THE TOXIC LADY

                                   

NOTE: This story is based on Author’s fiction. It doesn’t apply to historical references or real-life incidents.

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

PALLIPALAYAM, ERODE DISTRICT

In 2019, a 28-year old women Prateeksha is unable to breathe and with high heartbeat rate, was taken immediately to a hospital in Pallipalayam in life or death situation. When she was taken to the emergency room, inside there was an experienced doctors and nurses who had been lots of cases like this. They started to treat her. But when the treatment is going on one of the doctor from the team, noted a strange thing in the newly admitted patient’s body. Before he say that to other doctors and nurses, a loud noise came from the emergency room. After a while another loud noise came, and again it happened. Now the doctors and nurses in the emergency room, started shouting loudly which is clearly heard from outside.

After that, in a few minutes, whole hospital has been evacuated. Everyone in the hospital was sent outside in a hurry.

FEW MONTHS BACK

FEBRUARY 19, 2019

ERODE

An emergency call came to 108. In that a person said that his girlfriend was not feeling well and she couldn’t breathe. So he asked them to come fast and hung up the call. Even though that man was very nervous while at the call, he knew that this day might come. Because his 28-year old wife Prateeksha, was informed by the doctor a month ago that she was affected by cancer. Not only that, they said that she won’t live long.

The most horrible thing in this is, with this cancer symptoms Prateeksha went to hospital 2 years before. But the doctors didn’t find it. Suppose if they had found means, she might have been saved. Even though, she continuously fought against cancer bravely. Because she had a 9-year old boy and 12-year old girl. Prateeksha had unlimited love on her children.

After they came from school she used to play with them a lot and starts to help with their homework, like every other parents she also loved them so much. Even though she had a last stage cancer, she wanted to live for her children. The emergency call came on February 19^th. But what doctor said at February starting means, they said that they will give radiation treatment at the end of February. But still there were few weeks to February end. So at the free time Prateeksha started searching on the internet.

How to come out of the cancer? How to protect her from this? And what can she do at home, like this she started researching. When it was like this, on February 19, Prateeksha said to her husband that she couldn’t breathe. He didn’t even wait for a second. Immediately he called 108. Because even a small change in Prateeksha’s body occurs, she should be treated as emergency. So within a few minutes paramedics team came there. Time is exactly 8 at night.

PRESENT

They got down from ambulance and put Prateeksha in stretcher, and took her into the ambulance and put a oxygen mask on her. In the next few seconds ambulance went from there faster. While the ambulance is going, one of the paramedics team member, called the hospital and spoke to the doctor. And the doctor spoke from the hospital is 33-year old Dr. Jessica Christy. She said to her all the details about the patient and said that they will arrive at the hospital room.

“She has cancer and she couldn’t breathe. Her heartbeat rate is going up and down. If we didn’t treat her immediately, she might not be saved.” The team member said to Dr. Jessica and added: “I will be at hospital in five minutes mam.” Now Jessica asked to prepare everything for the emergency patient. For that they started preparing one of the emergency room. Even though it was a live or die condition for Prateeksha, it is not new to the doctors and team, at the emergency room. Their job is to save the people who are in their death bed.

Like this they have seen many people. So they were waiting for the ambulance without any fear. What did Jessica and her team thought is, it’s going to be a normal routine day. But what they thought is wrong. And they might not even thought of the next thing which is going to happen. No one who was waiting there know. Time is exactly 8:15 at night. The ambulance reached the hospital at Erode. As soon as the ambulance stopped, the paramedics team got down and took Prateeksha in a stretcher and took her to the hospital.

When she went inside Jessica and her medical team took her to the emergency trauma room 1. As soon as she was made to lie down there, doctors and others noted that her heart rate was high. And her blood pressure was low. So immediately the first treatment was started. They put a powerful oxygen mask, and injected the medicines through it. At first it looked like the treatment was working. But no in a few minutes Prateeksha’s heart rate increased and all the monitors started alarming. So now they have to do something. So Jessica’s team removed Prateeksha’s t-shirt, and decided to give electric shock in her chest.

It is a method used by the doctors to reset the heartbeat. So when they prepared the electric pedals, they noticed two different things in her body. First, in Prateeksha’s mouth they smelled a different and strange garlic smell. Not only that, when they touched her, her whole body was greasy. The medical team noted this down in their notepad. But they didn’t take it seriously because, patients come to emergency room suddenly. They will not take bath and come. So that’s why smell came from Prateeksha they thought.

Finally they got ready to press the electric pedals on her chest. When doing like this, the other medical team members should check the overall condition of Prateeksha. They should continuously monitor her. So for that they should take her blood sample. So one of the nurse cleaned her with the piece of cotton alcohol and injected an injection in that place and took the blood out. When she was taking that blood out, a strange smell began to come in that trauma room 1. This time it was like a chemical smell.

At the same time, Jessica saw that nurse who was taking the blood and said that she smells ammonia. And that nurse also nodded her head. After taking blood she handed over the injection to Jessica. Now Jessica looked at the nurse face, and the nurse started behaving differently. That nurse kept on blinking her eyes. She looked collapsed and confused. She was standing there without knowing anything.

