Made it home... feels great!
Well, after the longest Tuesday of my life, I'm typing this from home. The flights were actually quite nice, and I would definitely recommend British Air to anybody flying long distances. The service was great, the staff very nice, and they actually fed all of us regularly during the flights! Made the long hours very tolerable.
I wanted to use this post to let everyone know that I'm fine, but still suffering from that stupid paralysis in my quad. I am sure it will get better, and it is, but I figure I'm about 30% of the way to full function. I'm not worried about it, just wish it would go away!
And I also wanted to let you know that I will not post regularly anymore, at least that's my plan. The trip is done, I've got my shiny new hip, and I'm now on the road to try to recover some normalcy in everyday life. I'll be strapped to the house for a while here until the leg gets better, but other than that life is good.
Thank you for reading my blog. Karen has passed on that many people she knows have been following, unknown to me. Thank you. This has been quite a journey, and while it isn't quite over yet, it's close. It's been fun sharing my experience with everyone, it made it very much a shared experience; I was not alone in India!
So it's now time to try to get back to normal. Since I'm self-employed, the time away from work is time without pay, so I need to get back too it! And my clients have been extremely supportive and patient (thanks to everyone at ECHO and GMG/GXT!) in letting things slide a bit so I could take care of this issue. But I'm ready to get back to it fulltime, so much to do!
Thanks again, and thanks for reading,
Rus
Goodbye India
I tried to post this earlier this evening but was having trouble with the blog. Looks like it's working now! Enjoy...
Well, today is the first day of transition for the long journey home. Left the Ideal Resort at about noon for another enjoyable trip of trying to figure out how these guys survive the drive. Was delivered at the Park with enough time to eat at the Thai restaurant with the goldfish. I guess the same rules apply at lunch as at dinner: No one dines alone; the fish will always be there. After a great lunch, the driver picked me and delivered me to the Apollo Hospital at about 3 for my last face-to-face visit with Dr. Bose.
I've been leaving my incision open to the air after my last waterproof bandage gave up the ghost about 2 days ago. I covered it while showering with plastic but otherwise left it open as it's very healthy and I was developing some blisters from the plastic waterproof bandage. Dr. Bose agreed, it looked great and left it without a bandage. We did talk a bit more about my neuropraxia. Basically, the more muscle there is a the incision, the harder they have to tension the spanners that keep the incision open and allow visibility for surgery. The higher the tension the higher likelihood that the nerves will be compressed and neuropraxia will occur.
I think, in a nice way, he was trying to tell me I have a big butt. Fair enough. Never thought I'd have nerve numbness from a big butt. Learn something everyday. We had a great chat and said our goodbyes. One hell of a surgeon, but not less of a human being. I am better in many ways for knowing him.
Lasting impressions of India?
The people. They are great. And despite what is pretty dirty and polluted environment, very healthy and happy. For a large part, they don't drink, smoke. They are mostly vegetarian and very few seem to be overweight. And very happy. I've never seen so many people that are caring, smiling, and beaming as here. Far different that Europe in my experience.
So I'll leave you with this shot of the Chennai skyline. And extend thanks to all, both those reading this blog and those that aren't. It's 7:00 pm and I have a 1:30 am wakeup call and still need to get a light dinner. Until I post from home, goodbye.
Rus
Sunday Morning
Sunday morning walk. Only one more day here! At the resort anyway. Got out early, right at sunrise, lots of fishing boats out on the water. It is definitely cooler in the morning, by a few degrees, but I still end up sweating quite a bit. Went for a total of 1/2 mile I'd guess.
Enjoy these shots.
Rus
Doing some laps
Well, it's Saturday here in India, I can start to feel Colorado just around the corner. Went for a long walk this morning along the beach after an OK night of sleep. Came back, had a good breakfast then returned to the room for a refreshing shower. By the time I finished the shower I had been up for about 5 hours, so yes, you guessed it, time for a nap.
I slept for a solid 2 hours with the deepest sleep I've experienced here at the resort. Dang did that feel good. I can't help think that my body, deep inside, is still on Colorado time. My nap corresponded to 10:30 pm at home, just about bed time on a Friday night. I awoke feeling very rested and surprised I slept as hard as I did. I also noticed that my hip and leg felt markedly better. As a bike racer, I know you don't get stronger when you train, you get stronger when you rest. Same goes for recovery. After that nap, my hip, and especially my thigh and nerve felt much better. It's funny how the same rules apply.
