Homeward Bound
Even though I have another day here, I plan to make this my last post....unless something unusual occurs. Last night, Dr. Bose made a quick decision out of the ordinary, partly due to his tight schedule. Saku and I plus another couple were invited to his home at 8PM for our final check-ups. We had a splendid visit, ate a wonderful meal, and oh yes, I passed the final test and received the final bandage (in a different room) before departure. Here is a picture of Dr. Bose, the man who gave me my life back, along with his wife and daughter. His cute 6 year old son was in bed by this time. Thank you, Dr. Bose, from the bottom of my heart!
Palani
Palani is a beach hawker who comes each day to a designated spot with his wife and members of 4 other families to sell their wares to tourists at our resort. They are not situated where the tourists relax on the beach, but about 50 yards away, waving silk saris to entice buyers. Not many get enticed, but Saku and I were, one reason being that although Saku went into town once for shopping, she had yet to make any purchases. We may have not gotten the very best "stuff" from these families, but we certainly like what we purchased, and we formed nice friendships, particularly with Palani. Palani is an ex-fisherman who has had hip and pelvic problems that prevent him from fishing. His home was wiped out by the tsunami and he lives in a modest rented structure a few hundred yards away from the resort along with fisherman families. Palani, near penniless, and a very sore hip, had his hip resurfaced 6 months ago by, yes, one of the best hip surgeons in the world, Dr. Bose! A few months ago, Palani developed a nice friendship with another surface hippy from America, Rus Kappius (who's blog gave me the idea to do the same), and when I mentioned Palani to Dr. Bose at my final check-up, he remembered him immediately...as he does all of his patients. After Saku and I had a few stimulating conversations with Palani (Saku in Tamil), Palani invited us to his home for lunch (how's that for Indian hospitality!), and we made a date for the next day contingent upon my walking ability. The Friday meal - a whole fish, plus prawns and even a lobster tail, with dhal and chapathi was just wonderful. Here is a picture of a stuffed me between Palani and his wife. Palani then kindly took us for a stroll through the fishing village and here are two fairly typical pictures. One is an entrance to a home, where each morning the mother pours rice flour on the walkway, somehow into these georgous patterns. Saku explained to me that this indicates the family is up and about, and also the symbols are inviting to guests, who gradually disperse the powder as they walk on it. The next picture is of a bricklayer working in the hot sun to rebuild a home destroyed from the tsunami. Palani and I exchanged addresses - hopefully our relationship will endure!
Happy as a Clam
I'm loving it here at this casual resort. We did visit a couple staying at Fisherman's Cove, and it is true that the grounds there are perfectly landscaped and everything is picture-perfect (I took several), but this place has everything set up the way we like it. It just seems more natural. Saku and I were hoping we'd get some quality vacation time during these 6 days, but I don't think we anticipated it would be this good. Also behind my smile was a morning discovery that I could get around easily in the room using one crutch, which means I can actually carry a glass of water or other prized item all by my little self. Gary P.S. Do you like my "fashionable" white TEDS?
Discharged
Hi there - attached are some pictures in chronological order. The first is of Saku with Mohan, the patient coordinator, 10 minutes before I left the hospital. I will miss Dr. Bose and Mohan, because they were so warm, caring and professional. In fact, I cannot emphasize the word "professional" enough. Although my hospital room was more than adequate, they are in the process of building a whole wing just for hip resurfacing, where the bathroom floors will be less slippery, etc., and Mohan won't have to go floor-to-floor to visit patients. Most importantly, nursing staff will be directly assigned to this wing and under the supervision of Dr. Bose's team. I believe even the surgery will be done on this new wing. It was easy to walk with my elbow crutches outside to the transportation van. The subsequent pictures are of leaving the hospital for approximately a 40 minute drive to the beach resort. The traffic was quite clogged the first 20 minutes and then eased up, only to be slowed down by a cow or two. Some stiffness sitting in the car on my right side, but not too bad at all.
Day 5 After
Even though this was early in the morning (great nurses C. Jayalakshmi and D. Suniram feeding me pills), my day started quite earlier. Fell asleep on the late side, and at 5:15 am I saw a young adult male standing over me muttering something. I have formed the bad habit of shaking my head up and down and saying "yes" or "ok" when I'm not quite sure of the question, as I'm usually asked if everything is alright or whether it's ok for the worker to do something in the room. After my nod, the fellow turned around and started preparing something and I was wondering why he didn't leave. Saku then notified me that I had just consented to a sponge bath in bed. That stirred me conscious, as it was the last thing I wanted at this time or actually any more times as they're not as luxurious as they may sound... and anyway I received a waterproof bandage yesterday and took a shower before sleeping. I clarified I did not want one and tried to fall back asleep. As I'm writing this, a woman just happens to be in my room who actually did give me a sponge bath a few days ago. I showed her the picture of her colleagues and I think she would like her picture posted too, so Saku just took it 5 minutes ago. This very kind woman's name is Sheela Darathy. Tomorrow morning I get discharged. All going well.
