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

Category Archives: survivor


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First COVID +ve case confirmed in my company followed by panic

The first COVID +ve case in my company was confirmed yesterday.Thousands of Employees and Non-Employees work in our company. The news spread like wildfire within minutes in all the different whatsapp groups. All the primary contacts of this person have been told to quarantine themselves at home.

Our HR department immediately convened a series a meetings and formed a few committees which will oversee such cases. Procedures to inform HR regarding sysmptoms, going for the test , quarantine for self and family , referrals to Panel hospitals etc were quickly decided and circulated on our Intranet.

Senior colleagues in my department met this morning to decide as to how we can restrict movement of others coming into our building. It was decided to put up a barricade at the Main door of the building and have the door manned so as to stop others from entering our building. The decision was implemented immediately and we heaved a sigh of relief. Glad that we have reduced the probability of the virus sneaking in.

I had always been wondering as to how people are get infected , in spite of taking all possible precautions. I got my answer today when I observerd a colleague taking of his mask while talking on the phone. I noticed that he touched his face several times during the conversation. After his talk ended , I told him my observations and he was surprised. I now have a clue as to how we are committing blunders …. purely by ignorance. Even the so called educated are not exempt from such blunders.

All my family and well wishers are worried for me and have been suggesting that I work from home . Unfortunately our HR doesnt permit WFH , as we are a manufacturing company. The maximum possible is to work in Shifts , so the workforce is staggered. But with thousands of people it is not practical.

The best we can do it to limit meeting coworkers , have very short conversations, not to remove the mask at any cost and keep sanitising the hands.

The Enemy has surrounded us. Have to be very cautious at every step. Quite possible that I might have touched the virus and then gave it a nice wash with the sanitizer 🙂

Have to be overly cautious as I have comorbidities.

I still feel confident that I can defeat the enemy 🙂


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My current Diet – “Natural Lifestyle”

I had mentioned about my new diet in one of my earlier posts. I am currently following the Diet recommended by an organisation named “Natural Lifestyle” .

I read all about the founder Shri Acharya Mohan Gupta and his Gurus. Watched a lot of videos on their youtube channel. I got convinced to follow the diet prescribed by him.

The diet recommends Intermittent fasting for 16 hours every day. Most of the food is eaten raw and only one meal during the whole day comprises of cooked food.

The diet is based on the belief that ” One who eats once a day is a Yogi, who eats twice a day is a Bhogi and who eats thrice a day is a Rogi “

In the above statement the food that is eaten is food that is cooked.

The aim is to eat just one cooked meal in a day and Raw food / juice during the other meal times.

This diet helps in cleansing the body and to treat diseases.

Here is my diet on any normal day :

Pre-Breakfast : 8 am – one glass of Ash gourd juice

Breakfast : 10am – A plateful of Raw vegetables with a few slices of coconut

Lunch : 1-2pm – 3 Composite Rotis with lots of vegetable curry

Dinner : 6-7pm – A plateful of fruits (any one type of fruit) with a few slices of raw coconut

This has been my diet for the last 5 months.

I do cheat once in a while and eat a little bit of regular food like rice with curry or vegetable fried rice or breakfasts like upma , dosa and junk food like noodles too 🙂

I have lost a lot of weight after following this diet. My family and colleagues do comment on my appearance but I am happy as long as i am healthy.

I am able to carry out simple tasks like cooking , going to work and spend some time in my garden. Not doing much physical work .

So far so good.

It is a bit cumbersome to follow this diet as my diet is different from the diet of family and this requires more cooking time. Hubby and I plan our meals and so we are comfortable.

Very difficult to control the senses of taste and smell :). There are times when I feel, what is life if I am unable to eat all that I would like to. But I console myself that i have to do anything and everything to stay alive and this keeps me motivated to continue this diet 🙂

~


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Lock-Down Dairies – 22 May 2020 : Update on my Multiple Myeloma, my Curry leaves harvest

Been a while since I updated on my Multiple Myeloma.

