Dedicated to Dr. Sreedhar(MD, DM (cardiology)- who is a new makeshift savior of our family
Dr. Rashmi- Duty doctor, who did the first treatment.
Nurses and ward boys, WockHardt, Rajajinagar and Cunningham road- who helped a lot guiding me every time
Security Gaurds:- Shivanna, Ayyappa, Prasad, Kumar of Rajajinagar, Cunningham road who always allowed me inside the ICU irrespective of any orders to visit rangu, they were really kind to me
Karthik: – WockHardt, Cunningham road Cath-lab technician- the man who almost did everything during Angiogram
The front desk attendants who were kind enough to give me the estimate bill anytime I asked and guide us in everything at the time of decision.
I have written some of the interesting sequels in my developing 13 years of writing carrier but I never thought that I would be writing a sequel for “It’s a Friday” it was the last thing I wanted, but the almighty had different plans, ‘This time it was a Thursday’ life was slowly retuning to normalcy, with dad recovering, moments of happiness was creeping in its own pace and with the homecoming of the much awaited new member of the family, laughter was back; the dark shadows of Friday was being covered by a new light. Everything seemed fixed and waves of anxiety were replaced by clam waters but It was too early to get back I suppose and it was something totally unexpected, this time it was a Thursday, as I was having my dinner slowly somewhere around 11 pm playing with my nephew my cousin called me suddenly, “Appa is sweating and he is complaining of chest pain, can we go to the nearest hospital?” she asked in a voice that frightened me, “not again” this time it was Rangu uncle who had a history of his own in the cardiac field. He had already undergone a bypass surgery and an angioplasty, probably everything written in the cardiac books. Without much delay I laid down my dinner plate and rushed to his house in car. When I reached his house I saw my cousin’s panicked face and uncle’s pain, he was totally weak, “Lets go to the nearest chord road hospital” it could be a gastric problem. I was bit skeptical and with some ‘cardiac situation handling’ experience behind me I told “Let’s go to wockhardt, rajajinagar, it is near and if at all it is related to heart then that’s the best place” probably I took the decision without consulting anybody at that time but that was the apt take for that situation, “so we will go to wockhardt only? Asked my uncle whose body was becoming weaker due to intense chest pain he had. “Yes lets go there” I turned my car towards wockhardt rajajinagar, it was 11.30 when we reached there.
When I reached the hospital, without wasting much time uncle walked straight into the casualty room accompanied with my cousin and a huge bundle of his cardiac history. I went straight into the casualty room as well and yet again saw the bundle of wires wrapped around him to measure his heart rate, immediately ECG was taken and as expected there was a minor variation in the ECG, I could read the variation myself, that shows my experience, well there is a famous quote which goes like this “An old patient is better than a new doctor” I think time has come for me to remodel that quote and put as “A regular attendant to wockhardt is better than a casualty doctor” huh! Well that was exactly my case. “Seeing his past records and also his constant complain of chest pain, I think we should admit him today night, that’s the safe option” told the duty doctor after speaking to hours to Dr. Shreedhar on phone. I am not amazed that in days to come the duty doctors’ google to see how to treat a emergency patient, “let’s shift him to the ICU, we can monitor him better there” with out much option we had to agree. As we headed to sign the never ending admission forms, uncle was taken to the ICU, though it was not a really panic situation compared to last time it had it’s own tension, as the situations started to unfold before me I was there in the ICU standing beside uncle, I had never thought that I would be in ICU, that too so early, “lets wait to Dr. Sreedhar, he will come tomorrow morning” he will decide what to do next? Told the duty doctor, as we stepped outside the hospital only to hope for a better tomorrow attending marathon calls from all parts of the world.
As the sun shined, we all went to the hospital yet again, as I stood waiting eagerly for the doctor to come the nurses told me that uncle was stable whole night and then Dr. Sreedhar came, it was a moment that I would never forget in my life, he saw me and smiled and asked “you again? Here?” with the same smile I answered “it is uncle this time” uff! “Nothing will happen” he went inside the ICU patting my back. It was almost an hour before he came out and explained that uncle had a minor heart attack. “He is stable now and on medication” “we will do an angiogram tomorrow”. It was yet another moment of relief for me and this time I knew everything that was happening around me. It was day 2 as we prepared ourselves to shift him to Wockhardt Cunningham road to undergo angiogram, it was like returning to the same battle field for me, as I stepped inside Cunningham road hospital the security gaurds greeted me as if I was there boss, “you again here?” was the question, the sister, the ward boys, the front office guys, everyone added to my surprise when they learnt that the person who gave his everything to save my fathers life last week was on the same bed today to undergo an angiogram, “Life is strange” exclaimed the nurses, as I saw him entering the “cat-lab” yet again it was 4th time for him and if there is any record for undergoing highest number of angiograms then it should definitely go for rangu uncle.
As he was shifted back to ward after the angiogram I sat their yet again in peace seeing his face who had saved my father’s life a week ago. Thank god! It all ended peacefully I cried to my self.
Every time, when I face a weird situation I return home thinking how best I can put the situation in words, this time I pray god that I never get a chance to write a third part of this in my entire life, I would defiantly like to visit wockhardt again to recount my two tragic memories but only as friend of every single person working in the hospital. The days at wockhardt has been my most valuable days where I learnt that there are so many unsung hero’s who add that extra bit to save the lives of our loved ones. From the front office desk to the attenders, from doctors to nurses, from ward boys to pantry people, they work day after day only to restore happiness at the patients’ house. I wish every one a great success and happiness in their lives and try not to pen much on this.
-Abhishek Iyengar