Day 4 After
No - it's not a daredevil stunt - in fact, I lasted only a few seconds in this position. On Day 4 "on the other side" no more second thoughts, or occasional wishes that Jack Kevorkian would quickly relieve me from my pain and inability to move. I did receive a good 3 1/2 days worth course on Preparing for Nursing Home life, but today my visions revolve more around rejoining the Delco Road Running Club... when they run on soft surfaces. I know I have many stages to complete before accomplishing that feat, but after a fun chat with Dr. Bose today (he even makes rounds on Sundays) when we talked about athletes who have come under his knife, and whether or not Floyd Landis may be on the horizon (an inquiry has been established), I felt really psyched...only to be reduced to submortal status when I struggled to take babysteps while placing my body weight on the affected hip guided by the walker. Saku has met the wives of two other Surface Hippies (one from Arizona and another from Saskatchewan - a tae kwon do instructor who I believe is way ahead of me with physical therapy). Saku went to the shopping mall with the Canadian wife yesterday and we plan to go out with the Arizona couple toward the end of our stay at Ideal Resort which begins on Tuesday - we decided to only spend two days at Fisherman's Cove and Mohan, Dr. Bose's Coordinator, easily made this change. Hope I didn't bore you too much during my week vacation at Apollo Hospital! P.S. Good luck Julie on your Louisiana Mission Trip!! Welcome back David!!
72 hours
Hi there. I made it all the way to the other end of the room without human assistance, and am sitting on a nice fluffy pillow atop a sturdy chair. I appreciate Saku's blogging for me in the interim and keeping me abreast of your comments and emails. I was able to sleep thru last night without feeling pain or needing to fill up the potty jug every hour or so like the previous two nights. (The problem with the jug was I couldn't stand it upright after filling it so I had to keep bugging the nurse or Saku to have the honor of dumping it.) Last night was fulfilling in that I could do the physical therapy exercises without too much grimacing and didn't get dizzy when I got up and moved about with the walker. Dr. Bose is a busy man - he's done at least two surgeries a day since I arrived, and visited me twice yesterday with his assistants/trainees. This picture was taken at approximately 7 pm and I'm sure he had already put in another 12 hour day. He showed me some pictures and a ten-second film of the surgery on the back of his camera and will copy it to a CD. It was bloody! Dr. Bose posesses a certain charisma - he has a youthful smile and speaks with great confidence without being pompous. A refreshing, professional style! I've never been overnight in a hospital before, so I don't know whether certain things here are routine or distinctive, but everyone who has come into my door (and there have been many) has been conscientious and pleasant. I also know, just from reading the Indian newspaper, just how low the wages are for certain service occupations. I imagine many staff here are very lowly paid, and it's amazing how much they put forth for their salaries and maintain what seems like a very natural pleasant demeanor. Saku may go outside today with some other people she's met. Staff are quite surprised when they realize that Saku speaks Tamil. Although all staff speak English clearly, some have difficulty communicating certain things and enjoy speaking in Tamil with Saku. The nurse wants to check my blood pressure now so I will depart. I plan to post once a day. Again, thank you all for your well-wishes! Gary
The day after the day after
Yesterday, the day after surgery was spent on recovery. (Despite the date on this post, Indian time right now is Friday the 14). Gary experienced some pain and sitting up and standing with the help of the physiotherapist was not exactly fun but all of that is par for the course after major surgery. The trajectory of Gary's recovery so far has been a nice steady journey upwards. Last night was better than the first night and both Gary and I got some sleep. Today's challenge will be trying to walk for the first time when the physiotherapist turns up. While Gary may not make it to the computer for a little while, I have been able to read him the comments posted to him. Gary enjoyed hearing all the supportive comments and would like to thank you all for them.
surgery was successful!
Gary was prepared for surgery starting at 6:00 am
. By the time all the preparation and then the surgery was done it was 11:00 am. Mohan, who coordinates for Dr. Bose, called to let me (Saku) know that surgery had gone well and that no complications were encountered. I was able to see Gary briefly in the recovery room, where he was definitely the most chipper amongst all the patients there! Gary was wheeled back to his room at 3:00 pm, sore but otherwise doing really well. While he encountered a little nausea all body functions returned to normal relatively quickly and by 7:00 pm he had eaten his first solid food for the day, a slice of brown bread, milk and cereal, and some papaya fruit. Nausea had receded by this time so he showed no inclination to throw it up either! All in all a successful day, although it involved much nail chewing for his family.