This is the 9th year after my Stem Cell Transplant. I have been taking only Ayurvedic Medication for the last 4 years.

There are other detailed posts in the past where I wrote all about in detail.

I am continuing to take Circumin, Ashwagandha , Satavari , Tinaspora Cordifolia as per the advise of my Ayurveda Doctor.

I also take few Allopathy medications like Folvite ( for better absorption of Iron), Renerve (for peripheral Neuropathy), Antoxid HC (Multivitamins) and Feburic 20 (to regulate Uric acid) .

Apart from the above , I also have been following the lifestyle prescribed by ‘Natural Lifestyle’ , since 4 months. I have lost some weight due to the restricted diet. I do feel healthy otherwise. Just that I can’t physically exert myself a lot. Able to manage quite well even during the lock-down period doing all household chores with support from hubby and son 🙂

I did the routine Blood tests 2 months ago (just before the lock-down) and the reports say that all is well.

However, it is 1 year 4 months since I did the Bone Marrow test. I feel it may not be necessary as I feel good and my routine tests including Serum Globulin levels were normal in the recent tests.

I am also back to work in spite of all the restrictions and risks.

I am dependent on my driver whenever . Doing my best to ensure that my Driver is also healthy. Provided Masks, Face Shield, Sanitizer , Liquid soap and gave him instructions on maintaining social distance and washing hands frequently.

Getting used to co-exist with the C-virus. With a little care and attention it should be possible to deal with it.

Harvesting curry leaves in my tiny garden :

I was all the while assuming that the curry leaf plant should be allowed to grow as much as possible before we start harvesting the leaves. I recently learnt that the branches should be cut frequently so as to encourage further growth of new stems.

So, I decided to cut off one of the biggest stems today. Here it is-

I then separated all the leaves, washed them well and dried them well.

This is usually how i prepare curry leaves before i pack them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator.

These leaves are going to last me more than a week. Feels so good to be able to grow your own food ,that too organically grown 🙂

~ Stay safe ~


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Lock-Down Dairies – 14 Mar 20 : Hubby is back to work , Vegetables to be sown in May, Plastic shields inside cabs

Hubby is back to work today after almost 50 days of social distancing. While getting ready to go to work and wearing socks and shoes he said , ‘I feel like a school kid going to school after Summer vacation’ 🙂 .

I have a few emply containers now and ready to sow some seeds. I googled to find out which seeds are best sown in May and found that Parwal , colocasia, ginger, turmeric, onion, capsicum, okra, brinjal, chilli, coriander are to be sown now.

I had planted 4 colocasia roots in the beginning of May unknowingly and two of them are growing.

Colocasia

I sowed chilli seeds last month and transplanted them around the last week of April. They are growing too. I have capsicum seeds and sowed them today.

I too have to start going to work from 18 May onwards. I called my Ayurveda Doctor to ask him for his advise, as I depend on a Driver. He asked me questions like , where does he stay , whether he stays in a slum or a proper house, whether he has a separate bath/toilet . Said I should give him Tinaspora cordifolia and zincovit . That I should keep the car windows open , if possible use a full face cover , to use a plastic shield between the front and back seat of the car, to spray sanitizer on this cover frequently.

I know one vendor who is supplying Face shields and I am checking if he can give me a few. He is usually supplying to Hospitals and Health workers.

The plastic shield in the car is something that I was hearing for the first time.I assumed that a lot of people in Mumbai are already using these as the number of C19 cases in Mumbai is very high. Doctor lives in Mumbai. I looked up on the Internet to check for some pictures as to how these plastic shields are fixed and came across very few videos that too only from China. These are being widely used by Cab drivers.

A thick plastic sheet fixed between the front seats and back seats

Got an idea as to how to fix these shields . I now have to get hold of a two sided tape and a big thick plastic sheet. Seems like a big project. But I like the idea. Very useful for people like me who are dependant on a driver to move around. Surely the Drivers too would prefer to be safe and this is a great way.

Hopefully these plastic shields will soon be available in the market.

Anything and everything to be safe.

Take Care folks !!


