Lifestyle
Changing Nature of Complaints in OPD Visits
Sitting in the OPD these days, one notices a different pattern.
Earlier, patients used to describe their issues in simple terms like “I have a fever,” “I have a cough,” or “There is chest pain.”
But nowadays, many complaints heard do not fit into any specific disease category.
Yet, these complaints have become very common. They seem to reflect the changed lifestyle and mental stress people are experiencing.
Some frequently heard sentences in the OPD include:
1. “Doctor, climbing 2-3 flights of metro stairs makes me so breathless that I feel like sitting down right there.”
2. “I went on a trip for two days, but after eating outside, my stomach feels heavy for five days.”
3. “After having four guests at home, I feel so tired for two days that I don’t feel like talking to anyone.”
4. “All day Zoom meetings make my eyes so strained at night that I can’t sleep.”
5. “If someone says something negative on WhatsApp, it stays in my mind all day.”
6. “When I talk to my children, they get irritated; when I talk to my father, it doesn’t feel right; I feel caught in between.”
7. “When I sit with friends, I feel left behind, and my heart races just from that.”
8. “Online food apps deliver meals quickly, but my weight and fatigue are out of control.”
9. “Small fights happen at home, and then I can’t focus on work at the office.”
10. “Instead of feeling fresh after waking up, I first open my phone, and that’s when the day’s fatigue starts.”
Hearing all this, one question arises:
Are these diseases, or are they signals from the body and mind?
Perhaps we have started living too fast, spending too much time on screens, and having too many expectations.
And the body is quietly telling us to slow down and bring some balance.
Do you also feel some of these symptoms? Share your experience in the comments. Maybe your story will help someone else look within.
Sometimes, just talking can lighten half the burden.
Dr Ravindra L Kulkarni MD, DNB, FSCAI (Cardiology) Just For Hearts