By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
As I messaged friends, colleagues and relatives the other day, I was not nervous when we rushed to the hospital dawn of Dec. 1 as I was going through a heart attack. My lungs were filled with water so I had a hard time breathing. The medical causes are complex and boring—weak heart due to a blockade, damaged kidneys caused by uncared for “high blood,” etc. For many years, my first line of defense against these for decades was being a smart aleck or a pilosopo. Look where it got me. Your first lesson from me is always consult a real doctor, not a pretender.
After my breathing got stabilized on our first day, me and my wife were led to the covid isolation room where we were isolated until the result of the covid test came out the next day. Once the negative result came out, we were transferred to a ward.
Once I could breath well on that first day, I had the feeling it would not be long before we would be out from the hospital which is always not a nice place to be in.
Through all those moments, what kept me strong was my Ananda Marga Yoga mantra. It is just one short word that you chant or repeat again and again. It is actually an intense prayer encapsulated in that short word. Yes, in instances like those, when your life is in the balance, an intense prayer is your best companion. It will keep your composure and you would be at peace with yourself no matter what happened. And that is your second lesson, that might be the best one.
Yoga is not just for physical exercises or for relaxation. It is those and a lot, lot more. It is for spiritual realization which cannot be explained. It’s got to be experienced. It is not contrary and it transcends whatever religion you might have.
In the covid isolation room, my wife did everything. She burned the phone to keep business going even if in a highly compromised way. She cleaned me up and made sure I would not collapse helpless while in the CR. She took care vegetarian meals were brought to us from the outside.
When we got out on the 4th day, it was nice to pet our welcoming dogs when we got home but we had to adjust to a different world.
First were the shocking prices of the numerous medicines. These almost got us floored in the drugstore.
Taking in those medicines everyday made my innards so acidic, I think. My tummy and chest would feel like bursting out which made me weak. At one time I tried to counter it by drinking water at room temperature. It made me throw up, with which I was not able to reach the kitchen sink. The vomit got splattered on the floor.
When I tried to rinse my mouth by gargling cold water early in the morning, I could not do it. I would throw up. I could not drink and eat well. So I was getting weak. Then I discovered the solution. Drinking and gargling with warm or hot water. I also ate warm or hot food. That way, I licked the acidity in my innards and I got better at eating and drinking the limited amount of water I was allowed. With my improved appetite I was and am slowly getting stronger. When I woke up in the middle of the night hungry due to the acidity in my tummy, there was always hot water ready and I would drink and eat a slice of plain bread to counter it.
Another bad effect of the acidity and my limited liquid intake was a terrible constipation. The doctor prescribed a syrup for it but due to its lactose content, it made me a farting machine– farting, here, there and everywhere. Luckily, by chance I discovered the antidote for the constipation, virgin coconut oil.
There was an old movie whose title escapes me right now. Julia Roberts starred there and she acted the hell out her role as a nurse to the son of a rich man who was undergoing chemotherapy. He was always in pain, battling cancer. After the chemo sessions, he would often run to the toilet bowl to throw up, with Julia Roberts rushing behind him to make sure he would not “drown” in the toilet bowl. She would take his head on her arms to comfort him. And then would clean him up. She took care of all the things he needed. She was falling for him but the sad truth was he was dying. And so the sad end.
My wife was and is not Julia Roberts but for me she was and is as beautiful, and is even more. She was there every minute of those difficult times. This and for so many other reasons, I messaged all people I could reach, that we should all love our wives second to God. They are and will always be the ones to run after us to the toilet bowl to throw up and make sure we will not “drown” or die there due to heart attack. And then they would clean us up and comfort us. Men would not do as much.
And that is the final lesson.**