So, had a great nap, what to do next? Watch another movie of course! I switched on the movie channel and "Crimson Tide" was just starting. The channel is great, but during the day the movies are punctuated by long commercial breaks. (Not so much at night, they try to hurry through the bad movies.) You know, the kind that show the same commercial sequence every break? So what I did during each of these breaks, was get up and do laps across the room, without any aid, working on my gait.
Man did that make the commercial breaks tolerable. I felt like I could complete a lap or two each break without much of a limp, but with some pain in the hip. But it's the good kind of pain, of muscle strengthening and use.
So for about 2 hours, every 15 minutes I'd do laps across the room. I imagined I was track racing, round and round, concentrating on my form. I think I'm going to make it through this thing!
So there you have it, another day in the life of Rus. Oh yea, I watched "EdTV" last night, can't help to draw a small parallel to the movie and this blog. Is anybody really interested in these ramblings?...
Can't wait to come home. I miss Karen and the kids deeply, I've never been away this long. But the end is near! Dang it's hot out there I can feel it trying to break in through the front window, better turn the cooler up a bit...
Rus
You're never going to believe this
So, for my recovery walks, I've been going down to the beach. The resort only has about 100 yards of beachfront, so I haven't ventured too far. Partly because their are "beach vendors" to the South, and what looks like a slum/fishing village to the North. So yesterday I got brave and headed further South, of course to be intercepted by the vendor. He asks me what was up, and I told him, "hip surgery." He responds "me too, 4 months ago." Hmmm. Pure salesman I think. But he's nice enough and walks with me for a while, and also confirms that Dr. Bose was one of the team that worked on him. Unbelievable. Anyway I finish my walk and return to resort. I thought what the heck, I have only spent about $40 of the $100 in cash I brought so I thought I'd buy something from him tomorrow.
So I go out this morning, again intercepted. This time he shows me his scar. Dang he might be telling the truth. "I'll bring my x-ray this afternoon and show it to you," he says. Really! I was of course curious to see if indeed he got resurfacing or the old replacement. He said he was a fisherman but still hesitant about getting back in the boat yet, too early at 4 months. OK, I'll come see you this afternoon.
I decided to go for my afternoon walk and change $20 into 880 rupees at the resort and head to the beach. I see him walking and he sees me. I want to kind of get through this so I head right for him. He welcomes me and says, "I have my x-ray, come see." Dang. It's a resurface indeed. He had a badly misshapen pelvis, but there it was, a resurface just like mine. His name is Palani and he said to give Dr. Bose his regards when I see him on Monday.
Here's a guy who sells stuff on the beach and probably makes $2 a day gets better health care than we do in the US. Why is that? I'm sitting here shaking my head in disbelief, I have to abandon our health care system, spend all my own money to travel literally half way around the world to get health care provided to the indigent in India. Something's wrong with this picture.
But I did get a couple of nice carved elephants out of the deal.
Rus
Tough Duty
Well, getting better at walking, and can take several (10+) unaided steps before I start using one crutch again. If it were'nt for that stupid numbness... it is getting better, but not very fast. Surgery was one week ago today.
Here's a shot of me, well, uh, reading about database normalization. Tough day at the office, I know. Getting into the hammock wasn't too bad, but getting out I had to have the security guard help me. Now I know how a trout in a net feels. Pretty stylish socks, huh? Stupid TEDs - need to wear them to prevent blood clots for the next... month. Oh well, no wonder everybody stares at me, "That guy trying to start a fashion trend? Well it ain't workin'."
The folks here at the resort are wonderful, catering to my every need. Maybe that's one thing the TEDs are good for, who couldn't feel sorry fo a guy walking around in them? Just finished lunch, which like every meal, is a buffet. Of course they carry my plate for me. And start at the first bowl. And put in some rice. Then open the next. And the next. And Next. I think you get the idea. The stop at everything in the buffet and put some on for me. Talk about overeating, no need for inbetween meal snacks! But since I quit taking the painkillers they gave me, I'm feeling much better. Right now I'm only taking an iron suppliment, an aspirin they gave me, and my malaria pill. I can feel my body empty the drugs each day, and am feeling better because of it.
