Shutterbug's Blog

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

Monthly Archives: December 2021


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…Contd….Third day into my Sore Throat episode

Last night I took nebulisation as I was feeling some tightness in my chest. I know it is because my lungs are yet to expel the phlegm that has formed and the congestion is what makes me breathless. This is the main issue that all with Bronchitis experience.

Slept well last night.

Today is the third day after my Sore throat began. I woke up at 5 am feeling quite normal .

However, to recover completely, the phlegm that has accumulated in the lungs has to be expelled. After 2 hours of waking up , I started coughing up the phlegm and this gave me a lot of relief. This phlegm has to be spat out and should not be swallowed.

After brushing up , I took 2 teaspoons of the herbal cough syrup. This syrup is specially for Bronchitis and the ingredients are all natural herbs.

After a while, I took Mishran powder mixed in water. Both the Cough syrup and Mishran powder are prescribed by my Ayurveda Doctor.

I made lunch and breakfast for hubby with support from hubby in the kitchen….for cutting up the veggies etc.

Hubby went off to work and I had a nice bowl of papaya.

Took a shower after two days and did my puja. Thanked the Almighty for recovering quickly. Thanked and blessed my Ayurveda Doctor for being there for me whenever I needed his advise. Thankful to my family members for taking care of me and bearing with my tantrums during the last two days.

Made myself some kichdi for lunch and enjoyed a hot bowl.

Came across kili Paul’s bollywood songs and spent some time enjoying their videos. Found him very expressive while singing ,I mean lip syncing,.

Spent the afternoon planning for dinner. Started preparations for making Karela fry and Brinjal dal for dinner.

Also soaked Urad Dal and rice to prepare Dosa batter for tomorrow’s breakfast. This has to soak for a minimum of 5-6 hours before we grind them in a mixer-grinder. This is my Son’s duty 🙂

This evening I received my online order for a plant. Was glad that the stems were intact and actually started growing some shoots. Went to my garden after two days and immediately planted these stems in a container. Yet to learn the name of this plant ,but it has nice big yellow flowers. Will update on this plant later.

Here is a short video while planning the stems

Took nebulisation and started cooking at 6pm and was done by 8pm. Took lot of breaks in between…watched a karela recipe fry on YouTube and prepared accordingly.

Karela is one vegetable which can be relished only if prepared meticulously and takes a lot of time. I wanted to prepare chicken curry for Hubby and Son but my son insisted I should take some rest. Chicken curry would have been easier and faster 🙂

Had dinner by 8pm.

Will take another round of Cough syrup and Mishran powder before I hit the pillow.

So glad I feel almost normal now.

~ Sarvesham Svasthir Bhavathu ~


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Second day into my Sore throat issues

Night of Day 1:

Last night , my Bronchitis worsened and my throat was beginning to burn as I was coughing a lot.

Yesterday, my Ayurveda Doctor, advised me not to start nebulisation.

It was late night and I was unable to tolerate the breathlessness and burning throat.

So, I decided to take nebulisation and felt better this morning.

My condition this morning :

This morning at 8am I updated my Ayurveda Doctor on my condition. He advised me to start an antibiotic or take one Herbal tablet. However, I have not yet started these as I wanted to wait till evening.

My coughing episodes have reduced and soreness in the throat too has reduced. I was continuing to cough up some watery phlegm all morning.

I was in no mood to eat ,so I had papaya for breakfast.

I was feeling mild breathlessness throughout the morning but was able to manage. I continued to take the herbal cough syrup and Mishran powder every 6 hours.

My condition in the afternoon :

I had idli and sambar for lunch. Ordered from a restaurant. Felt nice to eat idli with hit sambar.

By afternoon, my breathing was getting tougher though coughing was much lesser. I decided to take nebulisation in the late afternoon. Felt very comfortable after the nebulisation.

For dinner I had Rice with Rasam. My taste buds have lost their sense of taste and Rasam is one dish that tastes good when one is sick. Rasam is sour,salty ,tangy and peppery. It is like a soup made with all healthy ingredients like pepper, cumin seeds, garlic, coriander seeds, turmeric powder tomatoes, tamarind/lemon juice ,curry leaves and coriander leaves. All these ingredients boost the immunity too. Most South Indians prefer this comforting food , rice with rasam, when they are sick.

It is 8pm now and I feel much better. Breathing is normal and cough has reduced too.

As of now ,I don’t see any reason to go for the COVID test.

Hopefully things are under control now.

Hope to sleep well tonight :).


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Down with Severe Sore throat after more than 2 years

How it started :

Just when I was celebrating my ongoing Root canal treatment ,I woke up this morning with discomfort in my throat. I immediately drank a concoction made with a powder that I always have at home. I always keep stock of this powder and consume it whenever I sense  some trouble in my throat. I get this Mishran powder from my Ayurveda Doctor.

