A Father’s Journey with Autism- Chapter 24
Anxiety Disorder  in Autistic Children: My experience with Simi- (Part II)

This blog is a continuation to Part I, published on 21st May 2024. As mentioned previously, I transferred Simi from AIIMS to VIMHANS in New Delhi around 11 PM to secure a cabin for her requiring medical oversight. An emergency physician promptly attended to Simi, and after some effort, she finally managed to fall asleep.

In the morning, around 6:30 AM, I witnessed a heartwarming gathering in the corridor. The occupants of the wards, including neurodivergent children, young adults, and older individuals with different psychiatric & psychological issues , had come together. Accompanied by the nurses on duty, they all started singing a beautiful prayer from the film Lagaan, “O Palan hare.” The purity and emotion in their singing were so moving that it brought tears to my eyes.

At that moment, I felt deeply humbled, realizing how small we are in the grand creation of GOD, and recognizing HIM as the ALMIGHTY who cares for all of us, including our neurodivergent children. We are merely mediums through which His love and care are delivered.

Moments like these, where pure and heartfelt expressions of humanity and spirituality come together, can be incredibly moving and humbling. It reminds us of the profound impact of community, compassion, and music in healing and connecting us all, regardless of our differences or challenges.

Here I would like to mention that at around 8 AM I got a call from the AIIMS Doctor who was in charge of Simi in the Emergency, and he showed concerns that we should not leave AIIMS at night as her treatment had not been completed. We apologised and explained our situation at AIIMS Emergency ward in the previous night and he could understand our problem.

Later in the day, Simi was attended to by the concerned Psychiatric Doctor, who administered a series of tests and provided excellent care.  Simi showed signs of improvement, but not fully recovered. On the fourth day, Simi was given SIZODON again, the same medication she had been prescribed initially by AIIMS. Unfortunately, this medication reacted very badly, causing her to regress to her previous state. Day by day She was deteriorating but the Doctor did not listen to us. She was shivering severely and could not even walk on her own. On 7th day She stopped eating and drinking and failed to recognise us. That was an alarming situation for the doctor.
The attending doctor consulted with other specialists in the field and decided to change Simi’s medication and treatment strategy. Simi had to take three antidote injections everyday with lots of medications to reduce the adverse reaction of the previously administered medicine.  Gradually, she began to return to some degree of normalcy. We extended our stay for another two days. Simi’s mother was staying with her and I was moving from home to office and again to hospital and returning to home at about 9 pm.

We were advised to take Simi back home and were given a series of medications. However, the high doses were challenging for Simi to handle, and she began to behave differently. After 10 days, she showed aggression that was beyond our control, prompting us to decide to admit her to the hospital again.

I tried to contact the attending doctor at VIHMANS, but he was on a long tour to his hometown, and there were no available beds at VIHMANS. Desperately, I reached out to many other hospitals to find a suitable place for Simi, but to no avail. One of my friends suggested taking her to the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in New Delhi, where such cases are treated. I immediately took Simi to IHBAS, but we were unable to secure a proper cabin for her there as well.

During my return from IHBAS, I tried once more to contact Dr Rohit Garg the original doctor who had been attending to Simi for the past three years. Fortunately, I was able to reach him by phone. After I recounted all the events of the past 20 days, he expressed deep concern and advised me to bring Simi to him immediately.

Upon reaching his clinic at C R Park, Simi was uncontrollably restless. The doctor immediately took charge and reviewed all the prescriptions, test reports, and medications that had been administered to Simi over the past 20 days. He expressed concern about the high doses that had been given and asked for at least seven days to bring Simi back to some degree of normalcy. Trusting the doctor, we agreed. He gradually reduced the medication doses, and within 7-8 days, Simi showed significant improvement. It took 4/5 months for Simi to come out of the adverse effects of those medicines.

To this day, Simi remains under the care of Dr Rohit Garg, and we continue to consult him at least once or twice a year, depending on the need. Dr Garg has explained that there is no medication for Autism itself, but these children often require medication to manage associated issues such as aggression, mood swings, and emotional imbalances. Unlike typical children and adults, they struggle to control these behaviours on their own.

To be continued………………..


Author
Srinibash Mishra