Shutterbug's Blog

Living with Multiple Myeloma in Hyderabad , India . Random musings .

Monthly Archives: May 2017


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Random musings : May 2017

Wanted to share some of the exciting events happening in my life these days 🙂 .

Me and my siblings  performed Dad’s 75th birthday a few days ago , in a traditional way. The event is called ”Sahasra Nakshatra Shanti”

Mom and Dad performed “Homan” followed by “Mangala Snanam” in the temple and then there was a “Lakshmi Narayana” puja at home too. All of us including the kids enjoyed the homam which started at 5 am .  We had just a few days to do all the shopping for clothes, puja items, flowers , fruits etc . It all happened with a short notice. So glad that we were able to perform this event for our parents.

Temple where the Homam was performed .

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Lakshmi Naraya Puja at home with 1000 Lotus flowers.

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An important activity at work currently is the migration to the new GST( Goods  and Services Tax)  regime imposed by the Government of India. This project is keeping me busy with several back to back meetings with other Departments to incorporate the new changes in our business processes , testing the new scenarios , preparation of cutover data which includes downloading and uploading of data to the Database , testing the monthly Return formats etc . All organisations have to migrate to the new Taxation on 1 July 2017.

Projects on IIOT too are in the pipeline and I am very excited to get them implemented.

I am also due for a promotion to a higher grade at work. I will be facing an interview and I think I am cool and confident 🙂 . Have been busy preparing for the interview too.

My niece’s (BIL’s daughter) wedding is coming up and I am looking forward to all the fun and dressing up for the various events. The wedding is a 5 day event and I may have to travel a lot from one end of the city to the other side as they live across the city. Will be fun helping and watching the proceedings up close.

Was tough getting my clothes ready for the event. Been shopping all through May. Had to do all my shopping after I got back home from work. All my favourite clothes stores are far from home and farther away from where I work and hence I was getting home late on most days. Thanks to mom for helping me select some good stuff. I love her choices.  I always enjoy shopping with Mom. She knows what looks good on me and I always get compliments 🙂

So glad to be busy with all these activities. Never been this busy in all my life 🙂 . Too many events happening simultaneously.

The GST and IIOT projects will keep me very busy for a few more months.

I also have to take an appointment with my Oncologist as I am due for a Bone Marrow Test in a couple of weeks from now.

Love you Life !!

 


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Drive to Shadnagar and a Tomato farm

This time we drove South towards Shadnagar .The town is on the right side of NH7 while going towards Bangalore from Hyderabad. We took a left turn as soon as we reached the town.  After driving straight for a couple of kilometers we took a detour just after a village named Buchigudem.

Very soon we came across a tomato farm. Several men and women were busy harvesting ripe tomatoes in the farm.

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As usual I was excited and hoped to get hold of some tomatoes.

Despite the hot summer there were a few fields here and there.

We moved closer to the labourers and asked if they would sell the produce to us. They told us to ask the owner who was sitting close by.

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The owner agreed and we managed to dump 10kilos in the rear of our car.

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He agreed to give 10kilos for just Rs 100. Whereas these were being sold for three times the price in the city.

I spotted goru chikkudu kaayalu or Cluster beans stored in plastic bags near the heap of tomatoes and we picked a few kilos .

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Felt good that we got some farm fresh veggies :))

The fresh air and gentle breeze was invigorating.

 

Love spending time away from the city once in a while. I have this wish and always dream of having a small house at the edge of a village adjacent to a farm  ðŸ™‚

It was teatime . On our way back we stopped at a roadside restaurant named ‘Aashiana’ , adjacent to the highway , in Shadnagar. We ordered Mirchi bajjis. They were some of the best Mirchi bajjis I ever had . A waiter served the items while we waited in the car.

NH7 is a busy highway which connects Hyderabad and Bangalore. 

Wish to go there again just to eat those Mirchi bajjis 🙂 and also pick up fresh veggies.

 


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Summer , Ice Apple / Thaati Munjalu / Palmyra fruit

Summer brings its own set of woes and sweet pleasures each year.

Rather than crib about the heat , one should enjoy the yummy stuff that nature provides during this season . Yes , its the fruits 🙂 .

Mangoes and Watermelons make a grand entry during the month of February and exit in June. These are the Summer months.

During Summer , in Hyderabad, Jackfruit , Seema Chintakaaya / Jungle Jilebi , Figs and Palmyra fruit also make an entry. Unlike Mangoes and watermelons which are sold in almost every street corner , these are usually spotted only at the bigger farmer’s markets.

I make it a point to regularly visit the farmers markets , locally known as ‘Rythu bazaar’ , to get my fix 🙂

There was a time when the city dwellers could lay their hands on the Palmyra fruit only if they visited their parents / grandparents who lived in villages and towns , far from the city. That’s where the Palmyra trees grow. These trees almost grow wild. They are hardy and don’t require any special care. I too would get to eat this Palmyra fruit when I visited my Grandparents village during peak summer.

There were times when I used to spot a hawker selling these in the city, but they would be the more mature ones which are hard ,rubbery and bland instead of the tender , sweet and juicy ones. The hard ones can upset the tummy.

