“It was 1 am. My heart was hammering in my chest. I could feel the sweat dribbling down my face. A sharp pain pierced through my chest.
Was it a heart attack? The panic wouldn’t let me think.
I was doubtful if I would wake up in the morning.
I did wake up.
…and my life changed forever.”
– my personal experience
One of the best things about my job as a software engineer is being able to travel all around the world.
On June 25 back in 2012, when traveling didn’t feel like I was signing a death warrant, I landed in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio. Although I had been there before, this time my 30 year old self felt complete – my wife and my baby were with me.

A tall twin-tower downtown office, the Ohio river running across and the People’s Purple Bridge and homes with sprawling greenery – it was a pretty great for a guy to be.
The country side apartment where I lived with beautifully designed club-house was much of my dream home.

My son turned 1 here. I made friends that I still cherish here. It was absolutely perfect – until this life changing incident.
My wife and I were sound asleep on a weekday when I woke up with a strange pain in my hands and chest. Palpitations, panic, confusion – the whole hog. It got to a point where I thought that was the end for me. I was a smoker at the time – so the fear was pretty real.
Anyone else would have probably gone and seen a doctor but I’ve never been fond of them. Something about the whole deal makes me nervous. I think it comes from a dentist I went to as a kid, who pulled out my tooth. I’d throw my pills away as a kid.
One of my friends recommended digestive medicines, saying it was probably just an upset tummy. But I knew deep down that this was something more.
I did what we all do without ever admitting it. I googled it.
Ask about coding or health, it will always come up with a pleasant answer.

I decided to quit smoking. I threw my cigarettes and wrote a note on the last remaining Benson & Hedges Lights I had with me – “I am not a Smoker”.

After 21 days of no smoking, I decided to quit drinking. That’s what Google asked me to do.

After getting rid of my vices, I decided to go jogging.
My neighbor who was a gym coach advised me to follow HIIT training but my backache didn’t permit me. It also made jogging impossible.
Walking was the way to go for me.

I took this picture while walking on the mountains. Whenever possible, I would take my son out with me on short walks within our apartment premises.

I walked every day.
I walked for hours.
Rain, shine or snow. Nothing could stop me.
I was outside, determined to reduce my weight and improve my health. I was a fitness freak.


I clocked 1 million steps (10 Lakhs) on my pedometer.
After reading and researching, I switched to organic whole foods.

It wasn’t that hard, actually. I went from 90 kgs to 74 kgs in one year. I went further down to 62kg after I got back home in Bangalore, India.


My friends and families loved my transformation. I became a Weight Loss Guru! I was a health advocate. But there was still a problem.
I had a shifting pains all over the left side of the body – back, eyes, fingers. Some days, my ankle would hurt so much it was hard for me to walk. Other days, my neck would hurt.
The worst pain was on my palm – the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I couldn’t work because of it.


https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hw212104#:~:text=A%20wrist%20splint%20is%20a,make%20carpal%20tunnel%20syndrome%20worse.
After a few emotionally draining experiences, we decided to come home. I hoped that this would help me and somehow reverse what was happening to me.

It did help me.
But it took me 2 years and lots of experimenting.
My friends laughed at me. I was called tee-totler. They’d say I was debugging myself (software engineer joke). “Stop now, or you will die. I told him that, one day I will come back to you and tell my story.”
And here I am.
How did I get rid of the pain?
Long story short, I found the diet that suits me. I will write my next article on this topic.
Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great day!
Bonne journée, à bientôt.
Special thanks to my friend Priyam Chhetri for editing this blog.
Honest attempt and narration 🙂 liked it
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Thanks Pavan
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Am sure everyone will have a story like this in life. But the difference is you worked it out for yourself and now out to help others.
Wish you all the best!
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Thanks Prathiba.
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From Techie to Health Guru great Transformation 👍 🙏
Shearing ,self learned experience is good.
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Thanks Ramesh
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It is said that there is a story behind every smile and it comes out so true in your case Raj. Looking forward for more such real life experience blogs from you.
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Thanks Akash
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Really Inspiring… Special thanks to Divya…
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Thanks Beena Ajith.
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A Good Piece to take some lessons home.
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Thanks Niteen
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Really inspiring. Thank you for sharing, this will be helpful for others. Waiting for your next blog on how you got rid of the pain.
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Thanks Venkat. I am writing the blog now.
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