Archive for 2014

Home Archive for 2014

I never really used to pay attention to my diet or care about what was healthy for me or not. Food was always more about taste than anything else.And during my hostel years ,Food was just about " I ate because I HAD to " !
It was all about going out in restaurants and tasting different cuisines .
Also I don't remember falling sick that much . So I never felt concerned about my health either.

But last year I felt a certain kind of needle poking sharp pain on left side of my chest that got worse when I took a deep breath .But that was it .No other symptoms. I thought it was just a muscle strain and it would go away if I rested.And it did.The pain was gone in three days.

Few months later, I had severe headache and fever. I just took a paracetamol and slept over it.Next day ,the fever was back. Again I thought this would be seasonal or viral , & should go away in 3-4 days.
The fever was getting worse and around 5th day I felt shortness of breath. And I started to cough but that was dry. I went to a physician. Even he felt it was just a viral thing ,and started antibiotics ,after getting my blood report done. The reports were Normal.

The fever rose to 105 degrees ! And the meds just weren't working. Two days later ,I went to the doc again.This time he had me tested for Enteric fever.The reports were Negative.
And the chest pain was back. This time it was worse .It would pain when I coughed or even when I slept on the opposite side. At last the doc advised me for a chest X ray !And that was it !My left Lung was not even visible properly in the X ray! The infection had increased that much! I had Pleural Effusion! And Immediately I was admitted .And the plan was to tap the infected fluid to give me symptomatic relief.
.They tapped around 1 litre of fluid that day! and started my meds.That was my First minor surgery.
I thought that I would be okay now after I got discharged. But Somehow the Fever was not subsiding. I still had 105 and that too the fever spiked about 2 to 3 times a day. The doc asked me to keep patience and continue the meds. 15 days later ,No change in my Fever pattern. The doc asked me to get another X ray. This time the Fluid was More than last time !

I knew it was time to change the doc!

Went to a Lung specialist . All the tests were repeated .And it was decided that they will perform a biopsy of the infected tissue.

I was so frustrated but I had no other choice. I was admitted again. And they TRIED to insert the fiberoptic cam for analysis. However the fluid had gotten so thick that they couldn't even insert the cam properly! They decided to stop this surgery and Do an Open Lung surgery in Emergency. This was my Second minor surgery and I was under sedation when I agreed for the Major surgery that would apparently go on for hours!

When I woke up, I couldnt remember anything but I felt severe Pain on my left side and wasnt able to move on my own. I was in ICU and since no one was allowed inside,I had no one from my family besides me. I would say that was one of the most horrible day of my Life .My Lung was Decorticated and that was my Third surgery in two months !

Dammit! Now atleast can I expect to be okay ?!! NO..The fever continued for one more month after all this! Above that I lost my voice for almost a week and wasnt able to eat anything since I had big ulcers everywhere in my mouth and throat because of the Intubation. And finally one day the fever stopped and never came back...!! Three months of high grade fever and 9 months of medications after that. I hate medicines and I had to take almost 6-7 meds every single day for 9 months! And the side effects : Vomiting everyday.., I got Gout ...couldn't walk or bend my legs because of high dose of medicines!
The only Peaceful time I can remember was when my Mom use to hug me and hold me and Give me all the strength that I needed to get through this .

Finally I Survived.
This June all my treatment finally stopped and my reports were all Clear.

I have a huge scar on my back now that reminds me everyday of this terrible experience that I had.
But all this for what ?? Why did it happen ??!!
I only got one answer : Low Immunity !
Every single day we come in contact with different people . We dont know what infections they have and most of the time even they are not aware !And you cant expect to cover your face whole day with a mask..practically not possible.

And when you catch any germs ,they dont act right away, They remain latent in your body and when at certain times ,your Immunity gets low, they become active and attack.

After all this happened, I have been constantly reading about Immunity and I came to know that a simple care about what you must include in your diet can save you from such diseases. Its that easy! EAT RIGHT !I would definitely share about all the foods that boost up immunity in my next post ! Soon !
And hope that it would be helpful to someone in someway or the other ...!

In this post, I will be talking about my daily skin care routine .As everyone knows, the three basic steps to follow daily for a good skin are Cleaning ,Toning & Moisturizing.
I wash my face with a facewash [ soaps don't suit my skin ], currently I have been using Lakme. It basically removes the dirt & the impurities from the skin.However you should always use Warm water to wash your face as it opens up the pores.Splash your face with warm water & apply facewash properly & then rinse it with Cold water, that will close the pores. I have normal skin so I keep on trying different products but If you have oily or dry skin, you should choose your facewashes accordingly.