Dr. Jessica who noticed this, looked at the injection for a few seconds. Now she saw things that she never saw in her life. The blood inside that injection, she saw small white crystals in it. But before Jessica said this to other doctors and nurses, the nurse who took this blood sample collapsed and fell down. Luckily, another doctor saw her collapsing and caught her from hitting her head. Now the nurse is taken to another room from there in a stretcher.

Now again the team started focusing in Prateeksha’s treatment. But Dr. Jessica who was standing with the crystal blood, started to think what happened to her team member. Likewise after seeing that strange blood in her hand, and kept on thinking why it’s like that. Now when she went to show that to another doctor, Jessica felt dizzy. Now Dr. Jessica didn’t want to disturb her main team. So she kept that injection with blood in the table and came out of the trauma room 1 and sat in a chair.

Another nurse in the hospital saw that. She was the one outside the trauma room. She saw Jessica and asked: “What happened mam?”

When she asked Jessica tried to speak, but she couldn’t speak. When she was trying to speak, her eyes began to go up. Immediately Jessica fainted and fell down. Now at the same time when Jessica fainted, a sound of someone falling down came from trauma room 1. Again a sound came like that and in a few minutes all the people in that trauma room, without knowing any reasons, the team members started shouting seeing their team members fainting one by one. Immediately everyone was asked to evacuate the hospital.

All the patients were taken outside the hospital. Outside the hospital all the doctors and patients were shouting in fear. They started the alarm and all the medical staffs outside started helping their colleagues. But at the same time, in the trauma room 1, Prateeksha’s condition began to get worse. Now the doctors and nurses who didn’t faint inside the trauma room 1, continuously shocked Prateeksha with that pedals. But there’s no improvement. Now blood pressure began to drop and heartbeat rate also began to drop.

Finally at 8:55 PM, that is 35 minutes after Prateeksha was taken to the emergency room, Prateeksha died. In that 35 minutes only, more than 25 staff members in the hospital behaved differently and fainted. Many of them was taken to another hospital for treatment. And Jessica was the most affected one among them. Jessica was taken to another hospital in an ambulance. And that hospital nurse took a blood sample from her. And in her blood sample also there was small white crystals. Time is exactly 11:00 PM at night. Hazardous team i.e. in this type of dangerous situations, this team will help. So they put on that suite and went inside the hospital.

Because until then what all of them thought is, there is a chemical leak in the hospital and that is leaked in trauma room 1. So that’s why everyone fainted. But when they checked the full hospital, the team couldn’t find anything. So until that, without going to the hospital and Prateeksha’s body, they started being safe. They thought that something was inside the hospital or Prateeksha which is killing everyone.

Exactly 6 days after that, in a sealed room with a safety suite, they started doing autopsy on Prateeksha’s body. Shockingly, no toxic things were found in her body. In fact it was confirmed that her death was natural. Her cancer damaged her heart and kidney and because of that only she died. Most of them affected in the trauma room 1 was recovered. But Dr. Jessica didn’t recover. She had a trouble in breathing. Not only that, the bones in her body began to die.

So she was pushed to live her rest of her life in wheel chair. Now Prateeksha’s family said that the hospital is responsible for her death. Some toxic gases was leaked in that trauma room 1. This is the reason for everything and that is the reason for the doctors and nurses to faint. They filed a case in the court.

In the court Lawyer Shanoob Ahmed, who appears in support of the hospital puts his arguments saying: “Your honor. Like they said three years before Prateeksha died, like this three incidents happened. One time a gas leaked from drainage. Second a toxic gas came out of a sterilizer and it affected two people. Third there was algae in the hospital water. So this time also, that only happened.” He brings in one of the doctors from the hospital and questioned him: “Have you checked the hospitals thoroughly sir?”

“Yes. We checked the hospital fully for two times. There is nothing like that sir. We are not responsible for any of this.” The doctor said. Now, Lawyer Tharun Sundar objected their statements and said: “Objection my lord. The hospital team is trying to divert this case.”

“My lord. The hospital management says they have checked the full hospital for toxicity for two times. Not only hospital, Prateeksha’s house was also checked. In fact, autopsy was done twice on her body. But no toxic things was found. So I request you to dismiss this case.” Due to the strong evidences, the case is almost dismissed by the court, which disappoints the family of Prateeksha deeply.

Now entered Ravi Krishnan, who is from the Health department of State Government. He said in the court: “We know the answer of what happened in Trauma room 1, my lord. It was a mass sociogenic illness, my lord.”

“Mass sociogenic illness?” asked Shanoob. While, Tharun Sundar and Prateeksha’s family were confused. Ravi explained: “Mass sociogenic illness means, if there is a group of people in a place, and if an illness comes to one person, the others will think that they too have that illness. They will truly believe that. Even though it didn’t come to all of them, due to fear and panic it may happen like that.”