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Lock-Down Dairies – 13 May 20 : Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Birthday, back to work from 18 May 20 ,Heart attacks /fear of COVID / frustration because of Lock-Down

13 May is Guruji’s Birthday. I heard about Art of Living in 2001 . Very soon came across a course being conducted by Art of living close to where I lived. I immediately jumped at the idea of attending this course. The 6 day ,3 hour sessions were excellent and definitely transformed me internally. I soon bought a lot of books which were all about the knowledge sessions including several question answer sessions . I enjoyed reading these books which helped me deal with day to day situations and also satisfied my spiritual quest to some extent. I also learnt Pranayama and Meditation which I had always been curious about.

All the knowledge, pranayama and Meditation helped me extensively during my diagnosis and treatment of Multiple Myeloma and continue to help me.

I am extremely grateful to Guruji for showing that spirituality is the solution for all problems in this world , for making me a strong person and giving me the courage to fight for my life.

Happy Birthday, Guruji !!

Received a circular from our HR department today regarding starting of operations for all employees from 18 May 20. Called my Driver and told him to come back from his village. Hardly any checks/restrictions by police these days. Namesake Lockdown. Mentally getting prepared for resuming work. Though there is an exception for those with health issues to work from home, I am planning to resume work.

A lot of cases of heart attacks these days. People who are hypertensive or have had heart surgeries/ angioplasty seem to be affected a lot by the media propaganda that they are in the high risk population ,resulting in heart attacks. Can’t really pin point but surely the scare is definitely having an impact is my guess. A lot of men are unable to stay idle at home and would be frustrated, unlike women who have become busier during the lockdown.


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Lock-Down Dairies – 10 May 20 : Mother’s Day , Video on how I make Ash gourd juice , Lockdown Party with extended family , Mangoes from neighbours Mango tree

Today is Mother’s day . I usually meet Mom every year on this day and wish her. This year my parents are in the village as they had decided to stay back during the lockdown period.

” Love you Amma for always encouraging me and being a very strong pillar of support in my worst times, for giving me a second life in this life “

I decided to make a video on how I prepare my Ash gourd juice each morning. Had been drinking this juice since 15 Jan 20 but somehow was unable to make a video. Finally did it today 🙂 .

Here is the link :

Here is my Breakfast for today:

I put carrots and coconut slices in the mixer grinder. I love the sweet taste and prefer this rather than eating them separately. Easier to chew too :).

My Sister and Brother live with their families very close by and we all haven’t met since the lockdown. We decided to have a Tea-party this evening. Each of us brought some snacks along with Tea and water melon juice.

I made ‘Pesara pongananu (Moong Dal fritters) using a Cast iron Paniyaram Pan, Chutney with Bengal gram and coconut, Watermelon juice and Tea.

Pesara ponganaalu in a cast iron Paniyaram pan

My Sister brought Bhelpuri and Mango Kesari and my SIL brought Samosas.

We had the get-together in our stilt floor which is totally open and used only for parking the cars and bikes. We started the party by sitting a little far from each other but very soon we all got closer to each other 🙂

It was wonderful and we plan to have potluck lunch next Sunday.

There’s a huge Mango tree in our neighbours yard and a lot of branches are spread over our plot. Each year during this season we pluck the Mangoes that grow in our plot 🙂 . Today we decided to pluck the mangoes and there were a lot of them. Shared them with my brother and Sister . These are the big juicy mangoes and we are going to ripen them naturally using a Jute bag. I also plan to slice a few mangoes, dry them in the sun and store them for future use in various curries. We call them ‘Mamidikaaya Orugulu’.

I also plan to make Mamidikaaya pulihora, Mamidikaaya pappu , Sambhar for my family.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful strong . God can be easily experienced in Mom’s Love.


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Lock-Down Dairies – 9 May 2020 : My ‘Natural Lifestyle’ Diet and Daily routine

Time to share the exact diet that I have been following since 15 Jan 20.

This is the diet prescribed by ‘Natural Lifestyle’ lead by Acharya Mohan Gupta.

