PRANNOY CONFRONTS NEW HEALTH CONCERN https://bwfthomasubercups.bwfbadmin...29/prannoy-reckons-with-new-health-curveball/ HS Prannoy is back at the tournament that he played such a vital part in last time. But he’s still recovering from a health condition that causes constant nausea – he’s lost over four kilos over the last couple of months – and he’s hoping that the team campaign in Chengdu will help him rediscover his best form. It was in January, after a standout last season, that the condition surfaced. Essentially, it was a malfunctioning muscle lining the oesophagus that was causing food to move up, causing the nausea. Prannoy had recovered years earlier from an acid reflux problem that had taken a long while to figure out; just when he had hit peak form, a similar condition had returned. The physical toll is obvious in his leaner frame, but there has been a psychological toll as well. “What I was feeling was when I eat the food doesn’t go down,” said the world No.9. “Whenever I train (the food) comes up and forward to the chest side and I need to vomit. It is kind of related with the acid reflux obviously. The food is not able to do get down. I can feel the food coming out, that’s where my breathing goes for a toss. “I was on a liquid diet before the morning sessions because whatever I was eating was coming up. “I couldn’t eat much because I was afraid it would affect the playing schedule. I was ok to not eat and play; the nausea was even worse than not having anything in the stomach. So that’s why I lost 4-4.5 kilos in the last two-three months.” His initial suspicion was that the acid reflux had returned, and the treatment was focussed on that. But several tests later, the problem was identified and since then he has been on medication. “It is tough. We have to figure out what the issue is, and that’s where a whole lot of energy goes. Once you figure out what it is, it’s a bit easier for you to trust the process. If you don’t figure it out you’re just shooting in the dark and expecting things to happen, and that’s what we were doing in the first two-three months. We’re thinking it’s a gut related issue and we were doing a lot of things for the gut. The gut got better but the feeling didn’t get better, and that’s why we were running a lot of tests in the last one month. “Doctors say it can be solved with medication. I can feel a lot of difference in the last one month.” “Not just for me, but for everybody it’s like that. Winning a match gives extra confidence. The happiness is a bit more than winning an individual match. In 2022 as well we all had a good run of tournaments because of the happiness of winning the Thomas Cup. Especially when you get to Thomas Cup quarterfinals you’ll have to play a lot of pressure matches. So that kind of gets you ready for good, tough fights.”
Now it is clear why his performance this year is very bad. Poor man. He has to endure this condition and still has to play for country. Hats off to this man.
