Learnings from Dad's stay at the ICU

Dad successfully underwent the surgery at Nanavati Hospital to repair the left femur bone with a rod inserted and screwed.

He was recuperating at home with physiotherapy et al but last Friday he was running high temperature which wouldn’t subside. A blood test revealed that he had dengue caused by the Aedes mosquito and something which is rampant in Mumbai in the rainy season.

He continued to rest at home but Sunday evening he threw up blood and so we admitted him straight into the ICU at the hospital. He has been there since then in the ICU. While he is doing much better now, the hospital stay teaches you a lot by way of experience.

Encountered two people leaving this planet in the ICU on two successive mornings. Life is so unpredictable. Little did they know when they came in that they would be taken away with a white bed sheet covering them head to toe. The grief-stricken families were crying their hearts out. Such a sad sight.

Some poignant scenes witnessed too.

There is this young boy maybe late teens or early 20s who is in the ICU for a long duration complete with a rile’s tube inserted. His mother is always around and maintains a brave face. Hats off to the lady for weathering this storm. I am sure the hospital bills would be growing exponentially faster than a Mumbai cool cab’s tampered meter. May he get well soon.

A young teenage girl is in the ICU too. This evening I saw her father patting her forehead. As a father of a daughter, that sight was very moving. I am sure he must be saying a silent prayer as he would have reassuringly told her “Don’t worry my child. You will be fine soon” I can imagine the plight of the helpless parents sitting outside praying for their children’s well-being. Quite similar to what we as children would think about our parents getting well soon.

When in the waiting area, a lady was calling up someone asking the other person to sell off her ear-rings to raise the money. That was something. Healthcare takes a toll honestly. Please plan for medical emergencies by way of a health insurance policy or such.

But it wasn’t all morose news.

I met this man who is working on an off-shore rig in Ghana. His mother was a severe diabetic and had to get a couple of her toes amputated. We got talking and he was relieved when the next day his Mother was moved to the normal room. Pray for her speedy recovery.

As I write, my Dad’s platelet count has nearly doubled from last evening and so should be moved to a normal room today (September 23, 2016) as well.

Life takes so many twists and turns. It is extremely unpredictable. So make the most of it. As we say in Hindi, Kya pata kal ho na ho …… the logical translation of which would be "nobody's seen tomorrow".