The Whooping cough did unrepairable damage to my body and health in many many ways and I have suffered the consequences all my life. When I finished school and went to University I was just 47 kilos, remained a bag of bones from the time I had the damn whooping cough.
In 1960 at age 14 when I was in year 8 at school, both my knees were playing up. Every time I squatted both knees would click and the click was followed by excruciating pain.
This posed problems playing soccer or cricket when I had to field. My older sister Sharmila who was then a medical student secretly took me without my fathers knowledge to see the top orthopaedic surgeon and head of the department, Dr.Natesan at Madras Medical College.
He examined me thoroughly and diagnosed it as "Congenital Discoid Cartilage", a condition that would progressively get worse as I grew older and eventually my knees will get locked and it was best to operate on both the knees straight away.
Now we had to tell our Dad and no one was game to bell the Cat. My mother declined though she was worried about my knees my sisters and I were scared stiff. Finally my older sister mustered enough courage to tell him, she had taken me to hospital to find out what was wrong with my knees.
He did not want to hear about it and said in a loud voice so every one in the family could hear it "No Blaggard is going to put a knife on my Son ever, Understand all of you ?" he yelled.
Well my Dad was right and the surgeon was wrong; I am 73 years old and both my knees are fine, even now I am not a candidate for Knee repair or replacement.
I can happily go down on my knees and do weeding in the garden for hours even today. It is my back I have to watch as I have Sciatica from a prolapsed disc
Cannot imagine what would have happened to me had I had both knees operated at age 14.
Doctors are only human and they are not necessarily right always.
Did my Dad avert a Potential Disaster?
Yes I think so. ABSOLUTELY
I owe my Dad One.
Thank You Acha
In 1960 at age 14 when I was in year 8 at school, both my knees were playing up. Every time I squatted both knees would click and the click was followed by excruciating pain.
This posed problems playing soccer or cricket when I had to field. My older sister Sharmila who was then a medical student secretly took me without my fathers knowledge to see the top orthopaedic surgeon and head of the department, Dr.Natesan at Madras Medical College.
He examined me thoroughly and diagnosed it as "Congenital Discoid Cartilage", a condition that would progressively get worse as I grew older and eventually my knees will get locked and it was best to operate on both the knees straight away.
Discoid cartelage in adolescents
Now we had to tell our Dad and no one was game to bell the Cat. My mother declined though she was worried about my knees my sisters and I were scared stiff. Finally my older sister mustered enough courage to tell him, she had taken me to hospital to find out what was wrong with my knees.
He did not want to hear about it and said in a loud voice so every one in the family could hear it "No Blaggard is going to put a knife on my Son ever, Understand all of you ?" he yelled.
Well my Dad was right and the surgeon was wrong; I am 73 years old and both my knees are fine, even now I am not a candidate for Knee repair or replacement.
I can happily go down on my knees and do weeding in the garden for hours even today. It is my back I have to watch as I have Sciatica from a prolapsed disc
Cannot imagine what would have happened to me had I had both knees operated at age 14.
Doctors are only human and they are not necessarily right always.
Did my Dad avert a Potential Disaster?
Yes I think so. ABSOLUTELY
I owe my Dad One.
Thank You Acha
