MY BLOGS :- THE BRAIN LOCKED DOWN FOREVER

A 45-year-old man is brought to the emergency room unconscious with a head injury in a road accident. Relatives wait in the counseling room to hear the neurosurgeon's grim verdict: "The patient has suffered severe injuries to his brain and is having difficulty in breathing for which ventilator support has been started." They optimistically expect everything will be alright after 48 hours.

We had a similar situation when our Prime Minister warned the masses that the corona pandemic was spreading fast and the condition of India was very serious. On March 22nd, 2020, he imposed the Janata Curfew (similar to pushing the entire country into the ICU for one day). All accepted it unwaveringly, expecting the clouds to clear soon.

A few days later, doctors inform that the patient's condition is worsening since the brain injuries are deep and widespread. Intracranial pressure rises, requiring constant monitoring and ventilator support. He may remain ICU-bound for 3 to 4 weeks. Relatives' queries get sidelined in the midst of complex medical jargon.

On the national scale also, after two days the PM announced a three-week strict quarantine—stay at home, businesses and factories closed, no gym, no malls. A state of total lockdown was imposed. "Lockdown"—a phrase previously linked only to criminals and prisons—became the most commonly used word overnight.

The family faces a double crisis: an abrupt freeze in their business on one hand, and mounting hospital bills on the other. There is excitement when the patient is finally weaned off the ventilator and nasal tube feeds start, akin to the relaxation of lockdown. But essentially, he remains bound to the ICU.

Three weeks pass. People adapt to a new life of working from home, cooking, cleaning, and living without non-essential habits like restaurants, fine dining, or movies. The financial impact becomes visible on millions of citizens across the country due to lost jobs and shuttered businesses.

The family is delighted to see him eat some food, communicate with simple gestures, and move out on a wheelchair. But the lingering question remains: "When will he return to normal life?" The question of returning to normalcy gets rephrased from "when" to "whether".

Lockdown is partially lifted in certain green zones. People are delighted, and restricted movements are seen. But uncertainty lingers about when life will return to its previous state of normalcy, or whether it ever truly will.

The neurosurgeon predicts a challenging future. Even if he recovers, he will have poor attention, poor memory, and a dependent life. Certainly, he will not return to his business and usual enjoyments. He will have to learn to live a different life in the post-head injury phase. The brain will be locked down forever...

Experts state that even if the lockdown is completely lifted, life, businesses, fearless movements, groupings, office work, and theatrical gatherings will never again be the same. We will have to learn to live a different, modified life in the post-corona phase.