Throwback Thursday - My Horrible Stomach Incident (The Sequel)

Hiya, lovely peeps! 

Last time, I talked about my health issues that occurred in 2013. We are now going to jump 8 years ahead to a similar incident. 

June 2021 was the month in which I had the most important examination series of my life: the Cambridge Higher School Certificate. Itʼs the exam that will make or break the rest of your life; itʼs the exam that will determine what college or career youʼll have; itʼs the exam that ends your secondary schooling. So, yeah. Kind of a big deal. 

It was around the same time that Ramadan 2021 had started. And as a practicing Muslim, I fast. Muslim fasting involves not eating or drinking from dawn until dusk and I had been fasting since 2015, when I was 13.

That year, however, my parents were against me fasting. They said I couldnʼt afford to have my HSC exams on an empty stomach and with little sleep. I refused. My stupid brain was like, “Prove ‘em wrong!” 

Early during Ramadan, maybe day 4 or 5, I had the iftaar, the meal that breaks the fast. I had some dates, water and a few oily snacks. I repeat: I ate oily food on a stomach that had not eaten in 12 hours. 

Big mistake. Huge. 

Apparently, my stupid self had not learned its lesson from 8 years earlier. Just a few days later, on day 6, I had to break my fast halfway through the day because I vomited and had to take some meds. 

The rest of the month was an absolute health nightmare. We went to one doctor, a general consultant, because I had developed a fever. Refused to listen to me. We went to a second doctor, another general consultant, who misdiagnosed me and gave me the wrong meds. We went to a third doctor, this time a stomach specialist, who finally figured out what was wrong with me. It was a form of food poisoning, caused by the mixing of fats and oils with stomach gas. 

While all of this was going on, I still had my exams. You can imagine how hard it is to focus while your stomach is constantly screaming. Is it hunger? Is it pain? Is it gas? No idea! But itʼs still screaming. Sitting there in those exam rooms, the clock ticking by at a glacial pace, I wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed. 

My stomach issues this time had far more damaging  consequences than the one before. Not only did I cost my parents thousands of rupees with the medical expenses, I fasted only 8 days out of 30 of 2021ʼs Ramadan. And on top of that, I performed poorly in my exams and its repercussions can be felt today. By the time Eid-Ul-Fitr rolled around, I felt much better, though I still had to be mindful of my food consumption. 

Iʼm an idiot, apparently. I get one huge health issue in 2013 when I was a kid and then, years later, I get a similar issue at 18 years old. 

The sequel is never better, amirite? 

Blogs in this series:
Grandpa’s Passing
My Horrible Stomach Incident