Back to a little more reading, but need to rest up for dinner...
Rus
Made it to the Ideal Beach Resort
I'm composing this early Wednesday morning (7:15 am) after my first night at the resort. I didn't sleep very well, which seems to be a recurring problem lately. Hopefully that'll get better. At least this time I was able to watch a couple of crummy movies IN ENGLISH while I lay awake. And I am right now listening to my Sirius satellite radio through the internet while I type! Man I missed that. The proxy server I had to go through at the hospital precluded me from listening there.
Got to the resort around 5:30 last night.
Honestly, I don't understand how this country works. Because I'm a stupid American I guess. The traffic is unbelievable, I can't believe that there aren't dead bodies all over the way these people travel. The driver would fly by a bike at about 3 inches clearance going 40 while a motorcycle passes us at the same clearance on the other side. And he's slicing between us and an oncoming bus with similar clearance to the bus. A totally random mix of foot traffic, bikes, bike rickshaws (carrying, like, propane bottles), rickshaws, cars, massive buses...
And the country side is the same jumble. Incredible poverty a few tens of feet from a brand new shiny office building. And I still don't understand the infrastructure either. It appears that the electricity is above ground, but seeing these sagging cables give you no confidence you could have any reliable power at all. But with all that, the people look for the most part happy, the facilities I've directly delt with have been very good, and in a micro-analysis it's hard to tell I'm not home. But when I try to comprehend it as a whole I fall short.
So, in part, is why I came to India for surgery. I wanted to experience another culture and I sure am!
I hope you enjoy these shots.
$6000 Man!
Well, OK, a bit more than that but not much. In preparation for departure from the hospital, I was given a copy of my x-ray post-op. I quickly placed it in the window in the hospital room and snapped this photo. It isn't great, and the Chennai skyline is in the background, but does show the general idea. For those of you wondering, the bright mushroom-looking deal on the left is my new BHR hip. Just if you were wondering.
Dr. Bose had an emergency surgery so we were a bit late getting out of the hospital yesterday, but I still made it to the resort before sundown.
Met with Dr. Bose again - leaving tomorrow!
Met again with Dr. Bose, last time was Saturday when I was in bed. This time up and walking and in street clothes. Even with my neuropraxia I got the green light to leave tomorrow, and got the resort to confirm an arrival for tomorrow! Great. Here's a shot of me and Dr. Bose.
Rus
Loose the gown and ... a SHOWER!
Well, again, life is puncuated with small everyday events that somehow become triumphant in the correct context. Dr. Bose's assistant replaced my gauze bandage with a waterproof one, while uttering "all healed!" Dr. Bose uses sub-dermal (or whatever you call it) stitches so there is nothing but a fine line for the scar. He estimated mine at 15 cm (7 inches). Anyway, with a waterproof bandage in place, and some new wrist crutches I had my first shower after surgery. And got the word that I will be able to leave tomorrow. I still have the problem with my nerve, but can tell it is getting better slowly, and heck it sure doesn't slow down my walking. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these shots...
The Hospital - Post Op
OK, here we are Easter afternoon, just had a good nap. Thought I'd post the few pictures I took of the staff. They collectively call themselves either "Brother" or "Sister", so that's the shortcut way to address either a male or female. I did make an effort to learn names, but now realize that I don't see the same people very often so it's very hard! Anyway, here are pictures of Sam, Remya, and Revathi. Revathi stayed with me the first two nights after surgery, and while she didn't have a lot to do, it was nice knowing if anything did happen, she was there. Very sweet girl, and like almost all the Indians I've met, pretty small. But Revathi actually told me her weight, as she was obviously a lot smaller than me. 36Kg. Hang on, doing some math, thats... 79 lbs. Remya and Sam both were under 100 lbs too is my guess (definitely Remya). And they were all in their early 20s. Pretty much all of them work at the hospital 12 hr shifts, then stay at the Apollo Hostel for their other 12 hours. So they pretty much do nothing else. Same with the girl I met at the Park Hotel. She worked a split shift, and didn't really ever leave the hotel. Dang.
