion seemed to be at rest, and the hotness and swelling near the toe disappeared. Dr Kannade then ordered a series of tests to rule out gout and other factors, and we got the tests done. Everything seemed fine, but the bad cholesterol seemed a bit higher. We were then referred to a specialist named Dr. Pillai. At Dr. Pillai’s clinic, we waited a long time to be seen as there were many patients that day. Another doctor was assisting Dr. Pillai, and she brought in a diabetes testing machine. My husband confidently showed her his reports and said, ‘I have done the fasting test and it’s normal.’ She smiled and replied, ‘That was a prepared test, this is a surprise test for whoever comes here.’ We were indeed surprised. The test was quick and revealed normal sugar levels. However, Dr. Pillai did not seem convinced.

Dr Pillai’ said, ‘We do this test for all and we have stumbled upon diabetic patients and saved them.’ She asked my husband all the details once again about the bunion. She had the same curious look as Dr Kannade. She looked into the reports and told us that it wasn’t gout and that we didn’t have to worry about it. She asked my husband, ‘What did you eat yesterday night’.

He said, ‘We had been to the restaurant for dinner yesterday’.

What did you eat there?

We ate some starters like spring rolls, a course of roti, rice, dal and a curry made of cottage cheese, some Dahi wada and so on.

Dr Pillai said, ‘How was the taste, did you like it? All the extra oil made the food tasty, isn’t it?

It was a tricky question but my husband said, ‘The food was good and wasn’t oily.

Dr Pillai said, ‘We will check your Electro Cardiogram and then take a decision.’

Still later they took us to another room. The room had a table and chair for the doctor, a few books, a stethoscope and other doctor tools and a cot at one end. My husband was asked to lie down and a nurse was called in. The nurse pulled the curtain and prepared my husband for the Electrocardiogram test. Dr Pillai then checked the ECG, she looked at the meter. The curtain was pulled and I could see my husband’s feet in footholds to keep him steady. The bunion had brought in numerous things but we lost our faith for a minute. It was normal again.

Dr Pillai read the liver functioning and derived lots of information. She gave us an understanding of the right food and called us after 2 months for a review. She told my husband that we could control everything by the right diet.

We began enthusiastically and followed everything as told for a month. My husband visited Kerala for a week where he couldn’t control his diet as he yearned to eat everything. Two months later he got another test for HDL, LDL and Liver functioning. The results were almost the same. He trembled in fear as he entered Dr Pilla’s clinic. Dr Pillai sat gravely and looked into his reports and my husband suddenly felt his ring finger poked with a pin. In astonishment, he looked up to see the other doctor smile and say, “Surprise Test”. He asked Dr Pillai in astonishment, ‘Is it another surprise Test? Dr Pillai said, “India is the hub of diabetes and we should check our patients regularly.” My husband asked Dr Pillai, hesitantly, “An ECG as well?” She nodded vehemently and said not today.

The blood sugar was normal. Dr. Pillai prescribed a few medicines, and vitamins, and gave us lots of advice. She said, “If you don’t follow the diet, you’ll have to take the medicines regularly.” She asked us to come back after a couple of months. My husband diligently started the course of medicine. After a month, he felt better and healthier. He completed the course and retook the test. Unfortunately, the tests revealed the old kind of results, it did not seem much different.

We hurried to Dr. Pillai’s clinic, which was crowded with patients. After waiting a long time on the balcony, we were finally called in at 7:30 pm. The other doctor came in with her kit for the usual surprise test. My husband silently got the test done. The sugar level was within the normal range. Dr. Pillai carefully reviewed the LDL and HDL results.

She silently looked at my husband and asked, “Did you take your medication regularly?”

“Yes, Doctor, I did. I got the test done after finishing the course of medication.”

She looked up angrily and said, “You were supposed to get the test done to see if there was any change while you were taking the medication.” She gently scolded him, mentioning that educated people didn’t need to be advised at every stage. We felt foolish and wondered if we missed her last piece of advice.

Dr Pillai prescribed another set of medications for two months and strongly advised him to follow the prescribed diet and to get the test done at the end of the second month, before finishing the last dose of medication.

We left for Kashmir after 25 days. During those days of travel, we were served the best food as a buffet. My husband ignored my advice. On the fourth day, I said, “The test is nearing and all the excess food will raise your cholesterol.” He wasn’t worried, but on the 6th day, as there were just two days left, he began to get conscious. Once we reached Pune, we avoided the restaurants and exercised regularly. The recent test showed plenty of positive results. Now we look forward to our next visit to Dr. Pillai.

My feet are completely flat, but for most of my life they were still shaped like feet. Now, thanks to bunions, they’re shaped more like states, wide boring ones that nobody wants to drive through-― David Sedaris