Diagnosed Out Of The Blue

“The doctors at Indus made me realize that Diabetes was nothing but a small bump in the road. Once you are determined to achieve something, nothing needs to change.”

14-year-old Arsalan had been feeling down for several weeks. Dazed, tired, and feeling a constant hunger in his belly, Arsalan found himself irritable at everyone and everything, going so far as to pick fights with his closest friends.

“One day in school, as I looked up at the whiteboard the words all looked like blurred black marks.”

Alarmed at this sign, Arsalan was taken to a local clinic that tested his blood sugar level and found it to be five times higher than the normal range! Within minutes Arsalan was rushed to Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN), Korangi Campus, where he was admitted into emergency care. At IHHN, the doctors informed Arsalan’s family that he had Type 1 Diabetes and would need to carefully manage his condition for the rest of his life.

Recalling that time, Arsalan says, “I remember the scared look on my mother’s face; I was the first person in my family to have diabetes, and we had no idea what that meant. Over the next few days, the doctors and counselors carefully explained what Diabetes was and how I could effectively manage it on my own. By the time I was discharged, I felt happier and better rested than I had in months.”

At IHHN, Arsalan received thorough treatment and therapy on managing his diabetes as well as regular supplies of insulin; all provided free of cost by the hospital.

“I used to be deathly scared of needles, but the nurses at Indus held my hand and patiently taught me how to inject my insulin on my own. After a few days and multiple tries under their watchful eye, all the fear left my body.”

Fast forward two years, Arsalan is now the captain of his school’s cricket team. He had always had an enormous passion for the sport, and after his diagnosis, he went back to playing it regularly.