The usual worry started as I began to think how I ended up with a sore throat. What might have triggered this. I have been successfully managing well for the last two years and never did it get this bad.

BTW my son caught a cold three days ago and I was constantly giving him Herbal remedies. Today is the third day and he has almost recovered.

Did I catch the bacteria/virus at the Dental clinic. This was precisely the reason why I was avoiding to visit the Dentist.  Was it at Starbucks , I hadn’t visited any eating place during the last two years.

Me and my son did a little cleaning at home a few days ago. We did wear masks while cleaning. All of us are allergic to house dust and do our best to keep the house dust free.

Was the dust ,after vacuuming, lingering inside the house and did we inhale that dangerous stuff or did I catch the virus from my son. I made sure I was nowhere close to him during the last two days.

Hmmm….whatever be the reason , it is here to stay 🙁

Advise from my Ayurveda Doctor:

Called my Ayurveda Doctor and described my  symptoms. I asked him if I should go for a COVID test and he told me to wait for a day.

Whenever I have severe sore throat, I usually end up with  Bronchitis. I began coughing up watery phlegm and when I told about this ,he suggested a Herbal tonic. I was able to get this tonic from a local Ayurveda store

If the Bronchitis gets severe ,I will have to start taking nebulisation. I have a portable nebulizer at home. The doctor advised me not to start nebulisation yet.

It is 6pm now. Since morning I have been taking the  Concotion and the herbal tonic every 6 hours. Not feeling comfortable yet. The irritation in the throat continues.

Hoping there will be some improvement by end of the day.


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May 2020 :

Inflammation of Gums

This was the time when most of the world was in Lockdown. The dreaded Corona virus made sure everyone was forced to stay put at home. This was one of those rare times when people didn’t dare to visit a hospital even for routine checkups. Thanks to technology , most hospitals came up with online video consultation.

It was during this time that I started to have pain in my gums on the left lower side of my jaw. I immediately messaged my Ayurveda doctor and he told me to make a video call at a particular time. I usually consult my Ayurveda doctor for all minor issues too. I called at the scheduled time and he wanted to see the area via video. I went outdoors as it was bright outside and he saw that the gums were red and swollen.

Herbal Medicine for Inflammation of Gums :

He suggested a herbal medication that has to be used to brush my teeth instead of the regular toothpaste. I followed his advise and found that the pain reduced after brushing a few times and vanished in a couple of days. I felt relieved and happy that the pain subsided. Little did I know what was in store.

I continued using this herbal toothpaste.

Covid lockdown was lifted and life began to get back to normalcy.

Nov 20:

Teeth Chipping and Pain

I noticed that one tooth on the left side, at the site of pain , began chipping off. I had pain whenever I bit something using that teeth. While eating , at times some food would get stuck in the cavity and caused a lot of pain. Slowly , I got used chewing using only the right side of my mouth. Almost half the teeth broke off .

I was apprehensive to visit my Dentist inspite of Covid guidelines being relaxed.

I continued using the herbal tablet for a year and managed successfully.

Nov 21:

Duration and Stages of Root Canal Treatment

A couple of weeks ago the pain got worse and the Herbal tablet wasn’t helping me.

I was forced to visit my Dentist and finally took an appointment.

A Root Canal Treatment had to be done.

A Root Canal specialist examined the tooth and prescribed an antibiotic for 5 days ,as there was an infection in the teeth which was causing the pain. I had to come for the next visit after I completed taking the antibiotics.

During the second visit , when the infection was gone , the Root canal specialist cleaned up the root of the teeth. This process is a bit painful and I did make some noise to signal to the dentist whenever I felt pain. Just bear with a little pain and then life will soon be wonderful. The dentist then filled the cavity with temporary cement. I was told not to chew food on the left side. I had minor pain for a few hours after the process which was soon forgotten.

I was told to come back after a week.

During the third visit , the Cap Specialist took over . She removed the temporary filling and closed the cavity with a permanent filling. The remaining teeth was scraped off completely and the filling was shaped into a small teeth like structure and is in the same colour as the teeth . There was no pain whatsoever . A soft moulding material was used to take an impression of the teeth on the top and bottom. This will be used to manufacture a cap/crown which will be fixed over the temporary teeth. I was advised not to chew food on the left side for a few days.

I am now done with three visits that spanned for almost 15 days. The final cap/crown will be fixed during my next visit.

Feeling good that I will be able to eat comfortably in a few days.

Yayyyy !!

Here are a few pics from recent times –

Puja in Karthika month.

Visit to Starbucks on way back from the Dentist.

Latest harvest from my tiny garden.

That’s all for now.

Please continue to take all precautions against Corona and its variants which seem to be never ending 🙁