Hospital - Pre-Op
The Apollo Hospital has everything well-organized, from hotel pick-up to medical tests to food. Dr. Bose's coordinator, Mohan, handled all the details, and I met with the dietician, the assisting cardiologist, the cardiologist, the anaesthesiologist, my surgeon's assisting doctor, and my surgeon, Dr. Vijay Bose. I was asked every question under the sun to get my full medical history. I was x-rayed, echo cardiogrammed, weighed, measured, had blood and urine samples, etc. I had some trouble understanding a few questions due to my partial hearing loss and the local accent, so Saku very ably assisted. Dr. Bose was light-hearted and informative -- it was a special treat to meet with him in his office, and chat awhile even though it was 7:30 P.M. I will be woken at 6:30 tomorrow morning and taken to surgery - I believe I'm the only one on Dr. Bose's list. I really like the hospital suite they placed me in for the next 5-6 days. Here are some pictures of it, including the computer I'm typing from. (Mohan said that new suites are being constructed and should be completed in 2 months.) See you on the other side!
To Apollo Hospital
Pick-up is in 20 minutes - we're checked out and I snuck to their computer lab one last time. We had a very enjoyable stay here at the Residency Towers, and got to know several staff, who live nearby. Worked out at their gym at 7:30 AM, and saw Ryan Howard win the Home Run competition. I'm not sure what the computer set-up will be like at the Hospital, so if it is problematic, I (or Saku) may not post until sometime after surgery. If I can post beforehand, I will find something to blather about! Ciao!
Sleepy Day
I looked out the window this Monday morning, after a late night watching the World Cup finals which ended at 2 AM, and the traffic had magnified from yesterday. Went downstairs for a scrumptious breakfast (don't ask me what I ate, because I don't know) and then went to the Hotel computer room and wrote yesterday's blog before returning to my room for a light nap. We had planned to take a cab tour for a few hours, but when I woke up, it was 7 hours later and night was falling. Not wise to tour at nightime, so we did the next best thing - we ate again.
Now I can say for sure I'm rested before check-in at Apollo Hospital tomorrow morning. Here is a picture of me after my 7 hour catnap, and of Saku at the Hotel dinner buffet. One side note: for whatever reason, we both came away from this dinner highly impressed with the social organization and efficiency of the staff. They certainly appeared to be enjoying themselves while working, engaging in smooth conversation with patrons, with each other when they had a minute or two, and keeping an attentive eye on whatever was needed by a patron or along the buffet table. When the chefs had a spare moment, they would come outside the cooking area and politely socialize with the patrons. Everything just seemed to work more smoothly than other buffets I've been to; it was a happy environment.
Lesson Learned
One thing I attempted to prepare for, based on the little I knew of Indian street-life, was the presence of children beggars. Surprisingly, none came our way until we came across a little boy who tried to sell me some cotton swabs. I wasn't interested, but gave him some pens and postcards. But the cute boy persisted with the sale, and once I gave him 20 rupees for some swabs, a cute girl, perhaps his sister, started tugging on me and I took her picture and then showed it to her in the viewfinder. I gave her some colored pencils and postcards, but she wanted to eat, so I gave her some loose change. The two kids continued to follow us and beg for food, despite our gentle efforts to leave them. (A number of adults saw what was going on and told the kids to knock it off.) Thinking they were just hustling me for more money, I asked the kids why they couldn't buy food with the money I just gave them, but they said they didn't have it. Then I remembered there was an adult near them who must have received the money. They didn't want more money from me, just something to eat, so when we went by a little fruit stand (pictured), I asked if they wanted some fruit, and they enthusiastically said they would like a mango drink. I complied and noticed another person, crippled, pointing to his mouth. I felt very happy to leave them contented, even if just for the moment.
Street Shopping
Despite some sleep deprivation, Saku and I decided to venture outside for a short walk around the block. This was not as simple an undertaking as we envisioned, and we returned hot and tired in a little over an hour. Even on a Sunday, when the main shops were closed, the streets were very crowded, particularly the sidewalks. We purchased a few knick-nacks and engaged in pleasant conversation with vendors. I had a stack of Philadelphia postcards, and people appreciated it when I handed them one or two. Here is a picture of a typical street scene, of Saku interacting with a drum hawker and of a woman extracting juice from sugar cane.
Arrival at Chennai
We are comfortably situated in the confines of our Hotel room at 6 AM, looking down below. At first glance, the drivers and pedestrians look anything but safe, going in all mishmashes of directions. But as we kept watching, we realized that everyone seemed to know exactly what to do to avoid collision. To get to these cozy hotel confines, let me revert back to the plane trip.
