Report of 19 Jan 2014
Hello from quiet Chennai!
My family is asleep - the ones who are here, that is. It is quiet, our temperamental modem is cooperating for now, and you'd be surprised what you'd consider joys once you've lived on the other side, e.g., with a modem that simply won't turn on.
Life is fine. All doctors should be patients once in a while. I contracted food poisoning 2 days ago and that changed plans for the weekend. I lay on our sofa and ate bland food. Navin, who is still here and leaves on the 24th, went off to see friends; Scott sorted through piles of old documents; you know what I did. Illness gives a fine appreciation for good health - see first paragraph.
Work is good. Last week, at our busy Kovalam clinic, we saw quite a few patients. One of them is one of my favorite people. He is older, has some high blood pressure, is non-complaining. We had had a heck of a time getting his blood pressure under control, he admitted some home stressors, and the psychiatrist started him on an antidepressant: voila - BP under control and sleeping better! Wow. I told him last week that he had meds enough for 2 weeks and he said, "What? Does that mean I don't come next week?" I told him he could come if he wanted, that the clinic would be open, and he was reassured: for several of our patients, the clinic forms a social outlet and a place where folks listen to them, treat them kindly, etc. As all visits and meds are free, I don't dissuade anyone from coming. Often, the words they hear at the Banyan are kinder than the ones they hear at home.
So, there was another patient - new to me, and just after having delivered her 2nd child. I forget her complaint, but in the course of the history, she showed me a leg wound. She said she had fallen, and I asked about domestic violence. She looked at her sister-in-law (her older brother's wife) and denied violence. I looked at our able assistant, Keerthana, and told her and the patient that I thought otherwise. The sister-in-law then stated this patient had been brought back from her husband's place as he had beaten her and kicked her even when pregnant. She'd had a son this time and I told her that her husband might ask her to come back, given she'd had a boy baby, and for her to choose carefully. That's all I can say, truly, in addition to pointing out that she'd been beaten to within an inch of her life.
I did not go to Adaikalam this week as it was Pongal, our harvest festival, and many of the health care workers were going to be away. Since part of my duties involve teaching, and since half of my student populace was going to be absent, I worked from home. It was good to catch up on professional reading, and prepare training material.
Naren is well in NYC, Navin is preparing to wind up matters and head stateside, and Scott is enjoying his job. All good, and I hope the same with you.
Unw -
R
My family is asleep - the ones who are here, that is. It is quiet, our temperamental modem is cooperating for now, and you'd be surprised what you'd consider joys once you've lived on the other side, e.g., with a modem that simply won't turn on.
Life is fine. All doctors should be patients once in a while. I contracted food poisoning 2 days ago and that changed plans for the weekend. I lay on our sofa and ate bland food. Navin, who is still here and leaves on the 24th, went off to see friends; Scott sorted through piles of old documents; you know what I did. Illness gives a fine appreciation for good health - see first paragraph.
Work is good. Last week, at our busy Kovalam clinic, we saw quite a few patients. One of them is one of my favorite people. He is older, has some high blood pressure, is non-complaining. We had had a heck of a time getting his blood pressure under control, he admitted some home stressors, and the psychiatrist started him on an antidepressant: voila - BP under control and sleeping better! Wow. I told him last week that he had meds enough for 2 weeks and he said, "What? Does that mean I don't come next week?" I told him he could come if he wanted, that the clinic would be open, and he was reassured: for several of our patients, the clinic forms a social outlet and a place where folks listen to them, treat them kindly, etc. As all visits and meds are free, I don't dissuade anyone from coming. Often, the words they hear at the Banyan are kinder than the ones they hear at home.
So, there was another patient - new to me, and just after having delivered her 2nd child. I forget her complaint, but in the course of the history, she showed me a leg wound. She said she had fallen, and I asked about domestic violence. She looked at her sister-in-law (her older brother's wife) and denied violence. I looked at our able assistant, Keerthana, and told her and the patient that I thought otherwise. The sister-in-law then stated this patient had been brought back from her husband's place as he had beaten her and kicked her even when pregnant. She'd had a son this time and I told her that her husband might ask her to come back, given she'd had a boy baby, and for her to choose carefully. That's all I can say, truly, in addition to pointing out that she'd been beaten to within an inch of her life.
I did not go to Adaikalam this week as it was Pongal, our harvest festival, and many of the health care workers were going to be away. Since part of my duties involve teaching, and since half of my student populace was going to be absent, I worked from home. It was good to catch up on professional reading, and prepare training material.
Naren is well in NYC, Navin is preparing to wind up matters and head stateside, and Scott is enjoying his job. All good, and I hope the same with you.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
6:32 PM
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