I use to always wonder when people said hospital environment is the worst environment to stay. It is better to come out of it as fast as you can. I can now vouch for the same. I spent almost 8 days in and out of a hospital due to my mother's medical condition. She was admitted to Criti Care Hospital in JVPD. Her operation was successful. But post operation she was admitted to the ICU due to abnormal breathing just for an overnight observation. That is the first time understood the two worlds a hospital is divided into. One of the patient and his family and the other of the hospital working staff including the Head Doctors, Nurses, Sisters, Maavshi's and ward boys. Generally we see from the visitor point of view at this scenario. But I had a closer look into this.
A senior Dr came in at 9:30 pm and decided that patient No 501 A has to be shifted to ICU so that her heart beat and pulse is closely monitored. He said it was for both her and mine sake as she will be taken care off there and also you can can go home and take rest. At the break of this news the sister in charge on the 5th Floor was happy as one patient less for her to take care of and Maavshi took a sigh of relief too. Now Maa was packed and sent to the ICU and settled her down with those enormous pulsing machines. The ICU staff was ready with everything. After everything was settled at 10:30 pm I go speak to the Dr in charge. She was sitting in a chair and gazing to nowhere. When I said hello to her it was almost like spoiling her mood. I asked her if anything was needed and told her that I will be back tmw morning by 8. That very moment she gave me one of the worst looks I have ever received. And then almost scolded me saying that how can you leave your patient in the ICU and leave like that. And straightaway told me if anything happens to her who will be responsible ???......I just imagined her under eye dark circles darkening while she was brushing me off. Maa was not to be disturbed. I called up Papa and told him to come to the hospital as I was in here all day and also it was late for me to go out and have dinner. Poor Papa came to the waiting area and sat all night on the hard floor. That was fine ... by the time it was midnight they asked papa to get some meds and injections. He did as he was asked for. By the time he was back the watchman who was even restricting the sight from the window of the ICU doors was fast asleep and the Doc who sent for medicines was also asleep. Papa waked them up and gave them the packet of meds.
Next day I was in the hospital at 8 and Papa was on Maa's bedside. They smiled beautifully when they saw me as if they had seen me after a gap of 10 years :-) Maa was much fine and off the oxygen pipe and other machines. I relieved Papa to go rest.
Now the real saga started, the Doc told me that she is fine and can be shifted to the room and was out of any sort of danger. I hurry to see if the comfortable room is available for Maa to be shifted. Surprise !!!..non of the rooms that we booked were free. They were all occupied. I come back and explain the scene to Maa saying that she will have to bear the ICU for another day. She was a patient...patient :-). Next so happens that because it is ICU I was not allowed in with all the freedom I had in the room before she shifted. So I had to almost ask and wait until the watchman allowed me to go in, that too for not more than 2 mins. He got to my nerves. Intensive Care Unit...now the term started to throw its meaning at me. Just in front of me 2 college going boys were pulled in. They met with an accident in a car, Saurabh Powar-he had a broken rib cage and Shehzad had a broken leg and was in shock what they call as coma. Their parents were later informed by police that they were shifted from Cooper hospital to Criticare.
All this got reported to Maa first as her bed in the ICU was the first that too without a curtain where these emergency cases came in front of her eyes. Poor Maa weak hearted was not suppose to be there, but just because the damn rooms were occupied she paid a testimony to all these scenes. The crying parents, the busy staff... all did their best in what they could do. I silently tried to forgo this emotional turmoil... tried and immersed my self in the book I was reading.
The waiting room was full of people who were really stressed and other who just wanted to be stressed because their friends were stressed. Mostly Gujarati families were visiting one patient. Can you imagine if there were two of them in the ICU...at least 10 people were in the waiting room, with Khaakraas and theplaas. Anyways...I was trying to keep myself detached when an Aunty came besides me started telling me her story. Her husband had just gone through a by pass. They had to undergo this operation out of no where. Both her children were studying. Young son was in twelth and elder daughter was seeking admission in the ISB. They had pooled up some money for their daughters MBA. Now with the operation eating the money they were left with scanty greens...and long way to recovery of her husband. Their daughter thought of dropping a year off work part time and try the admission next year again. She wore a very calm smile...as she stepped in with a packet full of medicines.
