First Impressions… and oh yea, I’m alive.
After many hours of flying, and sleeping, and sleeping some more (it is a good thing I can sleep just about anywhere) we arrived in the Dehli airport. I had so many preconceived notions that I thought I would have a good idea what to expect. Expected first impressions: loud, dirty and crowded, while this was true outside of the airport, inside the airport it was eerily quiet. We got off the plane after a thirteen-hour flight from New Jersey, picked up our bags, and made our way to customs. After customs we exited through double doors and as told, met a driver by pillar #16. He was a middle-aged man wearing linen pants and a white T-shirt. He was holding a poorly written sign marked Shelane Oglesby and Taylor Hansen CFHI. At that minute I had the long expected realization—I was India, maybe it was the language barrier that hit me like a semi truck, or maybe it was the smell. A smell I don’t think I can describe just yet, but hey, I had been in Delhi for all of about 20 minutes at this point- maybe by the end of 10 weeks I will be able to describe it for all of you. Garbage and incents and…. TBD to-be-determined.Nonetheless it is beautifully different
October 1: The first few hours:
So now Taylor and I are in the taxi heading to the apartment we would be staying at for the night. First impression: traffic is CRAZY! There are lines on the road, but nobody follows them, people walking in the middle of the street and the most noticeable--horns are being honked every ten seconds, it is officially getting progressively louder. I couldn’t figure out if a honk was friendly “get out of the way”, if it was a “warning: I am coming through” or if it was actually the universal sound for move over, I am passing you, and/or here I am @%&%#! Two things I do notice through besides the perpetual horns—one, there are no women on the street. First lesson learned: as a female you really don’t hang out outside at night. Second, beggars are abundant. At each stoplight (if the driver decided to actually stop) there would be a knock at my window, a lady or child asking for money. Lesson learned number two: you must turn around and pay no attention; sad, but necessary. I guess I will have to quickly adapt to this kind of situation
We are at the apartment. We got out of the taxi and are escorted upstairs where we meet the “caretaker” or servant for lack of better words. Dinner was already on the table, and two of the interns had already arrived. Morgan and Elliot are from Iowa, and are second year PA students. It is quite the treat to be working with people who are already in a position I may want to be in one day. As most of you all know I am stuck between PA school and full on medical school. Maybe if I am lucky after this trip my decision will be easier, or even be made. A few hours later another intern showed up, Sadie, an international nurse who travels the world with different NGOs. She had just flown in from Indonesia, talk about world traveler, she has been everywhere. Now its bedtime.
Day number one, October 2… the first 24 hours
Breakfast was already on the table; they sure like to feed us here. They gave us filtered water, but I was still wary, and decide to drink my Aquafina instead. For now I think it is a good decision. Breakfast was Bananas and toast, could have had an omelet but I opted out of it, I was still full from dinner. Like I mentioned, they love to feed us here, and for all of you wondering, yes, we ate with our hands. Hand, specific—only the right to eat, unless you are tearing bread, then it is appropriate to use both.
Now its time to explore, and it is only 11AM
We are off to a good start.
Hema, our Dehli coordinator came down to greet us. She told us, if we wanted we could go visit a temple that was about 20 walking minutes or 5 minutes away by auto rickshaw. Our first adventure and are first auto rickshaw ride. A three-wheeled covered motorcycle is the best way to describe a rickshaw. 50 rupees or 1 dollar ish for the ride. After we got there we were dropped off at the ticket booth where there were two lines formed. Which one do we choose? Each line had a labeled sign, one said “natives”, the next said “Foreigners”. I was a foreigner, 8,000 miles away from home and surprisingly very excited about it. We bought our ticket-- 250 ruppes, and walked across the street to the entrance. We began our tour. First impression: Ruins. Beautiful ruins which were constructed around 1311AD. I was standing in the middle of an old temple that at one point was the center of civilization. Unbelievable.
It was crowded but I hardly noticed because I was too fixated on people watching and taking in the incredible detail that surrounded me. I hope the pictures I took capture the essence, but I am sure it will show only a fraction of what it really looked like.
After an hour of exploration it was back to the apartment. Lunch would be at 12:15 and we were instructed to eat as much as we could, as dinner would not be available until we reached Dehradun around 10 PM. About one o’clock our taxi was out front waiting to pick us up again. It was time to travel to the train station for a 6 ish hour train ride up north.
