Referral out
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What this story covers
Another follow-up visit, which results in Birender being referred to Nanauta PHC.
This Chapter
June and July were swelteringly hot. Instead of staying all day at the shop, Birender started spending his afternoons at home. Seeing his newfound love of napping, his wife, Janaki, commented that he had become more sendentary. Privately, she was a bit worried, and Janaki shared her concerns with their daughter, Simran.
Birender was due for his checkup on Monday, August 12. This time, he was determined not to miss it. He also had a few updates to share with Dr. Sood. On Sunday, Rajat had come over for his weekly visit to dada-dadi. Birender has convinced Rajat to try out tic-tac-toe instead of his usual game of hide-and-seek. While Rajat picked up tic-tac-toe quickly, Birender had trouble playing. His mind felt foggy. Even lunch was not as enjoyable as usual — there was an odd taste in his mouth, and it came and went through the following week.
On the day of the checkup, Birender reached the clinic at 8:30 am. He wanted to see Dr. Sood early, before other patients got there. Luckily, he was the first in line. While Dr. Sood checked his blood pressure, Birender recounted his Sunday. When he mentioned having trouble playing tic-tac-toe, Dr. Sood's head snapped towards him. "Have you been feeling more tired than usual?", she asked. "Yes", he said, and recounted his past week.
Dr. Sood picked up her phone, and started tapping away. She asked him another half-dozen questions, including whether he had a metallic taste in his mouth.
Birender's worries from his past visit resurfaced. "Is there something wrong?". Dr. Sood replied, "I want a more thorough checkup. Only glucose measurements are not enough."
Dr. Sood proceeded to refer Birender to Nanauta PHC, about two kilometers away. She explained that the Nanauta was better equipped to run tests for "heart and sugar". Also, the doctor there, Vandana Bhargava, was Dr. Sood's instructor during her residency. Dr. Sood wanted Dr. Bhargava's opinion about Birender.
Independence Day was around the corner, so Dr. Sood urged Birender to visit Nanauta PHC the very next day. Birender was easily convinced — he wanted to spend Independence Day teaching Rajat to fly kites. As he walked out of the clinic, Birender got a message with details of his appointment. He decided to call Simran, and ask if she could take the morning off and accompany him to Nanauta.
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