BTW, you can get all the details of this organisation at http://naturallifestyle.in/

The Day starts with a few yoga stretches that I am comfortable doing .

Followed by Pranayama and Meditation.

Use the Cotton Patti for 30 minutes.

Coming to my Diet –

Pre Breakfast : 8am

The first meal of the day is a glass of juice made from Ash Gourd. I make the juice using a juicer and it hardly takes 5 min.

Breakfast : 10am

A plate full of Raw vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, Beetroot etc. along with a fist full of coconut slices.

Lunch : 1-2 pm

2 Composite Rotis with lots of Curry.

This is the only cooked meal of the day.

Tea time : 4-5pm

If hungry one can eat coconut slices , drink coconut water or eat a fruit.

5.30pm

Use Cotton Patti for 30mins

Dinner : 6-7 pm

A plate full of fruits . Any one type of fruit may be eaten .

Appears very meagre compared to the ind of food that we usually eat. Thats the reason for ending up with numerous diseases.

It is difficult initially but when we have to choose between food or health then the answer is very clear.

~Om Shanthi~


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Lock-Down Dairies – 8 May 20 : My ‘Natural Lifestyle’ – Results of my Blood tests (Part – 3)

The results of my Blood Reports were sent to my mail id and i quickly opened the pdf file which had almost 12 pages.

As I was scrolling page by page , I was surprised to see my results unfold.

My Hb crossed 12 for the first time since my transplant.

My Thyroid levels were back to normal.

My ESR level for the first time was showing 26 . It was always more than 50 or 60

My Uric acid levels stabilised.

My Creatinine was always at 1 and now reduced to 0.9

My B12 was in the normal range too . I do take a supplement daily.

My Vitamin D3 levels was in the medium range.

Most importantly my Serum Globulin was perfect.

Woww , I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. All this with the simple diet and lifestyle that I was following for two and half montths. The only ‘side effect’ of the new lifestyle was that I lost 5 kgs in those two and half months.

I was prepared to look skinnier and be healthy rather then be sick and look chubbier.

I then decided to stop the medicine I was taking for Thyroid. I also started taking only one capsule of Shallaki for knee pains instead of two.

I continued the same diet and still continuing and intend to continue for ever.

I wrote a mail to Sarita ji and gave her my feedback and requested her to show my results to Acharya ji. She replied after a few days and said I should continue the same diet and I can continue to ask any further doubts.

I am allergic to dust and once during this period I had mild cough and bronchitis attack . Before I started following this lifestyle I used to take a herbal powder for my cough and take allopathy for the Bronchitis. (Much before I started Ayurveda medicines , I would take Antibiotics very frequently) . Whereas this time i did not take the herbal powder too , instead , as recommended by this lifestyle , I went on a liquid diet (White Chart) for 2 days and used the ‘Patti’ for four times each day and did the Enema 2 times each day. I also put my feet in warm water at night. I was miraculously fine on the third day 🙂

Kept watching the videos by Acharya Mohan ji and also the feedback given by many of the followers of this lifestyle. Very positive feedback given by those who had been suffering from Hypertension, Diabetes, Thyroid, Asthma, Constipation, Skin problems etc. I too have finally experienced the Miracles of a ‘Natural Lifestyle’ and hence wanted to share with all.

I feel quite energetic and continue to do simple chores like cooking , gardening and going to work.

I have been taking Ayurveda Medication like Curcumin, Ashwagandha , Tinaspora Cordifolia , Satavari for Multiple Myeloma since last 5 years and continuing them even after I started following ‘ Natural Lifestyle’ . I dont think I can stop or reduce these right now, but hopefully in future I should be able to reduce the dosage.

Will share my actual diet (Yellow Chart) and daily routine in my next post :))

Till then , Take care and Stay Safe !!


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Lock-Down Dairies – 7 May 20 : My ‘Natural Lifestyle’ – Cotton Patti , Non-violent Enema , Surya Snaan (Part – 2)

Was happy to know that Acharya Mohan ji said I should go ahead with their prescribed diet. It was already one month since I had started following their diet.

