Report of 29 Dec 2012
Good evening!
I am sitting here in my nightie and robe, 2 young men are out partying ("our evening does not even start at 7, when yours ends"), Scott and I have an evening at home, and I am blogging.
Work has been very good. The 5 med students have enthusiastically performed physical exams on all the patients, and taught a class yesterday to the health care workers, who are game to learn anything from anyone. Kovalam was fine, and busy; the person who is to have (likely) open heart surgery has come repeatedly to our clinic, though he is fine enough. I think he is very nervous about the operation, and he has asked the same questions multiple times - "Is it a big surgery? Do you think they are actually going to operate? What are they going to do first when I am admitted?" I have attempted to reassure him, and I know not if I have succeeded. Poor or rich, nervousness before surgery is not uncommon.
Adaikalam has been fine. One of our patients was losing weight with gusto, and I was very worried that it was due to cancer. We sent her for a complete workup and no cancer has been found. There is a bone from her backbone that is jutting into her food pipe, and she has trouble eating because of that. So, Leela, our magnificent nurse, has put her on a high calorie, high protein diet that many folks with tuberculosis get - eggs, soup, some high protein legumes. We are hopeful of results, and indeed, the person looks better today, almost back to her former cheerful self. She is a bit mentally challenged in addition to being likely mentally ill, and family has not tried to find her. This is the grand benefit of working at the B: we expend much effort to find the cause of a patient's symptoms regardless of who she is.
Navin got here! He had had some serious misadventures, including having his passport stolen. Getting all his travel documents replaced was challenging; the passport took the least time - I tell you, the U.S. is kind to its citizens in distress. Getting the visa to India took a while and some magnificent machinery swung into place - friends, the Tabers; Navin's assistant dean of students; my mother-in-law, and Scott's cousin and her husband. So net result is that Navin is here and all of us are overjoyed. And appreciative of all the help.
On Christmas Eve, all of us (med students, a Ph.D. student from France and the Weisses) piled into a 10-person vandi (vehicle) and drove to Vellore. We spent Xmas Eve and Day at my sister Anu's house, and a grand time was had by all. The family was kind enough to welcome the students (but that's an Indian thing) and the students graciously adjusted to all our chaos. We drove back on the 25th and were at work the next day.
I attended the wedding of the nurse who helped take care of my mother. I owe her a lot, she was there when I could not be. And did helpful things that I would have balked at. My father and I attended the wedding, and it was grand fun hanging out with him and hearing his observations on life, liberty and wedding rituals.
Today was "Family Day" at the Banyan. We had some games for little kids, and an entertainment program, and biryani (a rich rice dish) donated by a famous chef. The students from Texas also danced, and the B loved it. The students have been grand and accommodating about our requests. Naren and I also danced; he learnt the steps at 0600 this am (when he was half-asleep) and was correcting my count by 0930. "Don't give me people who want to dance, give me people who have to dance." Navin and Scott helped with the games, Naren and I danced, and it was all good. Some friends of Naren's, a theatre group called "Stray Factory," also performed for our residents and they were good. When folks do for the Banyan, I feel very, very happy.
The boys and we got ice cream after the show, and then went to the beach. We talked ad nauseam. Naren's romantic relationship has ended and I have voiced my support for him; he had hugged me then and said he appreciated the support. Navin said he might not if it were him, and Naren told him he would appreciate the support. It was a most morale-boosting conversation.
Unw -
R
I am sitting here in my nightie and robe, 2 young men are out partying ("our evening does not even start at 7, when yours ends"), Scott and I have an evening at home, and I am blogging.
Work has been very good. The 5 med students have enthusiastically performed physical exams on all the patients, and taught a class yesterday to the health care workers, who are game to learn anything from anyone. Kovalam was fine, and busy; the person who is to have (likely) open heart surgery has come repeatedly to our clinic, though he is fine enough. I think he is very nervous about the operation, and he has asked the same questions multiple times - "Is it a big surgery? Do you think they are actually going to operate? What are they going to do first when I am admitted?" I have attempted to reassure him, and I know not if I have succeeded. Poor or rich, nervousness before surgery is not uncommon.
Adaikalam has been fine. One of our patients was losing weight with gusto, and I was very worried that it was due to cancer. We sent her for a complete workup and no cancer has been found. There is a bone from her backbone that is jutting into her food pipe, and she has trouble eating because of that. So, Leela, our magnificent nurse, has put her on a high calorie, high protein diet that many folks with tuberculosis get - eggs, soup, some high protein legumes. We are hopeful of results, and indeed, the person looks better today, almost back to her former cheerful self. She is a bit mentally challenged in addition to being likely mentally ill, and family has not tried to find her. This is the grand benefit of working at the B: we expend much effort to find the cause of a patient's symptoms regardless of who she is.
Navin got here! He had had some serious misadventures, including having his passport stolen. Getting all his travel documents replaced was challenging; the passport took the least time - I tell you, the U.S. is kind to its citizens in distress. Getting the visa to India took a while and some magnificent machinery swung into place - friends, the Tabers; Navin's assistant dean of students; my mother-in-law, and Scott's cousin and her husband. So net result is that Navin is here and all of us are overjoyed. And appreciative of all the help.
On Christmas Eve, all of us (med students, a Ph.D. student from France and the Weisses) piled into a 10-person vandi (vehicle) and drove to Vellore. We spent Xmas Eve and Day at my sister Anu's house, and a grand time was had by all. The family was kind enough to welcome the students (but that's an Indian thing) and the students graciously adjusted to all our chaos. We drove back on the 25th and were at work the next day.
I attended the wedding of the nurse who helped take care of my mother. I owe her a lot, she was there when I could not be. And did helpful things that I would have balked at. My father and I attended the wedding, and it was grand fun hanging out with him and hearing his observations on life, liberty and wedding rituals.
Today was "Family Day" at the Banyan. We had some games for little kids, and an entertainment program, and biryani (a rich rice dish) donated by a famous chef. The students from Texas also danced, and the B loved it. The students have been grand and accommodating about our requests. Naren and I also danced; he learnt the steps at 0600 this am (when he was half-asleep) and was correcting my count by 0930. "Don't give me people who want to dance, give me people who have to dance." Navin and Scott helped with the games, Naren and I danced, and it was all good. Some friends of Naren's, a theatre group called "Stray Factory," also performed for our residents and they were good. When folks do for the Banyan, I feel very, very happy.
The boys and we got ice cream after the show, and then went to the beach. We talked ad nauseam. Naren's romantic relationship has ended and I have voiced my support for him; he had hugged me then and said he appreciated the support. Navin said he might not if it were him, and Naren told him he would appreciate the support. It was a most morale-boosting conversation.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
7:26 AM
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