Tormenting Diarrhea

Precisely six days ago, I had come across this term in a document that I was editing. Use of such a descriptive, almost emotive, adjective to a physical phenomenon such as diarrhea is not unknown in the medical field—“explosive diarrhea” and “projectile vomiting” are common terms. But this was somehow funny.

Ironically enough, within a week, I had a bout of gastroenteritis, from which I’m recovering at the moment, which could be described as “tormenting diarrhea.” It started on the night of my gig Thursday night with Cirkles. I wasn’t feeling ill or anything, except for stomach cramps.

After reaching home from the gig, I must have visited the toilet at least a dozen times during the night, each time hoping that it would be the last. I couldn’t sleep the whole night and was running a mild fever. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the necessary medications at home. I finally managed to doze off after sunrise. By the time I woke up, I was exhausted and could barely drag myself out of my bed.

I managed to drink some apple juice from the refrigerator and went back to bed. I got up again early afternoon and decided that I had to have something solid to eat. I was craving for “kanji,” or the rice soup, the preferred dietary rehabilitative therapy for all maladies in Kerala. I made kanji and could only have a half bowl before collapsing into bed again.

Thus I broke my one and half months of a rice-free diet. By evening, I was slightly better and was able to go down to the chemist to buy me the necessary antibiotics to fight my gastroenteritis. Since then, I have been ordering out from the restaurant nearby—ordering all kind of rice dishes that I have been resisting in the last month and half.

I’m much better now, two days into the antibiotic course. I’m so glad that this happened during the one three-day weekend—Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi being celebrated here—that I get during the year. Although it wasn’t really festive for me, it was the first time that I had come down with a food-related ailment after setting afoot in Mumbai. Time to celebrate a first!