“Another master plan by the hospital, my lord.” Tharun Sundar objected his statements. He added: “By looking at what this health department officer Ravi said, more than 25 members including Dr. Jessica have acted like they had something. But Prateeksha alone died out of her cancer. This is something ridiculous and silly. So, I request you to give us three days of time to collect the exact truth of this case my lord.”

“Objecting his statements my lord. Dr. Jessica who was paralyzed, with her condition and medical report, I don’t know how could he say that she is acting.”

“Shanoob sir. The hospital is trying to hide something by saying that we are acting. So we will put another case on the hospital too.” Tharun said. But, the case gets dismissed by the Judge due to the strong evidence in favor of the hospital. This disappoints the family of Prateeksha.

But before Health department put the case, A forensic science center in Erode, they themselves came forward and asked for a chance to find and say what happened in that trauma room 1. The things they found took a place in world’s history. This is the details they found(Disclaimer: This part is fictional):

When they came to know that Prateeksha has cancer, and when the doctor said: “She has to get radiation treatment at the end of February, and since there are three weeks for that, she did a research on cancer in between that. At that time, she started to search how to cure cancer in home.

Arjun, The scientist of the forensic science center met Tharun Sundar and said to him, “When Prateeksha was looking in the internet, she used a substance called DMSO(Dimethyl Suffoxide), a controversial home remedy. In 1960’s they used this DMSO as painkillers mostly. But when they use it in high quality, government found that it had many side effects. So the government banned from using it. But it was banned as a medicine. It was sold as a grease get in hardware store. Like the grease we use in cycle chains. And she applied this DMSO from her head to toe. Dr. Jessica noted a grease content in Prateeksha’s body at emergency room right? This is the reason for that. And because of that only stanching smell came from her mouth. Because after this DMSO is absorbed by the skin into your body, the smell will come out through the body skin holes and mouth.”

“But does this DMSO is responsible for everyone to faint?” asked a shocked Tharun Sundar to which, Arjun replied: “No, it’s not. There is another one important reason. Prateeksha’s husband called 108 and said that she couldn’t breathe. But he forgot to say another medical issue of Prateeksha to the paramedics team. Even it’s a small problem, it’s a common problem among people and even though it can be cured easily, it’s the most important part in this. Prateeksha had urinary tract infection. Because of this, the chemicals absorbed from the DMSO, was not taken out. It contained in the body itself. So a high quantity of DMSO retained in her body itself. Even though the amount of DMSO is in her body, it won’t affect her or the people around her. For that another thing could happen with it and that too happens.” Arjun paused for a second.

Asking Tharun to look at the report of Prateeksha, he said: “When Prateeksha was taken to the hospital in ambulance, an oxygen was put to her. Here only danger started. Because suddenly a new chemical comes into her body. Yes, Oxygen. This oxygen reacts with the trapped DMSO in Prateeksha’s body and form a new chemical. But even in this stage if she was treated in hospital, Dr. Jessica and her team, would not have fainted and faced this kind of situation.”

“Then how did this happen and everyone fainted Arjun sir? How did this happen to Dr. Jessica?” Tharun Sundar questioned him.

“For that horrible incident to happen, two rare things are there. That too in correct order and correct time. This also happened. First is electric shock. When electric shock was given to Prateeksha in the emergency room, what did the team of my forensic department center said is, because of this electric shock already a chemical was formed in Prateeksha’s body right? It reacted with that and created a new chemical. But this time it was formed as a deadliest chemical and the chemical name is Dimethyl Sulfoxide. This chemical is used as a chemical weapon in World War I. So in that second, when shock is kept on Prateeksha’s body, her body was turned into a chemical weapon. But another thing should happen to make it danger and that second thing also happened correctly. That Dimethyl Sulfoxide was warm in Prateeksha’s body. In that condition it will be unstable that means less dangerous. But when the nurse took the blood sample from her body, the emergency room will always be 66 degree F that is 19 degree Celsius during that period of time. Prateeksh’s blood which came to cold situation from a warm situation and the chemical in the blood began to stable. That’s when it reacted and small white crystals are created. That is what Dr. Jessica might have seen. It turned into gas and filled the entire room. Because of that only they all fainted.”

Even though Prateeksha’s death was due to cancer only. The forensic science center said in the court that: “It has nothing to do with her death.” But Prateeksha’s family said that she didn’t use DMSO. They said that the hospital is responsible for that with the help of Tharun Sundar in the court. He was rightly informed about DMSO by Prateeksha’s husband. Even though the hospital gave Eighty crores to Prateeksha’s family, they were very confident that they were not responsible for her death.

Dr. Jessica’s case on the hospital was dismissed. Also even after 8 surgeries her bones didn’t get well. But she went to another hospital as a practicing doctor.

“I can’t forget the incident that happened in the trauma room 1 at my former hospital. And that is what made me a better doctor.” She said to an author named Akhil, who had been researching about the toxic lady case. 

EPILOGUE

This is one of my best story since the start of my writing career. Only if all the things happens at a right place and right time, it is shocking that everything happened already. So Readers. Comment your opinions down about this case without forgetting. I’m waiting eagerly to read your comments.