Report of 2 May '10
Hello from el Carmelo public librario -
What a place - books, computers, magazines, newspapers - all free.
The week was very long. I saw a good number of patients, and one day was so busy it ended before I knew it. I serve a fairly poor, underserved populace and love it. A memorable patient was the 15 year old boy with back pain: he'd swung a baseball bat in gym class and "something ripped." It was not a big effort to fit him into the schedule as I was not busy that day, and the mother was profusely grateful. Amazing how little things can make people happy, things we would just do in the course of a work day. After treating the boy's back pain with anti-inflammatories and prescribing some rest, I addressed his obesity: he was 5'8" and 250 lbs. We heard at the conference last week that about 70% of U.S. adults are overweight and a full 1/3 are obese; I do not know the statistics for children. We were also told the next generation's life span would be shorter than ours. Eeek. All due to overeating. There was also the theory that obesity might be due to a virus, and I found that extra arrogant. Unhealthy foods are inexpensive, and if one has grown up eating junk, one is inclined to think that's a normal diet, and propagate the cycle with one's own family. Scott still eats massive amounts of candy when he gets to the U.S. I think if the average patient were educated about eating, we might have some informed patients. Self-esteem is so based on appearance here that that might lead to some good choices.
I had a really enlightening experience at the gym the other day. I inadvertently sat on someone else's bike in spinning class, and the lady said loudly to her friends that I had taken her bike. It would have been equally effective to come over and tell me the error, but the public option was taken. As it turned out, the lady (very attractive and fit) and I had the same brand of water bottle, and I had placed mine on the bike next to hers and walked away to return later and climb on a bike that I thought had my water bottle on it, so this was a very surreal experience for me. It didn't matter a ton, since I have been to spinning class for 2 years, and I apologised and got down, then moving very far away from her, but the public announcement continued briefly. It struck me then that this must be what teenagers go through in most gym classes in intermediate and high school, that there is apparently (according to my spinning instructor) a certain persona who'd dominate the session and try to make someone else feel awkward. It helped considerably that I am 46, and could choose to move away; I am now exquisitely aware of what younger women go through. And understand what Scott and several American friends mean when they say they hated high school. This kind of stuff sure is new to me. Parents tell me there is a new trend to bullying in schools here, and I hope for the kids' sake that it peters out.
Scott is eternally grateful that the kids have gone through high school in India, with small classes, little bullying, a chance to celebrate differences rather than critique them, a grand appreciation of all. I, too, have paused to notice how Naren and Navin go out of the way to include kids who are shy, or chubby, or stutter, or otherwise don't fit in. One of my favorite memories is of our teenage Brazilian neighbors, Pedro and Felipe, being at a party at our house with a bunch of the boys' friends, and at least 1 son hanging with them the whole time. Pedro and Felipe spoke some English then, my sons spoke no Portugese, but a common ground was found with little effort. And all of us grew to love Pedro and Felipe dearly - piercings, tattoos and all.
I spoke to my father last week, and he was *delighted* to get my call. That was nice. We gabbed for a while about all matters, and he stated that my sister-in-law, Susan, and niece Sanjana would be in Madurai next week to help out while he had his cataract operation ("Susan rises to the occasion again," he said). I am struck by how fortunate I am in my in-laws. My Dad and I chuckled about other things, and finished the call in good moods on both sides of the planet. Scott, Navin and I spent part of the weekend with my in-laws here and that was the merry fest it always is; Scott is spending a couple of days there to bond, we always follow one of my bosses' suggestions that adult children must spend time periodically with their parents without spouse or kids in tow. We reached around lunch time, and promptly ate. And ate, and ate. We also talked and laughed, and enjoyed each other's viewpoints. These are folks with abundant senses of humor, always, always, making for a good time there, and I returned rejuvenated.
We also tried to see the 3-D "Clash of the Titans," but there was a power outage and the theater gave us some passes to compensate. Navin counted 13 people in the theater, unheard of in India, where movies are almost always house-full (sold out). I have talked every day to Naren, and my heart will continue to be in my mouth until that kid walks through the doors in Chicago.
