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Practical realities.

These are times when the Lord is teaching me humility through periods of responsibilities that is nearer home.I am having to dabble with issues of old-age and medical problems in a place where a good medical facility is a laugh to say the least.In whole of Sikkim there is no nephrologist and there is but one in Siliguri whose appointment apparently is hard to come by but a help from a cousin's friend made it possible.After four hours of wait for a nephrologist who seem to be managing emergency,wards,couselling and I don't know what ,he was kind enough to see my mother first.He gave some good advice.Then I found myself staring at a very borderline,early renal failure with high parathormone levels.By God's grace all the electrolytes were normal.Rest of the results are awaited.It could not be secondary to early CKD so am dabbling with an endocrine issues too now.Thanks to a senior , guiding me through this.Hopefully I will hear from my endocrine colleagues too,soon enough.
In the mean time my mother has resumed her school and is happy to be on the rounds again.
I am due to report to Kachwa as per my EHA posting but for now I leave it hanging, till I get a clearnace from this issue at hand.It makes me realise just how carefree I have been this far.Sometimes it is easier to do things for other people than it is ,to do it for your own family especially when you are a doctor because you are in flesh ,trying to fulfill both sides of the bargain.I will ,i guess learn the hard way to 'let go and let God.' because it is actually Him who holds both side of the bargain.
Just standing outside the nephrologist's OPD in Siliguri and standing in a line to pay the bill for the investigation,my heart was filled with compassion for the bystanders and the patients.
There were two young kids who had brought in their 44 years old mother with ascites.She had apparently been seen in Darjeeling where they told them it was an issue with the liver.Then they took her to Manipal where they said it was the heart and suddenly the previous day they told her her it was her kidney because of which they were at the nephrologists.I listened to them with my mouth open.They had an a USG in their hand which showed fatty liver and not much else.Her creatinine was 6 and her liver functions were about normal.Not much to go with but the lady looked wacked out about a hundred paces away with her head on her husband's shoulder.
While paying the bill for my mother's investigation a man rushed into the reception and asked at the counter,'How much will an X-ray of the whole body cost?'The billing person replied ,'it would depend on the doctor's prescription'.'Anyways,how much would it cost?'.I guess accordingly he would have to arrange for money,but X-ray of the whole body??!
I see a great gap here between the appropriate health-care providers and the public.
A proper family physician may be a solution but most doctors around seem to be doing that and not too well.

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