#17 HOspital HOliday

“Are you nervous?”  Asked Dr. Vinson, in green Operation Room scrubs and green scrub cap as I lay like a ready canvas in his OR. “It’s not the physical pain I am more afraid of doctor. I said. “It’s the mental pain that hurts more.” Doctor smiled and I was given an injection of 220ccs of Propofol and within seconds world closed for me. A knockout, sort of. I woke up 7hours later. Lifeless like dead fish in basket.  In between coming in and out of consciousness. A big IV running into my left hand. Pain rising as if OR was a ticket to another planet.  I vomited blood and rest is well what is called recovery.

Hello from the conscious world. It’s been 16 days since I was operated for deviated nasal septum (DNS) in an operation called “Septoplasty”. My first time of course. Everyone runs away from hospital, people equate it with disease, ill, bad. But then its cure, good and happiness too. Fruit vendors row outside entrance, expecting you to carry fruits for your friend, relative or even the girl you knocked down on the road today. There are shrines inside, smell of incense stick, hands clasped. Then there are relatives and friends inside out. Roar of ambulances. In short it’s a chaotic scene. All ‘’god stuff” aside, once you are lying on the OR bed like a free canvas for the doctor (read artist) to work on. No god can help you.

Once you are back on your bed after operation it’s like gaining senses after a big knockout blow. Like an old car struggling to start. And whoosh! Pain says hello. And next thing you see is a huge IV connected to your left hand. That IV needle on your hand is like receiving dock for medicines viz. antibiotics, painkillers. You can’t survive good old needle prick either, prick on the butt brings back childhood days. And fast forward to present, you can go through so much without tears. Took me 2 days to come to my senses. My nose packed and taped until further notice. I tried to read my chart and it was too much for my limited medical vocabulary, but all I knew was that It went well.

Routine was fairly simple, at 6am I would wake up and take my carbamezapine pill. Pretend to be asleep. By 6:30am lights would be on and sisters would be around giving medications/injections. Every time I was approached I would ask where I am getting injected. On my IV meant no needle/no prick and otherwise. Then later there would be rounds, my bolsters (tapes holding packing in place) would be changed and doctors would check on me. Then I would fall asleep again to get up for lunch.  And again at 3pm a sister would appear and do her routine. Idea of being fixed to one bed didn’t please me but my body was in no shape to protest.

Doctors too have a hierarchy in wards. There is the head, followed by the attending, then comes senior residents and lastly junior residents. Without a question one would find doctors on top more reliable. Skeptical about knowledge of some. Although I found one Dr. Radhika very helpful. Nevertheless all of us had come here to get healed and found no real loopholes in the care.

So the day came, packing removed and now a different phase began and a tough one indeed. Initially it seemed free for a couple of hours. Dr. Vinson came to check me and told me that it would get clogged as nose would start with its secretions. First night my nose completely stuffy as expected. It was some kind of torment but all I knew before any of these even began, It will end. Not really to be, at least then. My best companions from then were tissues because more often than not I would fidget with my nose, and shades of red, orange and yellow would hug them as if they were some litmus paper. Well kind of they were in fact, as I would heal the colors would fade I was told. I was told I would be discharged next day and I was upset about it. “They (doctors) must be liking you a lot and that’s why one more day’’ A sister joked. Who was I to compromise on my own healthcare?

Next morning I was ecstatic, After all I was heading home. Who wouldn’t have been? But It dragged on for way long trust me. I was upbeat and nagged sister to send me home. I was occupying bed for someone who needed it more than me. Before I could go, Dr.Saumyata cleaned my nose with betadine and advised what care to be taken at home. Sadly none of the doctors were chatty or anybody. I being an extrovert myself found myself kind of choked the whole time. Out of that underground ENT ward, light outside was magical, it smelled of freedom. When I came home, there was no better feeling, my cat sat there on a chair staring at me as if asking where the meow I was all the while. For 7 days I had not seen Tv, so much of Grey`s Anatomy and Agents of Shield I had missed.

Trust me when I say this, I never met with an accident till now, nor have I had a major disease which needed hospital stay. At the most I was patched up for scrapes when I fell a couple of times. There is always a first time, so this was it. Quiet an experience.

Yes it was an elective surgery and I was told it was not needed, but it had to be done some time or another, my sinus allergy recurring was the last thing I want. 16 days after the actual operation I feel 70% better. All thanks to Dr. Dhiraj and his team. No operation should be considered minor, pain is very real and like everything it ends too. In the more recent times a lot of ill has been spoken about Goa Medical College and Hospital but you have to admit, they have the best specialists in the state and face a humongous patient load.

There is always a first time for things and this was mine. It was definitely a great experience, more of my mark sheet in school. Average but satisfactory. Scored high in some, some not so well. While I am recovering pretty well I must tell you, just because you are paying for healthcare means they will treat you like a king. I am really happy I chose GMC. A big thumbs up to them.

During the whole while I missed writing and taking photos. Now I am set and will update more often. With that in mind there is something I update daily. My instagram feed @saishots

Let’s catch up soon. Chao!