Second half of the day was spent at the clinic. Days are getting short as I will not be here much longer. I will miss the clinic and all the people associated with it-the neighbors in the basti, the patients we see, the families I encounter, the children playing outside, the knowledge I've gained, the experiences I've had, the cases I've seen, and the love I've received. I know how much it means to want something so bad, and to be able to live it. I got to live it this month. What I imagined came true. I am very fortunate indeed to be able to have had this opportunity. Just like what a fellow human being who came to the clinic today told me in Hindi-translated version: "You are very lucky to be here, not many people come. You can at least speak Hindi and you got the opportunity to come serve here." At that time, I felt like my entire trip so far had been wrapped up in a present with a big bow on top in the name of this gentleman's words. I told him in Hindi-translated version "My Hindi is not that great, but I try to speak what I can. Being born in Vadodara and having lived in Gujarat kept me connected to my language, and I am indeed, very lucky and fortunate to be able to come back here" I just felt so happy- I felt like this gentleman and I formed an instant connection with that brief conversation after I took his history. The connections I have formed with the community members here are priceless. I absolutely love talking to them, be it about health, the atmosphere, holidays, their families, their lives, my life, or just life in general. They are human beings before patients. I like to see them as human beings, and many of them, I saw as family. There is something that connects us all-whether someone is Muslim, or Hindu, or Christian, or whichever faith, I wish Eid Mubarakh, say Merry Christmas, and say Happy Diwali. I feel equal joy.
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| Tests for detecting Dengue (wonder what the sensitivity and specificity is for NS1 detection, generally, I have seen IgG and IgM labs be used here)- Anyway, there is so much to learn-there was an article on a person who was coinfected with Chikungunya and Dengue. They are both transmitted by same species of mosquitos-A. aegypti. Very interesting. The person recovered just fine, but had to go through having Dengue Hemorrhagic fever, and then just when that was improving from the treatment, had started getting symptoms of Chikungunya! Gosh these mosquitos- I better put on another layer of Odomos! |
At the clinic, the dr. gave me this journal of Indian Medical Association. This month's edition is on Breast Cancer. Of course, it caught my attention immediately, so in between patient visits, I read bits and pieces of some of the articles. What they have written about Breast cancer is so true- in USA, the progress that has been made with early detection where it is still in-situ or ductal carcinoma that is still confined within the breast or particular area is astonishing compared to India, where mammography is such a foreign concept. Would my mother's breast cancer have even been detected in stage 1 had we still lived in India? India has a long way to come, be it Breast cancer or Cervical Cancer screenings. Keeping only a selective number of mammogram machines in few radiologist offices or private hospitals may be benificial for some women, but what about the majority of the population that cannot go to those places or afford it, let alone have heard of it. Then, once they are symptomatic, it is stage 3 or 4!
I wish all this knowledge and resources that are within the walls of private institutes get distributed to the general public across all income levels in society. On the other hand, there are some great public and private hospitals. There is a public cancer hospital in Ahmadabad that is excellent for cancer treatment and provides affordable care to those who need it, but it is too far for many people who need that care. They even provide passes to get to the hospital through public transportation, but what about those who cannot travel alone in their current state. Most people's families work all day. They have to work morning to night to get money for the day! The private hospital in a nearby town of Baroda is a renowned cancer research and treatment institute. I visited there in 2007. There is a brilliant orphange nearby that just does a wonderful job at raising the girls and young women! The Cancer institute is state of the art, but only those in upper middle class or upper class can afford it as it is private. That is one of the few rare places that has a CT scan!
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| I want to finish this book by Swami Vivekanand |
The dr. lend me this book to read, but I might just purchase my own copy eventually before returning to USA. There are several books I want to get by the great authors and spiritual leaders of India. I highly recommend Gandhiji's autobiography!
"My
ideal, indeed, can be put into a few words, and that is: to preach unto
mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement
of life." -Swami Vivekanand
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