WOW. The train station. Crowded, very crowded. If you ever watched the movie “Outsourced” it is an exact depiction of what it was like. The only difference is we had another program coordinator with us, a man named Sanji. We were not alone-- this was a good thing. We followed him up and down stairs, through a couple loops where we arrived at platform number 13. Now, it was the waiting game. We had an hour to kill while we waited. I quickly grasped the reason we were there so early, there were so many people that we had to be the first on the train to pile our stuff on the limited racks on the train. I am now realizing why it was so important to pack light. Huge suitcases would have been unbearable under these conditions.
As we waited, I killed time by people watching. Masses of people everywhere. There were hundreds of adults, children, elderly, beggars, food stands, and all sorts of people attempting to sell you things. I had a moment----I was in a country with over a billion citizens, and it was very evident, there were people everywhere.
And this leads me to where I am now, on the train with about 4 hours left to go. We were told we would get to Dehradun and immediately have orientation, after all tomorrow is our first day of work.
Xoxo,
India and Shelane
October 3: Dehrandun and the first day of clinic
I have so much to say, I don’t even know where to begin. Last time I wrote I was on the train to Dehradun and now I have been settled in for 2 days and 2 nights. At first glance I knew I liked this place better than Delhi. Delhi was dirty and very, very crowded, streets were small and congested, I don’t think they have trash cans here. Although I was so excited to be in India It would have not been preferable to stay in Delhi for the entire 10 weeks. So it was a big breath of fresh air arriving in Dehradun. The train station was a little scary. Since our train arrived early our dehradun coordinator was nowhere to be found. It was a little nerve racking but quite the experience to be the only white people; it was as if people were baffled to see humans with light skin. Thankfully we had Elliot with us. I assume having a male with four girls made for a safer situation. Elliot even got a high five and a thumbs up from one elderly man.
After our coordinator, Mayank picked us up we made our way to our home stay family. It was a gated house that looked fairly small from the outside. However after walking in it was anything but small. The house was open and beautiful. We met our home stay mom Ms. Mehta, a sweet woman who welcomed us with open arms into her home. After getting settled in we had a quick orientation with Mayank. He went over the schedule and a little but of where and what we would be doing. Each week was different, Taylor and I would mostly be traveling and working together whereas Elliot, Morgan and Sadie would be in other places. After the briefing we all sat down for a well deserved meal. We then decided it was time for bed. It had been a long day and a long train ride.
Monday morning. October 3: The first day.
I had been talking about this for months and now it was actually happening. After a bumpy ride on what is known as a vikram we arrived at our first stop. I would compare Vikrams as a disorganized bus system. All vikrams were numbered and they made the same loops and route continuously. Taylor explained it perfect: it s about the size of a regular restaurant booth, but without the table. Then pile in 8 people, or even 11. The vikram never actually comes to a complete stop either. To catch one Mayunk told us to be proactive. Which by definition means as it goes by raise your arm so the driver knows to slow down and as it continues to drive by, do a running hop into the small seater. For the next week we will be taking vikram #8
After being two proactive white woman we arrived at the Doon hospital where we would be working with cardiologist Dr K B Joshi. The Doon Hospital is a public hospital that operates different than any hospital I could have ever imagined. For 11 rupees (24 cents) patients receive a blank piece of white paper with lines and numbers on it. They fill in their name, birthday and gender, and leave the rest empty to give to the doctors. This paper give you access into the hospital. The hospital is a bunch of 10x15 covered rooms in an alley, about 40 rooms in total. There are people everywhere, and by US standards it doesn’t look like a hospital. Patients select a doctor on their own (no referrals necessary here!) and stand in a crowded room until they reach the front of the “line”.
Some of the patients are regular patients that visit certain doctors when they feel necessary, and others are seeing particular doctors for the first time. There is no system, but somehow the system works.