Along with the diet they recommend wearing a ‘Cotton Patti’ . I was using some towels at home for this purpose. This consists of wetting and wearing a coarse cloth around the stomach , the neck and the head. One can order this set of cloth pieces from their organisation and I finally decided to order. This process increases the blood circulation in the body.

They also recommend non-violent enema twice a day. After reading and watching several videos on this ,I decided to order one . They insist on enema as they believe that unclean bowels are one of the main causes of all diseases.

I continued the diet .I was losing weight. I lost 2kgs in one month. My colleagues noticed and commented. I explained what I was upto.Surely they would have concluded that I was messing with my body 🙂 .I tried convincing them that what I was doing is right. But who would want to give up all the yummy food and start eating all the bland food that I was eating :). We would all have lunch together and they did notice what I was eating.

I was into the second month and one day received the patti set and the enema set. The patti was comfortable and I started using them twice a day. After a few days I got the courage to use the enema kit. It did feel clumsy for a couple of days and I soon got used to it.

They also recommend ‘Surya snaan’ every morning. One has to wear minimum clothes and spend some time exposed to the early morning sun rays . I was unable to do this and all I could do was to spend a little time in the Sun after I went to my office.

I now felt that I am following the complete Natural lifestyle as advocated by Acharya ji.

I successfully completed two months and lost 2 more kilos. My energy levels were normal. I was able to manage work and home with the help of my maid ,cook and driver.

My body was feeling much cooler than it ever was and also lighter.

Around the mid of 3rd month of starting this diet I felt that I should do my routine blood tests like LFT, CBP, RFT , Thyroid, ESR, HB, Uric acid, B12 etc. It was also one year since I did the Bone Marrow test. Last year in Jan 19 my Oncologist said I can do it after one year. I wanted to first do the routine tests and then go for the actual test.

The Thyrocare guy came home and took the blood samples.

….to be continued


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Lock-down Dairies – 6 May 20 : My ‘Natural Lifestyle’ – How I started (Part -I)

Wanted to share my new diet with all for a long time. So, here it is –

I had come across a video by Subah jain via WhatsApp , sometime in the last quarter of 2019. I then looked her up on youtube and found two popular videos of hers. After watching them I was 50% convinced about what she was saying regarding cleansing and healing the body.

The methods and discipline recommended by her were very tough to follow. Requires a lot of self control and faith.

I would also read the comments on her videos to get some feedback on what others thought about the methods she was advocating. Someone had commented that she is following the diet prescribed by Acharya Mohan ji. I did some more digging and found videos by Acharya Mohan ji. Started watching his videos on youtube. He had started an organisation named ‘Natural Lifestyle’ and is based in Delhi. I watched many videos on their youtube channel. I would watch a few videos again and again till they made some sense. I then came across their Sunday live program on YouTube that started at 8am and went upto 1pm. This used to be a comprehensive program with a lot of details in a systematic manner. I  watched this live show for several weeks. I then came across their 4 day residential course happening in Delhi. I wanted to meet Mohan ji and ask if I should follow his diet and whether I would benefit. I also wanted to attend the residential program. It was exactly during this time that COVID was making its presence felt all over the world. Hence I cancelled my plans of going to Delhi.

I started following their diet to check how it feels and whether I will be able to withstand that kind of a diet. I did feel very weak after a week , as if my body would collapse. In one of the videos Mohan ji did mention that this is a common symptom and one should not give up at this stage. I held on to the diet and within few more days I began to feel stronger :). This gave me the confidence to go on. After a month I started calling their support team to clear some doubts . I also mentioned my case history but none seemed interested. I hung on and luckily found Ms Sarita who listened to me . I told her I want to talk to Acharya ji and that I would have attended their residential course if not for this new virus. She gave me an email address and told me to write and ask all my queries. I did get a reply and called Sarita ji again . I was very happy that Acharya ji did see my message and said I should continue this diet. Felt wonderful.

….to be continued