#beautyproducts #lakme #ponds #vaseline #girls #gorgeous #dailyskincare

After washing your face ,pat dry it with a clean towel and apply Toner.
For Toning, I use Rosewater. I have been using it for quite some time now & it has really worked wonders for my skin. My skin is glowing like never before and also gives a feeling of freshness. If you want to feel relaxed and get rid of your tiredness,just soak some cotton guaze in rosewater and keep it over your closed eyes and relax! you can apply rosewater using a cotton pad or just sprinkle enough to make your face feel damp and let it get absorbed on its own.I also apply it over my arms and legs.
After about 5-10 minutes, you can apply moisturizer on your skin. I prefer Olay and Ponds for my face and Vaseline Lotion for my arms and legs.
During daytime , I make sure I use a cream with SPF in it and apply it half an hour before I go out in the sun as my skin really tends to get tanned!
If you want a lighter skin tone, you can go for Ponds White Beauty with SPF 15. It also lightens the dark spots. However you have to apply it evenly or else patches will be visible on your face. Its really light and you dont get the oily or sticky feeling.
On my arms and legs, I use Vaseline Healthy White with SPF 24 during daytime. It moisturizes and also gives your skin a lighter tone .
Before sleep I follow the same routine of cleaning ,toning and moisturizing. However I dont use creams with SPF.
Simply because its not required and also if you use plain moisturizers, it gives your skin a chance to breathe.(Creams with SPF may clog your skin pores ).So for my face I use Ponds Silk cream and for my arms and legs I use Vaseline Total Moisture.
For my palms and feet, I use Vaseline Jelly because my skin in these areas tends to get more dry .
Scrubbing your skin is also important to remove the black heads and white heads ,exfoliate and remove the dead skin cells ,leaving your skin really soft and also giving a glow to your face .Different kinds of scrubs are available like apricot, stawberry etc. However it should only be used once or twice a Week...because if used daily, it can really dry out your skin . Foot scrubs are also available for your feet skin care.Lately I have been using Lakme facial cleanup at home. It is a set of three : facewash, face scrub and face mask. However I use the scrub and mask only once a week. Face masks work amazingly for your skin and again you should always choose the one that suits your skin.
Last but not the least : Water ! lots n lots of water to help your skin Hydrated !
There are some homemade natural masks that benefit your skin, that I have personally tried and tested. Will be writing about those in my later posts !
Till then Keep reading & Feel Beautiful !

Just few days back, an image popped up on my phone ,it was a message from my friend.
the pic was mine ,it was a facebook profile ,but that profile wasn't mine ! It was under a different name...a name that I hadn't even heard before.
I got panicky, right away I knew, someone was stealing my pictures. But my Fb pictures were locked. I checked to find out that all the pictures that were used were my Instagram photos !
My friend was alert enough to inform all my other friends and asked me to do the same. It was the right decision. Though some of my friends were in a different city...They called up the police and also reported the fake profile. I gathered my senses and did the same. Also I was fortunate enough to know some people who could contact Fb directly and informed what exactly had happened. Next morning I got up to the news that the fake profile was removed.
That was fortunate for me.Maybe most of you dont understand the seriousness about this , but those who have actually been through something similar , will know how scary this can get.
I would definitely advise especially girls, Instead of getting scared and hiding something like this, Inform as many people as you can. You will definitely get all the help and support that you need. And there is no need to worry because your real friends will never judge you ,and always support you.
All such things are not less than any crime and should be reported immediately. The Police and Cyber Crime Cells are there to help. Such perverts should be punished. Because who knows there will be so many more fake profiles like this and many of the girls whose pictures are being used wouldn't even be aware about this!
Many people told me that its better if I keep my photos private on Instagram. What I dont understand is how will I ever know what kind of people send me follow request , I mean are they good or are they sick by mind?!! You can never know !! And is this really a reason to give up what you like and share it with your friends and family?!! For what??? For such pathetic people??!!!
I actually think that there should be a pop up notification when someone screenshots your photos on Instagram! Why not ?!!!!
Also If Fb notifies you when you get tagged in a picture, Why can't they have something like a face recognition ?!! So when someone uploads your pictures ,you can get notified ! and people who are celebs can always choose to keep that notifications off ! I guess something like this can be really helpful.
I have been reading news about how some kids photos were stolen ,and then that photos were used to sell the kid for a certain amount of money & how the kid actually got kidnapped for ransom!
I mean all this is really serious and social networking sites should really consider this and upgrade for everyone's safety.
I really hope that whoever reads this ,can pass on the message, so that all such cyber criminals can stop messing with other people's life! To use anyone's photos to accomplish your own lame purposes is not right ! and severe actions should be taken against such sick people ...!