I already knew that things were going to be ridiculously cheap but medically speaking it is extreme. For example:
MRI: $30
Prescriptions: 10 cents-$5+
EKG: $2
Open heart surgery $2000
Knowing the value of these things, and realizing the poverty that actually exists here has led me to hear to heart wrenching stories. Our first clinical rotations were working with Dr Joshi, a cardiologist at the Doon hospital. A five year old little boy came in who had congenital heart disease. While in the womb his right and left ventricular septum never fully closed manifesting as a very loud and apparent murmur. I could feel it with my hand and it pounded through my stethoscope. It was so prominent you could see his heartbeat pulsating through his little ribs. Dr. Joshi told us that he would need open heart surgery to survive, but his family was much too poor to pay for the operation. He put him on medication with the hope that the family would have time to raise money before it is too late.
That is just one of the many cases that I have had the opportunity to be an active participant in the diagnosis and treatment for the patient; I have many stories so share so stay tuned for more!
One thing that has been overwhelming to me is the crude equipment. The equipment clearly reflects a country who has less than desirable medical services
I posted this picture because the EKG machine works, it is just very rudimentary.
After working in the hospital with Dr. Joshi many cases were very similar. Just in 6 hours of working with him I have already seen over 100+ hundred people. Lines are long and evaluations are quick, one person after another, after another sitting on one little stool. The most common alignments so far include angina, angina neurosis, COPD, Rheumatic heart disease, and the most common hypertension. After the short diagnosis, 30 seconds to 3 minutes the patient is usually prescribed medicine and is on their way
One thing I cant get out of mind is the amount of Rheumatic heart disease here. Dr Joshi said it is so prevalent because in small villages streptococcus is prevalent. When it goes untreated it can lead to carditis and permanent damage to the heart and body. This baffles me because as a child I had strep several times a year, but it was always treated, and with a little bit of amoxicillin I would be healthy and back to normal. Here that is not the case. My heart aches.
Reflection of working with Dr. Joshi:
Working with Dr. Joshi is a pleasure. I get to see the Indian health care first hand. I see hundreds of people with chronic and acute cases, patients fill the hospital wall to wall,
As a white American woman the people I am surrounded by show me the respect of a Doctor. It is an unusual feeling, but an amazing one. While I can’t help them to the significance Dr. Joshi can, they still look at me and allow me the same freedom. I get the opportunity to use my stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and hands in nearly every abnormal case, usually anything outside angina or hypertension. For all of you who know me, it makes this experience so exciting for me! It is a wonderful feeling to know and recognize that patients appreciate Taylor and I being there even if we am not doing anything. It is an unexplainable feeling . I feel as though I was never supposed to go anywhere else but India. I am so happy I chose to come here for my internship.
I could write forever about all the time I have spent with Dr. Joshi and his patients but there is just not enough space.
Fast forward… It is day two, October 4, one o’clock and we just finished our three-hour rotation with Dr Joshi…. And then….the inevitable happened.
We. Got. Lost. In. India.
The first day in India, our coordinator Mayunk showed us around India and how to get to the hopsital and back. The second day we were on our own. Needless, to say it didn’t go too smoothly. We hopped on a bus that we thought went all through town, but instead went the opposite way of home. I had been warned about Indians not liking to say “no” or “I don’t know”; instead they just point in random directions to please us. This happened several times. And we ended up on the opposite side of town within a period of 15 minutes. Flustered and annoyed, the language barrier at its highest, we had no idea what to do, and then the most wonderful thing happened….
Along with not liking to say no, every one has also described to me Indian hospitality. Through this adventure Taylor and I found out the extent of that. On the other side of town, riding on a vkram that was going the opposite way we met a little girl and her mother. The little girl spoke English well, and asked where we were from. We told her from the US and her eyes lit up and she replied ”America?!” She could tell we were lost and quickly offered to help. She told us we were on the wrong vikram and showed us the one we needed to ride. Her and her mother even got off her route to help us get on the right path. It was amazing. She was so happy to have met Americans, but even more happy to have helped us. I have quickly learned that white people are scarce here. We get stared at, but not in a bad way. We are just unknown, extraterrestrial almost, and to many it is an honor, or life experience to see and chat, nonetheless help an American. Again, it is an experience I cant exactly put into words. The smiles we get are genuine and radiate excitement, no matter where we are or what we are doing.