So, for a few observations of the Hospital. Now that I can get around with a walker, the bathroom really stinks. Two small steps-up to get into, and the door has a really strong closer on it, AND the door-stop only kind of works. So much for handicap accessable! So for me to get into the bathroom, I'm pushing the walker into the door, trying to keep it open, while at the same time trying to negotiate two narrow steps. Reverse to leave. Lots of fun. And it seems I also learned another hard lesson last night. As it was the first time I had been back in the bathroom after surgery (I was urinating in a urine bottle in bed), I decided to put my wedding ring back on. I had taken it off, along with my watch, for my shower before surgery and placed it on the bathroom counter. Sometime after surgery (Friday?) one of the cleaning boys handed me my watch as I lay in bed. Hmmm? Why? I just placed it on the stand next to the bed. So, when I got in the bathroom last night I expected my ring to be there.
No such luck. Looks like my wedding ring left. Not sure if it was one of the cleaning crew or what, but it's gone. There is a lockbox in the room, and now everything is in it. Bummer.
I'm getting around better and better, but am still suffering from the numbness in my quad. The physical therapist called it Neuropraxia, as did Dr. Bose last night. So I looked it up on the internet today to figure out what to expect. Basically, it's a case of hitting your funnybone, but in this case my ... um.. funnythigh? Something like that. Basically a mild temporary trauma to the nerve in the thigh. Should go away soon. Happens occasionally I guess. I can walk fine, but only with my leg in a near-locked position. Hopefully that'll be gone soon.
So for tomorrow, removal of the gauze stuff over the incision, replaced with a waterproof bandage. That way I can take a shower. Good, believe me, I need it. And I get my elbow crutches. You know, the kind handicapped people use? Never thought I'd be happy about getting a pair of those! And if all goes well, out of here the next day!
Enough for now, I'll try to take some more shots of the hostpital, and if you're really good, Dr. Bose showed me some pictures from my surgery, and, yes!, a short video of the shaping of my femoric head! Bet you can't wait!
Rus
Back at the Computer
Hi all,
Here in Chennai at the computer for the first time since surgery. It's 5 in the morning so I can sneak around a bit and fire the computer up - hee hee.
All went well, and at the beginning of day 3 the only problem I have is that my quad in the operated leg is on extended vacation. Dr. Bose says not to worry, he's seen it before a few time in athletic patients. He assured me no nerves were cut, just that the muscle, being contracted during surgery to gain exposure to the hip, has some trouble getting going again. I can tell it's coming back, slowly.
Other than that, no more IVs, no drain tube. The incision is excellent, and the surgery was excellent too. My physical therapy is going good except for that stupid quad, and I'm sure I could walk with only crutches today if it weren't for the quad. Heck, maybe even just one crutch. I can put full weight on the operated leg, but the muscle stability isn't quite back yet.
Thanks everyone for the support and well wishes, I'll try to start posting regularly again here soon.
Rus
All Is Well
We received the word this morning from my Dad that the surgery went well. Hopefully he will recover quickly and be able to give everyone the gory details.
Brady
Dr. Bose gives the green light!
Just met Dr. Bose, he looked at the x-rays, bloodwork, etc., and I'm good to go! Surgery in the morning at 8:30. He did have some good news: new studies show that the human body doesn't have the capacity to wear out the BHR! That's a great theory, I'll spend the next few decades testing that theory... goodnight, see you after surgery.
At the Hospital
I'm posting this from my hospital room. I was met by Mohan in the lobby and promptly taken to my (oversize) room. Very nice. I'm posting this from my own computer! The IT guys came in, had to set a couple of proxy settings, but got everything working, except for my mail client. (I need to ask him to do that) Met a couple from NY that are originally from the UK next door. They're on their way to Fisherman's Cove here in a few hours. Had his surgery last Friday and is doing great. They said People magazine has been following their story, so hopefully that'll come out soon. Here are a couple of shots of my room.
Signing off from the Park
Well, Mohan will be here in a couple of hours to pick me up for the short trip to the Apollo Hospital. Had a nice, but light, breakfast this morning at the Aqua restaurant next to the pool. Muesli and a couple of small pancakes. And juice marked "for digestion." Hmmm, can always use a little digestion, eh? And a couple cups of coffee. All packed up here, just delaying unplugging the computer as that's the only thing not packed. And I like listening to my Sirius satellite radio - through the web. A nice little reminder of home.