The flight on British Airways from London, despite taking 9 1/2 hours, was very comfortable and enjoyable. There was sufficient leg room (although the amount in 1st class was obscene!), the seats were comfortable, the food tasty, and the children on board surprisingly well-behaved the whole time. I selected an Indian movie which was not typical Bollywood fare. It was a very stimulating, well-crafted portrayal of Delhi college students taking on the system - "Rang de Basanti." (I highly recommend it.) Saku sat next to an older woman who was returning from visiting her children in New York. She didn't speak English very well, so Saku spoke in Tamil for the first time in quite a while. When we arrived at 4:30 AM today (Sunday), we went through the "Foreigners" line, and saw a relatively small number of Indians in our line, which meant that most travellers on board were returning to India vs visiting there. As soon as we got outside, there were mobs of people waiting to pick up their relatives and friends. We had no trouble finding our pick-up person arranged by the hospital. The 20 minute drive to our hotel was adventurous, as there was an interesting mix of traffic even at 5:15 AM. There was lots of honking, but as we learned from our driver, one is expected to beep when close to another vehicle to alert them of your (very near) presence. It was still somewhat dark, so only the close-up pictures with my flash were viewable. The first is of the most popular vehicle we saw - an auto-rickshaw, the second of two passengers on a bus, and a third of another very popular vehicle - a motorcycle, with a woman passenger, dressed elegantly in a sari.
Stopover at Heathrow Airport
Well, it didn't start out smoothly, as I found myself trying to play the caretaker role, which was not what I was best equipped for. Saku was feeling quite ill at the time of departure, and made one last trip to the Ladies room just when boarding commenced. We made it on board in the nick of time, and Saku quickly used up her allotment of barf bags. To avoid dehydration I used my stopwatch and she sipped a half a fluid ounce of seltzer water or ginger ale every two minutes. She fell asleep (or passed out) after about an hour, and up until arrival at London. Fortunately, Saku was much better then. I was relieved I didn't have to carry her heavy bag with my hip between flights! Here is a picture at the departure gate to Chennai. I noticed that about 90% of passengers were Indian, but we weren't sure at the time whether they were visiting London from India, or vice versa.
Up, Up, and Way Away
Tonight I leave - bye, bye Philly. (Are you hiding behind those larger buildings, William Penn?) I'm psyched and ready for my day and a half vacation in Chennai before going under the knife....I guess I'm psyched for that too, but not quite in the same way. Dowloaded 3 audiobooks to my son's IPOD, which he let me borrow (Da Vinci Code - abridged, a volume of classic short stories and The Human Stain by Philip Roth). See my daughter, Julie, for lunch, then Saku will come over with her lightly? packed suitcase. 1st flight to London (7 hr, 25 min) and 2nd to Chennai (9 hr) - we'll be there at 4 AM Sunday (which is 5:30 PM Saturday in Philadelphia). I will post a picture (or 2 or 3) from the day sometime on Sunday. Enjoy your weekend. Ciao.
Getting Closer
Well, I'm glad I worked late last night because today was a lot of fun, but not much got done. It's days like today which make me extraordinarily proud I work at Philadelphia Health Management Corporation. Everyone has their own way of showing care and concern, and it was shown to me by fellow employees and work contacts over the past few days in truly warm, genuine ways. I am touched. I also received some great well-wishes from the indiaresurfacing discussion group - I feel like I know them personally, as well as the Temple gang, the running group, church, family and even the guy who works behind the counter at the Indian restaurant I frequent. I have more social support than I could have ever dreamed about! I'm ready for the surgery!
Hip Resurfacing vs THR
A picture tells a 1000 words, so here is one where the person got a THR (total hip replacement) on one side and a HSR (hip surface replacement) on the other. See where the bone is missing on the THR side (left hip)? Although the metal spike is deep and solid in the femur, the remaining bone does not get utilized as fully or naturally as with the HSR (metal is cupped over the ball of the femur), and bone, like muscle, needs to be exercised to avoid deterioration. The early HSR devices (1980s) often came loose and gave the procedure a bad name. Since the middle 1990s, the device has been vastly improved, as well as surgical procedures to implant it, led by Dr. Amstutz in Los Angelas and Dr. McMinn in Birmingham, England. Dr. Bose was a student of McMinn, and he further developed the technique since beginning his practice nearly 10 years ago. It was great to see some pictures of a recent patient of his, a tae kwon do teacher from Louisiana, on the first page of an article titled "The Doctor Is In...INDIA" in a June People Magazine article. This patient was quoted $40,000 to have the procedure done in the U.S., and his cost came to only $6,500 for surgery and hospital costs (what I will pay) and approx. $10,000 for all expenses, which his students raised!
