Did I just have a double dinner?Yes I did.I had just had a maggie with fried eggs and Swetha came to my door with a full dinner.I ate it without a second thought,sometimes it feels like as though I have dementia.I actually do not know what I am swallowing.I ventured out to the Kachwa market and was surprised at the number of shops that were actually there.It is endless.The kindly kid who took me shopping was to cycle back home in time so we went meandering through the shops picking up bricks and bats and ended up in a cloth shop that belonged to a patient of ours.The heat was getting to my head and I was actually feeling giddy and faint but somehow managed to pick up some eggs,bananas and the cloth I needed.
The government has put out an alert for fever cases taking into consideration that apparently 84 people have died of an unknown fever in the past six weeks in different parts of UP.
I am not too surprised because we had our share of children coming in with fever and convulsions,infact status epilepticus and we have had to completely sedate the kids after intubation and we have had some wonderful recoveries after a lot of scrambling around.In one of the OPD days John brought in a mother and a child who was being treated somewhere else for fever.He had a high count and had been started on Imipenem group of antibiotics ,but three days into the treatment the relatives,dissatisfied that the patient was still spiking in the evenings had discontinued the treatment and had decide to visit our opd.John tells me that the person who had started the Imipenem was not even a proper doctor.I listened to all this with my mouth open.i have,in my practise never stocked Imipenem in the place where I have worked in India.
We have no blood cultures and so we have not really had to resort to it so far but out in the market they seem to be antibiotics happy.
The last but one week was strenous I think for people living in my side of the Himalayas.It was raining cats and dogs or as my brother describes it as the last flash of monsoons which bring with it destruction.I was constantly on the phone with my parents asking after them,but deep within I had peace in my heart regarding their safety.It brought with it a lot of destruction I am to gather but by God's grace everyone is safe.
My old parents and my brother are up and about their normal routine.We continue to remember the families affected by it in our prayers.
I on rainy days often sit,watch and wonder at the rain meander through all the pipes and drains that have been so strategically and scientifically placed during the construction of our house,it is supposed to be earthquake proof but taking into consideration how fragile the area is the water drainage has also been managed well.At one place near our gate I found a Pepsi bottle improvised into a cork to gather the water falling from the roof into a pipe.It must have been our over-active henchman but I was duly amused by it.
There used to be a joke going around in my town sometime back about how my brother used to scientifically calculate before he scored in a football match.He continues to be a man of science,an engineer inside out much to our relief but we all understand and are deeply grateful to God for the protection and most importantly a deep seated assurance he gave each of us praying siblings during the entire confusion.
The pool in Kachwa looks clean with all the litters out and with the ducks enjoying a good bath it looks beautiful.I could sit out and stare at it if the mosquitoes would allow me but for now they seem to have special affinity for me ,perhaps it would be ideal in the winters with the lighter sun,then if Manisha is still around I could give her company.
The patient load continues to be high,I enjoy my medicine a lot better with smart juniors around.
The bible studies at Shanker's is such a blessing and a respite from all the push and pull of everyday life in a mission hospital.
I heard from Jeevan after a while and it is always inspiring to be in touch with him.I am amazed at the depth of research he puts into everything he does.
In the OPD I enjoy the time I spend with the village folks,they have so much of joy,warmth and words of wisdom to share.
Yesterday towards the afternoon an old lady sauntered into the OPD with three year old symptoms of what sounded like Meniere's.She was one of the salt of the earth kind of ladies.I suggested she see an ENT surgeon in Banaras since she was a resident of Varanasi for a work up of Meniere's.She started pulling my leg.I happened to ask her if she had had a formal education in the flow of conversation we were having and she duly answered,'education does not give you wisdom' and with a rap on my head she was out of the door.I felt like a little kid once more,left grinning from ear to ear.
Yes medicine is a field where there is a lot of heartache,struggle,one sees a lot of pain ,like I was telling my junior the other day ,sometimes one feels like a fraud when one practises medicines in places where there are no back up facilities but there are also unexoected joy that is waiting to be discovered just around the corner.It makes it all worthwhile,
The government has put out an alert for fever cases taking into consideration that apparently 84 people have died of an unknown fever in the past six weeks in different parts of UP.
I am not too surprised because we had our share of children coming in with fever and convulsions,infact status epilepticus and we have had to completely sedate the kids after intubation and we have had some wonderful recoveries after a lot of scrambling around.In one of the OPD days John brought in a mother and a child who was being treated somewhere else for fever.He had a high count and had been started on Imipenem group of antibiotics ,but three days into the treatment the relatives,dissatisfied that the patient was still spiking in the evenings had discontinued the treatment and had decide to visit our opd.John tells me that the person who had started the Imipenem was not even a proper doctor.I listened to all this with my mouth open.i have,in my practise never stocked Imipenem in the place where I have worked in India.
We have no blood cultures and so we have not really had to resort to it so far but out in the market they seem to be antibiotics happy.
The last but one week was strenous I think for people living in my side of the Himalayas.It was raining cats and dogs or as my brother describes it as the last flash of monsoons which bring with it destruction.I was constantly on the phone with my parents asking after them,but deep within I had peace in my heart regarding their safety.It brought with it a lot of destruction I am to gather but by God's grace everyone is safe.
My old parents and my brother are up and about their normal routine.We continue to remember the families affected by it in our prayers.
I on rainy days often sit,watch and wonder at the rain meander through all the pipes and drains that have been so strategically and scientifically placed during the construction of our house,it is supposed to be earthquake proof but taking into consideration how fragile the area is the water drainage has also been managed well.At one place near our gate I found a Pepsi bottle improvised into a cork to gather the water falling from the roof into a pipe.It must have been our over-active henchman but I was duly amused by it.
There used to be a joke going around in my town sometime back about how my brother used to scientifically calculate before he scored in a football match.He continues to be a man of science,an engineer inside out much to our relief but we all understand and are deeply grateful to God for the protection and most importantly a deep seated assurance he gave each of us praying siblings during the entire confusion.
The pool in Kachwa looks clean with all the litters out and with the ducks enjoying a good bath it looks beautiful.I could sit out and stare at it if the mosquitoes would allow me but for now they seem to have special affinity for me ,perhaps it would be ideal in the winters with the lighter sun,then if Manisha is still around I could give her company.
The patient load continues to be high,I enjoy my medicine a lot better with smart juniors around.
The bible studies at Shanker's is such a blessing and a respite from all the push and pull of everyday life in a mission hospital.
I heard from Jeevan after a while and it is always inspiring to be in touch with him.I am amazed at the depth of research he puts into everything he does.
In the OPD I enjoy the time I spend with the village folks,they have so much of joy,warmth and words of wisdom to share.
Yesterday towards the afternoon an old lady sauntered into the OPD with three year old symptoms of what sounded like Meniere's.She was one of the salt of the earth kind of ladies.I suggested she see an ENT surgeon in Banaras since she was a resident of Varanasi for a work up of Meniere's.She started pulling my leg.I happened to ask her if she had had a formal education in the flow of conversation we were having and she duly answered,'education does not give you wisdom' and with a rap on my head she was out of the door.I felt like a little kid once more,left grinning from ear to ear.
Yes medicine is a field where there is a lot of heartache,struggle,one sees a lot of pain ,like I was telling my junior the other day ,sometimes one feels like a fraud when one practises medicines in places where there are no back up facilities but there are also unexoected joy that is waiting to be discovered just around the corner.It makes it all worthwhile,
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