This tender ,jelly like fruit has a cooling effect on the body , does some good for the digestive system and has several vitamins and minerals.

Since past few years I have been coming across vendors selling whole bunches of the fruit in the city. We can pick the fruit of our choice and they would cut it for us. One can buy the whole fruit or get the pods removed.

These are whole bunches of the fruits.

This is how the fruit appears when the top part is carefully removed using a sharp sickle.

Each fruit has three pods.

The pods have a creamy brownish layer.

Remove the outer creamy brownish layer to reveal the translucent fleshy fruit.

Trying to remove the pods out of the fruit is tricky and not advisable as the fruit is easily bruised and the sweet juice is lost.

Hence it is preferable to eat these directly from the whole fruit by using the thumb and digging into the tender juicy fruit .This is an art :))

This method ensures that the juice is intact.

I have fond memories of eating these sitting under the Palmyra trees in Granny’s village . We would reach the fields by 5pm, a guy nimbly glides up the tree along with a sickle and cuts off a few Bunches. They fall from a height of 15-20m with a thud.

He then expertly cuts them open revealing the white translucent fleshy pods.

Time to hold the fruit in the left hand and dig into the pulp using the thumb of the right hand and squeeze out the jelly along with the juice and quickly suck up the juicy pulp with the mouth :)) . I know , it does sound gross :))

There is an easier method to dig into the tender fruit. Using a spoon to scoop out the pulp and the juice is quite simple and requires no mastery 🙂

Grab these if and when you come across them and enjoy the delicious fruit !!


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Multiple Myeloma, Symptoms

Multiple Myeloma is a condition when Plasma cells in the blood start misbehaving. These cells form antibodies , which fight infections. When these plasma cells undergo mutation in the DNA, they develop into antibodies which do not perform their job well and on top of that they do not die. They are supposed to die after doing their job well. This is called apoptosis. Every cell in the body dies after doing its job. When they don”t die and start accumulating in the blood  and inside the Bone marrow the condition is called Multiple Myeloma.

  • Low immunity
  • Anemia
  • Back pain
  • Pain in the feet and legs in general
  • Pain in the lower ribs and also just below the lowest part of the ribs on either side of the body
  • Feeling weak and lethargic
  • Always feeling sleepy or wanting to rest . Waking up early is difficult.
  • Suffering from frequent infections in the throat, stomach etc

These are the usual symptoms and were my symptoms as well , before I was detected with MM.

I always felt very weak. I would find it very difficult to wake up and get out of bed. I always wanted to sleep. I kept dragging myself to work . I was unable to stand for more than 10 minutes while I cooked. My feet would begin to ache and I had to sit down every 10 mins. I met several physicians in the last few decades. I also went for a complete health check up too. All of them recommended Iron supplements for my perennially low Hb count. I always took the course and felt good for a while and soon my symptoms were back. The cycle would repeat.

I frequently suffered from throat infections since I was a child and had to pop in a lot of antibiotics too. I also suffered from bronchitis as I am allergic to dust. This too could be due to low immunity. I kept telling my doctors that I frequently fall ill but none of them suggested any further investigations.

Many times I would be told to get a chest X-ray done as they suspected TB, but the result was always -ve.

I had also met an Ayurvedic doctor who checked my pulse . It is called ‘Nadi pariksha’. He prescribed a lot of medications too and said I was highly stressed and that I should do pranayama and meditate regularly.

My actual problem went undetected for decades.

I suffered a lot when I had my periods. They would always arrive early. Severe cramps ensured that I take a pain killer and was unable to go to work. I hated myself for being a girl :((

One day in 2011 , I slipped on the stairs and had an L5 compression fracture in my spine. My bones had become very weak. A normal healthy individual would not have been affected by that kind of a fall. Don’t know how and why the Orthopedic doctor did not suspect that something else could be wrong. He could have at least told me to get a test for calcium and Vitamin D done. I was told to use a cross shaped device for 3 months to heal my fracture.

Just after I recovered from my fracture , I collapsed and fell sick . I suffered from viral fever, throat and stomach infection simultaneously , started experiencing chills with fever in the evenings. A physician who had a clinic where we lived suggested I get blood transfusion as my Hb was 6 . We then decided to go to Apollo and get a second opinion. The Physician there suspected MM after a few preliminary tests.

A few tests like LFT, RFT and CBP can help in pointing towards MM.

A high ESR because of inflammation in the body. CBC Report gives the ESR value.

A high Serum Creatinine in RFT report.

Serum Globulin in LFT would also be beyond the limit.

Hb would also be low as per CBC report.

These are some of the parameters that can give away MM to a discerning physician.

Further tests including Bome marrow tests Electrophoresis will be done to confirm.

Thanks to Allopathy and Alternative treatments for giving me a second chance. I am actually living a healthier , productive and happier life after my Stem Cell Transplant followed by Ayurvedic treatment and proper diet.

So glad I got a second chance to tread this beautiful planet.

You too can !!

Have faith in the treatments and in yourself.