40 Plodding, and Procrastinating

The Hare and the Tortoise: A hare teased a tortoise for being so slow on its feet. The tortoise challenged the hare to a race, and dared it to win. The hare readily agreed and was amused at the idea of running a race with such a tardy rival. A fox agreed to be the judge and the race was started. Soon the hare was so far ahead that he thought of taking a brief nap and then resuming such an one-sided race. While the hare was fast asleep, the tortoise kept plodding on and in time reached the finish line.

Hari and Thomas were attending the same chest clinic for treatment. Both had a chronic lung condition called bronchiectasis. Their doctor explained to them the nature of the disease and how to take proper care: "The normal lung has a clearing mechanism to remove the germs and dirt particles along with the phlegm (mucus). In bronchiectasis, this mechanism fails. So every day, you have to adopt head down postures and drain the mucus using the pull of gravity. You must do this lung-toilet twice a day. Otherwise the mucus will stagnate, cause repeated infections and slowly destroy the lungs.” They were also taught to look for earlysigns of chest infection and take the appropriate treatment.

Thomas was meticulous and spent time in clearing his lungs every morning and evening. Hari tried this for a couple of days and found it tedious, dull and boring. He gave up lung toilet. Over the next five years, Thomas had no major lung infection, whereas Hari was treated eight times with antibiotics and admitted to the hospital twice with 'severe pneumonia complicating bronchiectasis'.

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Comments

In most chronic health problems, simple measures will help prevent or delay the complications. Advice on diet, exercises and lifestyle changes (also called non-drug therapy) belong to this category. Plodders like Thomas usually do well, while procrastinators like Hari, who wait for the right time and mood to comply with the advice, fall behind and deteriorate.

Another feature of many chronic diseases is that they have a life span shorter than the human life span. For example, tuberculosis, if detected early and treated meticulously, can be cured in six months to a year. Hyperthyroidism (excessively functioning thyroid gland) may subside in two to five years. I have seen patients of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergic diseases and fits end with inactive "burnt-out" stage of the disease. Subsequently, they have survived for many years with acceptable quality of life.

Two messages for coping with chronic diseases:

1 Grin and bear it. The disease usually has a shorter life span than you have! 2 Meticulous and steady control measures help you to reach the finish line in chronic diseases. Be a plodder like the tortoise and win the race!

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