Hip is hurting a bit this morning, which is good. It's been feeling pretty dang good this week, which of course makes me question this trip - "is it really that bad?" Well, this morning it is.
I'll try to post as soon as I can from the Hospital. Getting ever so slightly nervous. Healthy I guess.
Guests for dinner!
So, for my last night at the Park (before surgery that is), I went back to the Thai restaurant, The Lotus, that I had lunch at yesterday. Wonderful food at lunch, and it works out, wonderful food for dinner. Again I was greeted very promptly by a fine young Indian man. He seated me, coincidentally, at the same table I sat yesterday for lunch. Noticing I was alone (I guess, unless I otherwise looked needy!) brought out a fishbowl with three goldfish! Not thinking, I didn't bring my camera to dinner, sorry for not having pictures. I asked for recommendations for dinner, and a rice omelet was recommended that was wonderful. Since the fish were there for dinner, I asked if they could eat too! The waiter obliged and brought out fish food. "Only a pinch." I agreed, and somehow wished that was how they treated me. But of course it was way too much food for me, so I left most uneaten. I've never in my life had such wonderful service. Somehow, I expect I'll receive the same tomorrow when I go to Apollo Hospital...
So this is it before surgery I expect, now seeing the light dim as I enter the tunnel... but knowing it is very bright at the exit of the tunnel.
Rus
Out on the Town
OK - so I start off walking out of the hotel "compound" and am able to cross the street by sticking a few inches from a guy that is also crossing. Otherwise I'd never been able to. Within a few blocks I learned a couple of things. First, impossible to move here without sweating. Good thing I brought a bandana with me as I was dripping sweat walking in the hot sun within 2 blocks. Second, it is (nearly) impossible for a white guy like me to walk in Chennai. I immediately spotted by the rickshaw drivers and began getting hit on. Finally when one of the guys followed me for half a block and I could finally could understand him, I bit: "I will take you all day all around Chennai for 20 rupees." Hmmm, 44 = $1, so that's about 45 cents. OK I bit. What a ride. I wanted to see the town and I saw the town. He returned me to the hotel at my request by noon. I'd seen, experienced, and spent enough. The streets were very dirty, and my eyes and throat could feel it. And the aromas, well, they were pretty odiferous. Pretty much ran the gambit on smells, but no matter what the smell was, it was strong. He did take me to the Basilica of St. Thomas which was nice. Got to say a couple of Hail Mary's and Our Father's before my surgery. That was nice. Got to see the tomb complete with relics. And then he drove me by the beach, and to the Fort Museum. Didn't have any rupees so I couldn't get in. No problem. He then took me to the Fort Museum Gift shop, and man they had some nice stuff. I definitely wanted to bring back some trinkets, so it was good. But I didn't expect to spend over $250! Oh well, it was worth it.
So now I'm back at the room, will shower and maybe work a bit, and rest. This is my last afternoon as I'll be picked up here at 11:30 tomorrow to go check into the hospital.
I'm glad I made the trip out into town, but I wouldn't do it every day. Almost forgot to mention it. The man spend half a day with me, showing me everything and catering very caringly. Instead of the 45 cents he wanted, I gave him a $20. I'm sure it made his day, but he made mine.
Tuesday Breakfast
Had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the Park Aqua restaurant. It is right next to the pool and very quiet. The hostess was wonderful, and gave me tips on where to shop and how to get there. I also met Brian, an American in Chennai on business, for a total of about 3 weeks. He also gave me some tips, and I took a shot of him with the hostess, so he reciprocated. So, belly is full, It's time to take off on adventure - off to Spencer shops! About a 2K walk. I'll let you know what I find when I return... Rus
Monday at the Park
Took another Ambien at about 5am to ensure I'd sleep. It worked again. I woke at 8 to a call from Mohan from Apollo Hospital telling me they planned on picking me up on Wednesday at the Park for a 10 am departure and checkout to head to the hospital. Good. That's set. Back to sleep to be awoken at about 10:30 - 11:00 by housekeeping. I told him (yes, him) that I'd pass today. I may now regret that as I will likely use up my water bottles and will need to use one of the "for purchase" evian bottles on the table. Hmmm, 280 Rupees/44.7 = $6.26. Dang. I bet if I knew where to go I could get one of them on the street for 2 Rupees...