Mid- blog interruption---
HOST FAMILY IS PLAYING “STAYIN ALIVE”!!!! Yesssssss
The second clinical rotation I go to everyday is with Dr. Nath, a Rekei Master. He is a 98-year-old man who has been practicing Rekei and acupressure his whole life, but has made a living off of it the past 20 years. I have spent 2 days with him for an hour each day. We have learned about the“Chakaras” of the human body, in basic terms there are seven major areas of the body which radiate and absorb energy. Dr. Nath describes the flow of energy each human has. If your energy flow is normal, you are healthy and at-ease, but if something is “off” mentally or physically the flow of energy is in dis-ease, and you are unhealthy. To somebody just beginning to learn about Rekei the concept can be slightly abstract, but when learning from a master, from the beginning and building up, all he has to say is brilliant. This again, with nearly every new experience I am having in India is blowing my mind. I am realizing the power of holistic medicine, and this was only the first alternative medicine I was exposed to. I must admit however being in the same room with Dr. Nath is slightly eerie. He speaks with such wisdom and with his 98 years of experience with energy healing I get the feeling he knows what I am feeling and thinking, maybe not in a literal sense, but maybe from a spiritual and holistic sense. He can feel my struggle with epilepsy and mood, and even made a comment about it. He looks deep into your eyes and it actually has made me slightly uncomfortable at times, but a good uncomfortable. I am highly intrigued by this man. I am excited to spend the week with him.
He has all these bottles and mixtures it is nuts, every time a patient comes in it is different, he is amazing.
Our third, and final rotation of the day is with a homeopathic doctor, Dr. Nanda. In a few words the concept of homeopathy is treating like with likes. You listen to a patients symptoms, personality, genetic and family history and develop a regiment that may help with whatever ailment they are experiencing. For example when a patient comes in with symptoms of a runny nose, and burning watery eyes the doctor will treat likes with likes. What naturally makes watery, burning eyes and a runny nose? Onions? You choose a remedy that would naturally cause similar symptoms which will in result and cure and treat the patient. Likewise if you give a healthy person the same remedy, they will manifest the unwanted symptoms. This is a link that explains the basis of homeopathy in 6 minutes. Just watch the video on the homepage. www. homeopathy.org ( or maybe it is http://www.homeopathy.org
So far working with Dr. Nanda has been my favorite, followed by Dr. Nath, the reiki master. I think a major contributor to why I have fixated on them so much is because natural and alternative medicine has always been another option outside of western medicine. However the more I learn, the more I begin to see the power it can have. I remember reading in magazines about people with rare forms of cancer who were told they only had 6 months to live because their cancer was unresponsive to conventional medicine. When all options seemed to have been exhausted they turned to an alternative route and had amazing success… we have all heard about these stories but I am actually witnessing these stories, and sitting 3 feet away from a man who has done that more times than he can count on his fingers. It has only been four days since I have been here, but I am realizing that I am in the homeland of alternative medicine. All of these treatments began, grew and are still today practiced here. Dr. Nanda was trained by a homeopathic guru who is over 100 years old now, who learned homeopathy from his grandfather before, who learned from his grandfather before... it goes back further than I can imagine, Again, my mind is blown away.
My life, and particularly my epilepsy would not be the same without western medicine. I know that without my prescriptions, and my neurologist, my life would not be the same. I have wanted to be a doctor my whole life, and have such a desire to reach the limits of what western medicine is capable of. I have always known that, and as I get older I get more and more excited about someday practicing medicine. While immersing myself in traditional medicine has not changed that, it has given me such an appreciation for what else is out there, and I want to learn more. Knowledge is powerful and I am so grateful to be getting the opportunity to learn about natural and alternative medicine where it all began hundreds of years ago.
Adjusting and immersing myself into the Indian life, culture, and healthcare has proved easier than I thought. I chose the first 5-week rotation of “alternative medicine” particularly to learn and open my eyes to other things outside of western medicine. I must admit, my eyes are open
I know this was a lot to read, but I still have so much I could say and write but I cant get it all out. My goal for upcoming posts is to give you the opportunity to experience what I am experiencing. When I upload again, whenever that may be I am going to post a list of all the things that have caught my eye. I have a list started, so stay tuned!! Miss you all, but have comfort that I am loving every minute of it here so far.
Also, it rained today, reminds me of home.
Xoxo,
India and Shelane
