Signs on ECR (& health update)

The ECR is a scenic coastal road in Chennai that leads to Puducherry, and I generally traveled on it up to Mamallapuram, my ancestor's hometown. Aside from being a historically significant location for 5th-century rock-cut sculptures, I always look forward to its road trips and photo opportunities. Here are a few signs I shot from one of the trips. 

ECR Enclave 

Seawoods Cafe

P.s. My UTI (urinary tract infection) is still bothering me despite the medication I've been taking for the past few weeks. I knew it was a severe infection, but I didn't think it would linger this long. I had an abdominal scan at home today. I couldn't move out of my house because of the stormwater drain work, and even though the pit was encased by concrete, they hadn't completely covered it; I couldn't ascend down in a wheelchair. 

Our doctor assisted us in obtaining an ultrasound scan at home via a diagnosis center. I was examined by the doctor who had arrived in his car with the scanning equipment. He was a senior radiologist who was very attentive and patient with me as he inquired about my urinary problems. As he walked away, he assured me that there was nothing to worry about. His remarks were courageous, and I felt relieved. 

After reviewing the results, our doctor advised me to continue the medication for the next month because the infection in the bladder takes time to resolve. Except it's time to piss, I feel normal. I hope it passes off fast. 

One morning in Uncle's woodhouse

Several unidentified birds chirp, 

Woke me up earlier than usual. 

The natural alarm of the woods pleased the ears.

I was still drowsy and perplexed by my state of existence. 

Is it that I awoke or that I am still dreaming?

The dark shadow of night removed 

As the early light enters the room,

As beams that support a structure 

It glows as it reflects off the pine woodhouse. 

I couldn't sleep any longer when nature called. 

Because we are not bestowed on a daily basis

With beautiful tones of birds tweeting. 

Excitement pulls me out of bed.

The night cold had left me with a parched throat 

To talk in a hushed tone 

I opened the backdoor.

The song of birds fills the backyard with joy.

It gives the eyes work to spot 

Birds playing hide and seek in the wild undergrowth. 

It was a busy morning with birds. 

Before they take off on their daily foraging, 

I would try my best to capture them 

Before I have my part of breakfast. 

P.s. It's been three years since I visited my uncle's woodhouse in the Kodaikanal half-mountains, surrounded by coffee, pepper, and orange plantations. According to Facebook memories, I left for Kodaikanal today in 2019 and couldn't stop thinking about my past visits. The poem was inspired by waking up one morning to birds singing.

Relationship

I feel the distance.

When you couldn't look into my eyes,

I became a stranger.

When you are reluctant to utter a word,

I moved away.

When your silence breaks my heart,

I turned back to see 

You slipped out of my sight.

What a week!

I haven't blogged in exactly a week. Even though it hasn't been a long time, the last week has been hell for me, and even though I'm feeling a little better now, I'll need to stay on meds for a few more days to treat my UTI. 

It starts with a mild cold and progresses to a nightmare on the 21st night. The next day, it gradually turned into a slight fever, followed by urinary irritation and frequent urination. It was unmistakably a sign of a UTI (urinary tract infection). I had already taken an antibiotic for a cold, thinking it would help, but as it worsened, my father went to the doctor and was prescribed medication. 

Perhaps I should have caught a cold from my 8-month-old nephew, Kavin, who was sneezing around, and the UTI has boarded along. In 2020, during the COVID period, I experienced a similar effect that lasted more than a week and required five injections to get rid of the infection. 

Our doctor wasn't in the city this time, but dad called him and got me medicine on his advice and took a urine culture test to determine the infection. The lab test took three days to complete, and the doctor arrived on the same day to prescribe different medications and three injections. I finished one today and have two more on hold. The injection location on my waist has gotten uncomfortable, and the other two have made me nervous. 

The previous week has been indescribable. When my urine became purple in a few instances, I knew it was a severe infection, and I knew it wasn't an easy pass like the urine itself. I'm hoping to feel better soon, and I couldn't concentrate on anything because my thoughts were preoccupied with the difficulties of pissing. My frequent urination has also produced challenges for my parents, who are my primary source of assistance in my daily life. For both, life becomes stressful. I hope things return to normalcy soon. 

I will check the blogs sooner.

Dragging Stormwater Drain Work

On June 3rd, they shut off the access to the road from our house, allowing only a plank to pass through the hole excavated for the replacement stormwater drain. For about 3 weeks, I couldn't leave the house, and the construction work has been moving at a snail's pace, with the sidewalls of the drain still not poured with concrete. 

Our row of residences has commercial shops, including my cousin's bike service station and uncle's garage, that are inaccessible by cars due to rotten planks. The pit extends to the bottom of our elevator. Thankfully, they didn't touch its earth, and we had a keen eye on it the entire time the excavator dug the hole. 

It is a project taken up by the Chennai corporation to line up stormwater drains throughout the city before the start of the northeast monsoon in October. Although it would be a long-term solution and crucial for flood prevention, many of the neighborhood's roads are currently in this phase, and the residents are experiencing the same difficulty. 

They had only just begun work on our street, and they hadn't even completed a 100-foot section of the drain in the previous three weeks. Based on the rate at which they work, it must take at least two months to fix our street's stormwater drain, which was installed 35 years ago. My mother used to say that when I was a kid, I yearned to step foot into the hole they excavated for the first time. I don't remember, but we used to walk back from school on the platform over the stormwater drain. 

I'm hoping they built at least the piece of us that was dug in a week, and we, too, need to work on masonry and modify the elevator before I'm hoisted down and moved out. Until it's home, and this hasn't caused any difference in my life, it's almost homebound. COVID has already cut two years off our lives, and this month isn't going to be any different.