Nose bleeds, here and there.

Of all of the bizarre pregnancy symptoms, I've been having nose bleeds galore for the last few months. The most severe was in Nagpur, on a crowded railway platform when I was about to get on an overnight train. I must have looked quite pathetic - more luggage than I could manage, trying to figure out a complicated waitlisted e-ticket mess, and gushing blood. However, I could not have possibly imagined a more helpful response from everyone - the conductor immediately made sure I got the most comfortable seat in the house, cool-drink-wallahs gave me ice from their coolers, strangers waiting for the same train made sure I had a place to lie down and bought all of the nearby kiosks out of handkerchiefs, and once the train came, people whisked my luggage off to the right compartment, and checked regularly that I was settled in and comfortable.

I got another nosebleed today, while on a taxi. I was much better equipped this time around - on home turf, familiar transport, with tissues, and not nearly as serious a case. Even so, everyone on the taxi looked at me like I was a murder suspect. I got off and walked home. I suppose it's good that people have a healthy fear of contracting HIV....but what happened to compassion? It's pretty awful to be made feel even more miserable, when having nosebleeds seems like punishment enough.