Unw -
R
What a place - books, computers, magazines, newspapers - all free.
The week was very long. I saw a good number of patients, and one day was so busy it ended before I knew it. I serve a fairly poor, underserved populace and love it. A memorable patient was the 15 year old boy with back pain: he'd swung a baseball bat in gym class and "something ripped." It was not a big effort to fit him into the schedule as I was not busy that day, and the mother was profusely grateful. Amazing how little things can make people happy, things we would just do in the course of a work day. After treating the boy's back pain with anti-inflammatories and prescribing some rest, I addressed his obesity: he was 5'8" and 250 lbs. We heard at the conference last week that about 70% of U.S. adults are overweight and a full 1/3 are obese; I do not know the statistics for children. We were also told the next generation's life span would be shorter than ours. Eeek. All due to overeating. There was also the theory that obesity might be due to a virus, and I found that extra arrogant. Unhealthy foods are inexpensive, and if one has grown up eating junk, one is inclined to think that's a normal diet, and propagate the cycle with one's own family. Scott still eats massive amounts of candy when he gets to the U.S. I think if the average patient were educated about eating, we might have some informed patients. Self-esteem is so based on appearance here that that might lead to some good choices.
I had a really enlightening experience at the gym the other day. I inadvertently sat on someone else's bike in spinning class, and the lady said loudly to her friends that I had taken her bike. It would have been equally effective to come over and tell me the error, but the public option was taken. As it turned out, the lady (very attractive and fit) and I had the same brand of water bottle, and I had placed mine on the bike next to hers and walked away to return later and climb on a bike that I thought had my water bottle on it, so this was a very surreal experience for me. It didn't matter a ton, since I have been to spinning class for 2 years, and I apologised and got down, then moving very far away from her, but the public announcement continued briefly. It struck me then that this must be what teenagers go through in most gym classes in intermediate and high school, that there is apparently (according to my spinning instructor) a certain persona who'd dominate the session and try to make someone else feel awkward. It helped considerably that I am 46, and could choose to move away; I am now exquisitely aware of what younger women go through. And understand what Scott and several American friends mean when they say they hated high school. This kind of stuff sure is new to me. Parents tell me there is a new trend to bullying in schools here, and I hope for the kids' sake that it peters out.
Scott is eternally grateful that the kids have gone through high school in India, with small classes, little bullying, a chance to celebrate differences rather than critique them, a grand appreciation of all. I, too, have paused to notice how Naren and Navin go out of the way to include kids who are shy, or chubby, or stutter, or otherwise don't fit in. One of my favorite memories is of our teenage Brazilian neighbors, Pedro and Felipe, being at a party at our house with a bunch of the boys' friends, and at least 1 son hanging with them the whole time. Pedro and Felipe spoke some English then, my sons spoke no Portugese, but a common ground was found with little effort. And all of us grew to love Pedro and Felipe dearly - piercings, tattoos and all.
I spoke to my father last week, and he was *delighted* to get my call. That was nice. We gabbed for a while about all matters, and he stated that my sister-in-law, Susan, and niece Sanjana would be in Madurai next week to help out while he had his cataract operation ("Susan rises to the occasion again," he said). I am struck by how fortunate I am in my in-laws. My Dad and I chuckled about other things, and finished the call in good moods on both sides of the planet. Scott, Navin and I spent part of the weekend with my in-laws here and that was the merry fest it always is; Scott is spending a couple of days there to bond, we always follow one of my bosses' suggestions that adult children must spend time periodically with their parents without spouse or kids in tow. We reached around lunch time, and promptly ate. And ate, and ate. We also talked and laughed, and enjoyed each other's viewpoints. These are folks with abundant senses of humor, always, always, making for a good time there, and I returned rejuvenated.
We also tried to see the 3-D "Clash of the Titans," but there was a power outage and the theater gave us some passes to compensate. Navin counted 13 people in the theater, unheard of in India, where movies are almost always house-full (sold out). I have talked every day to Naren, and my heart will continue to be in my mouth until that kid walks through the doors in Chicago.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
12:21 PM
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