When God turned my switch off

Yesterday, I was rushing from my home to the university as it was already late and only 5 minutes remained before my midterm exam started at 9:30 in the morning. I crossed the highway and was walking past a series of parallel-parked cars on the footpath beside a busy road. I could almost see the building then: and quickened my pace to reach the classroom.

The next thing I remember, paramedics were bending over me and asking me what happened. I found myself tied to the bed inside an ambulance (EMS) van being rushed to a hospital, with a full set of oxygen tubes being forced near my nose, people asking me to relax, etc. And I was bloody confused, bruised and really really unsure what was happening!

As far as I understood later, this is the series of events that happened: at about 9:25 when I was on my way to the class, I had suddenly collapsed and fainted. Now, don't ask me why --- neither I nor the doctor have the slightest clue. I lay there on the road, between 2 parked cars for about 40 min when some passers-by noticed me and called 9-1-1. The firemen had come first, and I am told that even unconsciously I was putting up a hell of a fight with three firemen. Soon after, the paramedics came and talked to me and I calmed down finally. Then they strapped me onto the stretcher and rushed me to the hospital.

Now, when you go unconscious, you don't know that you were unconscious. So when I sort of opened my eyes again, and the paramedics were asking me "Do you know what year it is?", I thought for a moment that I had somehow managed to pull off a Rip-Van-Winkle! :) I replied "2007", but was half-expecting them to speak like Morpheus and tell me that it was indeed 2017 or something. But, thankfully --- it wasn't so bad. I had lost only 45 minutes of my life to that state. The worst part was that I didn't know what had actually hit me or happened to me --- it took me some time to understand that I had been unconscious for some time.

Once in the hospital, a thousand scans and exams happened. ECG, EKG, blood sugar, X-rays, CAT scans and other such things --- they did try to explain all that but it did not make sense and so I did not bother myself with them too much. My room-mates and some friends had rushed to the hospital as soon as they got the news. They took turns coming in to visit, with everyone asking and inquiring what had happened. Concern was writ large on their faces... but I believe I cheered them up with my own jokes! :)

The best part of it were of course the theories people came up with behind this happening: did I happen to get drunk again? Did I starve myself on a diet? Did I do some drugs? Was I stressed out? Did I eat/sleep drink properly? Was it a sunstroke? And all of these appear funny to me --- because none of them can be true. I had had proper lunch, dinner and sleep the evening before. People who know me will know that stress is the last thing that can cause me to go unconscious. Drinking I've quit after I understood what getting drunk was. And drugs? Come on... give me some leeway here: I'm not all that bad! :) The only leftover feelings I have right now is a funny body-ache; the sort you get after you suddenly go to a gym one day and work out excessively.

I was really humbled, though, by the love and support of everyone --- my room-mates, friends, professors, everyone! My mom was worried sick, and therefore I got one of my friends to reassure her on the phone that I was really okay. To quote the doctor who examined me, I'm "as healthy as a bull". So as of now all I can say is that I am a medical mystery on the move: your chance to figure out what happened is all over me!

To end the post, let me quote what my room-mate wrote in an email to a local group of friends:
Hi

Thanks to everyone for pulling through for Sudipta...

I just got back from the hospital and spoke with a cute nurse and it seems he is doing well...anyway, if you guys want to reach him, you can call him on his cellphone. He is in Brackenridge Hospital in the company of many cute nurses...

I will keep you updated on his condition....

--Das

p.s. : he is still alive so please don't break out the champagne and start celebrating until they officially pronounce him dead...

p.p.s : i'm hoping that they let him come home later today so for everyone that wants to see him, please feel free to stop by today...

p.p.p.s : due to the intense grief and pain that his roommates are going through, they will accept large gift-baskets of chocolates and sweets...please don't bring flowers... in fact, please only bring edible items...

DISCLAIMER - this email is mostly to bring a smile to Sudipta's face so any offense caused to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental