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A real life story to end this tread. As a trainee doctor, I treated a patient with bipolar disorder. Like clockwork, he would get an episode of mania every 12-14 months for years. He lived 300km away in a village. Arrived with his father at first sign of mania.
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(This sign was him sitting in village temple and singing devotional songs without break.) His father insisted on starting electro convulsive therapy on day one (they reached hospital with "nil by mouth" preparation) . He would be okay in about 10-12 days.
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My pleas to take lithium regularly to avoid these episodes would fall on deaf ears. His father would give back stock of lithium given to them at discharge. And they would leave only to arrive "nil by mouth" after 14 months.
I cursed their illiteracy, short sightedness and demands for Electro convulsive therapy. I never tried to understand their decision making. Now I am much older and I appreciate their wisdom in the path they chose.
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Now I realize that our education can be a significant handicap. If I had made effort then, may be i would be on my way to Sweden :) This is how Nobel prizes are lost :) Have a nice Sunday. End of thread.
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As preparation for any procedure that requires anesthesia , doctors order "nil by mouth" for at least 6 hours. That means no food or drink allowed for that period. One important reason for this is to prevent vomiting under anesthesia leading to further complications.
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Lithium requires regular medication intake, precautions to avoid dehydration, possibility of side effects, regular blood test to monitor lithium level. All this is cumbersome and costs money (not a lot but that's subjective) and blood tests may not be available everywhere.
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