Well any how two days were over. Still we could not get Maa out of the ICU. Day 3 and now comes in a critical case where in a lady was burnt with 80 % burns and rushed inside. I was lucky not to witness it, but yes Maa did see her...she was bound to see with her matinee show bed. Although she was only kept there for a brief span as Nanavati Hospital has a better burns unit where proper care would be taken. Although the time that lady was in the ICU her family was devastated. Especially her mother in law, as the police came in to inquire if they were involved in torturing the burnt girl. They were in a fix as she was still not able to speak and totally traumatized. It was too much of heavy air to breathe. This is the first time that I felt like I need to have tea and do something refreshing. I went down to the cafeteria asked for tea and poha which was quite refreshing. In the mean time the maavshi's and ward boys along with sisters of different floors came out for tea too. They were so jolly and light hearted, in spite of being in such thick air as if they were on a picnic. One could say because they were so detached hence were able to serve the patients. The doctors too keep a very clean line of social rapport with the patients and their relatives. This helps them to focus on solution finding theory rather than on sympathizing. I was allowed to see Maa a few times that day...but that too only 2-3 minutes at a stretch. I was about to leave Maa for the night and go back home when I saw another emergency case coming in. This time it was a 19 year old boy who committed suicide because a girls parents did not say YES to their being together. The girl was 17 and a half years old. Hence they could not marry until she got 18. They had a huge argument and after that he went and hung himself to the ceiling fan. He was immediately put of life support systems and his panicked family was shunned away so that the doctors could investigate the boys condition. The sad girl's name was Pooja....Maa called out to her and took a FIR herself and consoled her. She was sorry and worried too , what if the police keeps her in jail making her the culprit. The rule of ICU...no one see's their patient for more than 3 minutes....she was also shown the way out. I took a rickshaw and headed home. Watched Life in a Metro until I fell asleep.
Next day when saw Maa...she was looking much better and spoke for herself to the doctor to please shift her to a normal room as she could not pay testimony to these critical cases day in and day out. Just then the suicide boy passed away and his bed was made again. When I asked the Maavshi about him...she simply answered "te mela"!!... Although being in good condition she got immensely disturbed due to the anxiety of these emergency cases. Well on the 4th Day after being in the ICU she was shifted to the same room on the 5th floor. The sister welcomed her with a meager smile and did the needful. Maa smiled and was happy to be in normal environment. She was too tired and slept beautifully that night. Well now next day there were no restrictions on seeing her so Papa and I spent a good time with her in the room. Until 501 B patient started sharing his story with us. He had come all the from the USA and was all alone for his treatment. He had to be relieved but he could not make the full payment to the hospital. He was short of about Rs 5000, which he was incompetent of arranging from his so called family in US the and Australia. He started lingering behind Maa for helping him with his short bill and as proof of returning the money he would loan his Passport with a USA visa and his cell phone. Although he looked really depressed and modest, but somehow I did not find all was OK. Well after consulting Papa and Manish we did not help him. But he kept on persuading Maa for help for a day, crying to a choked throat too. Any ways the next day he was still detained and his bill grew even bigger with a days extra charge. Finally he called his Doctor and cried on the phone saying that he should forego his doctors fee and let him out of the hospital. Day in and out the charge was blowing up. Somehow after all the fuss he manged to get out of the hospital and his Doc asked the hospital to cut his bill from his fee.
The next day a 82 year old Vaishnav Gujurati lady got admitted in the place of the last one out. She had a major kidney condition, wherein her Doc told her clearly that her chances of surviving post operation is 80:20 %. And even if she doe not undergo the operation, she has little hope of seeing the sun. Her family was in the room throughout the day. Constantly chattering In Gujurati and saying that "We hope we don't disturb you!!!". Anyways next day Maa would be relieved hence we were living in our won happiness. Old lady's family was caring and considerate towards the ailing lady. We were happy to see that she was looked after by the entire family. At night when they all left....the old lady started speaking. She asked me, how nice did you find my family??...I answered what I saw. She said its all drama. Her daughter in law knows after the operation she wont survive hence she has left her in the hospital. They don't even talk to her when she is home. No one takes care of her, so much for she has to cook herself too. Her 'Mothi Vahu' is very sharp. She changes colors like a chameleon. I was astonished. Such strange set of people I came across, where one cannot suppose what you see is what in reality when no one sees. Relations in a family can get so wounded and there is no way to judge if the old lady was speaking in depression or was she really that troubled. Same goes for the Man who seeked money. His situation made him look so needy, but was he really a genuine case. Would he return us the money if we helped him???... That still remains a question.
The next day hopefully Maa was relieved and we bought her home. Life was back to normal. Home seemed 'sweet home' all over again. That night we all slept like a baby, but we all in some way or the other had dreams about those dreadful episode of the 7 days spent in the hospital.