Went to the workout facilities to check it out, stayed to use the dry sauna and hottub. But the hottub wasn't so hot (like 90 degrees?) and the steam room wasn't very steamy. But I can understand that as I was pretty much the only one in there and they conserve energy around here if something isn't used. So everything was pretty much powered down. That's OK. The dry sauna was wonderful, hadn't used one for a while so it worked pretty well to suck the Ambien out the pores and to shake the fog out of the head. The floor also had like 10 massage rooms, each I guess with a different type of massage. The strangest was a wooden table that I guess has a dripper that drips on you forehead as you get a massage. Interesting. Also got a look at the pool - very nice, probably 20m, outside. I'll take some shots after lunch. Speaking of lunch, I'd better look at the guide and see what I can find. I did see a very small restaurant next to the pool (but inside) called Aqua, may go there. Hmmm... where is that hotel guide.
Ate at the Thai restaurant in the lobby - it was great! Got the buffet for 425, which is like $9.50. Awesome. Curry fish and curry lamb, some awesome salads, and some soup. The soup was at like a soup-bar where there was all kinds of stuff to choose from. The Chef must have realized I was trying to figure out what went with what and such. He grabbed a cup and started putting some of everything in it. Not that that is what I would have done, but it was great. I then went into the gift shop. Definitely a 5-star type of shop. Very fancy, but even with the 5 star pricing, a purse I was eying for Katy was only $30. (No, Kat, I didn't get it... yet).
Went to the pool to take a couple of street shots. Enjoy. Also, the man at the gift shop said there was a mall about a 2k walk, 4k car ride away. Hmmm. Too hot to go now (about 100 degrees, 100% humidity) but maybe later...
Park Hotel in Chennai
My trip from the airport to the Park took about 15 minutes. But since it was 3:30 in the morning the roads were empty, I could easily see it take 4 times that. There were still people out-and-about, but the driving was smooth sailing. Here are a few shots of the room.
The trip to Chennia
I'm typing this from London. My first two segments were from Denver to Chicago and then Chicago to London. The Denver flight was 1/2 hr late so my connection at O'Hare was pretty tight. I was one of the last on the plane to London, forced to put my backpack at my feet for the trip. Not a big problem. British Air was very nice, the fed us both Dinner and Breakfast, but since the flight ended at like 2am Denver time, I just watched 2 movies on my laptop and didn't sleep. I'll try to sleep on the way to Chennai.
And now from the Park in Chennia. The last segment was not bad at all - I had an isle seat with an empty seat next to me. I took one Ambien after about an hour boarding and it put me out for a few hours. It's now 4:30 am in Chennia and I'm not too tired. But after I finish this post I think I'll take a shower and another Ambien and get some more sleep. At the Chennai Airport I was greeted just as expected by a driver with my name on a placard. What I didn't expect was to see all the people sleeping outside! Looked like there were several taxi drivers that were using their taxies dual duty as both house and job. Guys sleeping on top of their cars - wierd! Anyway, here are the shots of the Chennai airport and me and Karen when I left DIA.
Overall a pretty good flight considering I'm half way around the world!
Last Morning at Home
Well the day has arrived. Brady spent the morning on Lookout Mountain hosting and racing the CSM collegiate TimeTrial up Lariat Loop. It was great being there to support him and spend my last few hours with my family. And, Tom Danielson of the Discovery team raced, riding a 16:02 which I believe is a new course record. Brady did well too, not sure exactly the time. My next post will be from Chennai, from the Park Hotel. I'll let you know how the first leg of the trip was then.
All Systems Go!
Well, I'm in my last week in Colorado before the trip, and I'm finishing up all the details. Got my prescriptions filled for malaria and jet lag, notified the bank about upcoming overseas charges, and am preparing my business for a little slowdown. While I will be working while I'm away, I won't be doing anything near full-time. I leave in 5 days...
The pictures shows what I found important to do in my last few days at home...
