Report of 10 Dec 2017

Hello from our balcony!

The green is green, the sea is merging with the sky in a haze, this is a great place to sit and write.  Scott is puttering about in the kitchen.

Work is good.  We had a patient come in to the Banyan the other day; she is a fish vendor, carrying a basket on her head daily, had complained of aches and pains, and some breathing issues.  I had prescribed some meds, including an inhaler; she had tried to do without the inhaler and I said, "You couldn't, could you."  She affirmed that, and then, in her speech, used an English word most appropriately.  I asked what level of education she had completed and she said, "10th."  I was riveted: she was forthright, comprehending, communicative, clear.  As I sat mulling over some options, my assistants in the room thought I had not understood the patient and gestured "10" with their fingers, repeated "10" in Tamil, and tried in all manner of ways to bring the doctor down from whichever ether she had landed on.  I stated that I had understood, and sent the young lady to one of our coordinators to mull over some employment options, such as community work or outreach.  Let us see what comes of this.  Empowering a woman is extremely life- and work-affirming.

Adaikalam, the facility I am farther off from, is also good.  The cook and a couple of others came by to see me, to get their blood pressures checked and treated.  It is fairly amazing that one can save a life or prevent catastrophic illnesses like strokes just by controlling blood pressure.

Private practice is nice.  My junior colleague had astutely evaluated a patient who had come in with trouble breathing, found that she'd had a heart attack and had consulted the cardiologist.  The patient and family were pleased with the care that our small hospital had given, and were a pleasure to interact with.  Gratitude is a fine motivator, as is niceness.

On Friday, Scott and I were invited to hear a medical talk by a colleague of my sister, Anu.  It was  a prelude to the annual conference of Sundaram Medical Foundation, which is always a good show.  I attended the conference yesterday, got quite a bit of knowledge out of it and then, Scott and I went to see  a pantomime by The Little Theatre.  This is also an annual outing for us, and we heckle mercilessly from the audience.  Naren acted in this production a couple of times and we enjoy going.  All of it is good, as is the fact that the producer uses the proceeds of the show to support the education of underprivileged children, who might otherwise not be able to attend college.  Fine endeavor, needed results.

We Skyped with the boys today, all 4 together for the first time in a while.  I enjoy listening to the boys interact with each other; there is a fair amount of questionable language like "B***h" but that appears to be the norm now and does not reduce the respect or regard each has for the other.  Naren narrated an unfortunate incident at the school where he teaches, and we talked quite a bit about that.  After this discussion, there were other topics, and a lot of laughter, which I unfailingly appreciate.  I also talked to my father earlier last week, told him I was not going to resign and he breathed a sigh of relief.

May you have much laughter and relief yourselves.

Unw -

R 

Report of 3 Dec 2017

So, being on Gmail, suddenly Blogger does not recognise me and says I have no blogs under my authorship.  The tech husband is trying to work on a fix, so in the meantime, here is the blog entry on email.

I am viscerally finding the need to write.  For some time now, resigning from the Banyan has been on my mind.  This is an organisation I expected to leave only with rigor mortis (the stiffness of death), and am now seriously considering resignation.  As a mentor said when he left a hospital that he had been associated with for a long time, maybe it's me.  I know that I am not happy at one branch, have started berating the patients and that is not good for anyone.  I plan to continue at the other branch, as that is "home" to me.

On the 18th, I dashed off to the U.S. to see my sons and realign the cosmos.  For a year or 2 now, I have wanted to give them a quasi home at Thanksgiving and we hung out this year.  There is a hotel in Carmel, Indiana, that we consider home, the service is excellent, we know most people there and we chilled.  I swam in the pool to my heart's content, we partook of the breakfast ad infinitum and on the day that all 3 of us were there - Black Friday - we spent an hour and a half at the breakfast table, talking, laughing, eating, drinking.  It was grand fun and I returned refreshed, with a suitcase loaded with treats for others.  We also saw my in-laws and watched "The Brave" there as it had not been screened in India; it was cool to see Naren on TV and hang out with the in-laws.    

Private practice is nice.  A memorable patient this week was a lady who works at the Cancer Center, who was diagnosed newly with diabetes at our hospital.  One of her well-meaning family members, knowing little about the illness, asked if she could bring her juice and I said no; she mentioned that the patient had declined, but that the relative wanted to check.  I liked the patient immensely: she was motivated to bring her illness under control, was prepared to do it with diet and exercise, and did all that we told her.

We saw 5 movies in the U.S. - Victoria and Abdul, Justice League, Murder on the Orient Express, Thor Ragnarok (2nd time for me, clearly I had to be forced to go and see the handsome and very funny Chris Hemsworth), and 3 billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.  Navin did not care for the last flick at all, believing in the milk of human kindness; I rather liked the acting there and did agree that the premise (a rape and murder) was gruesome.

The sea is blue, the view is clear and the Christmas season is on us.  Scott and I headed townward yesterday to see a play benefiting charity, the tickets were sold out, we were happy for that, and headed home.  I got up very early this morning to swim, as I think the lack of exercise in my jet-lagged state this week truly hampered my mood.  I also got to talk to my father, there were lots of chuckles and we will see him in about 3 weeks.  

Have a great week!

Unw,

R