Hello to the BBS from Mumbai, and a stubborn computer in a hospital room that freezes up every 5 minutes but at least allows me access to my online family of nerds.
For a few months now I've known I'd be traveling to India at some point. The sad state of the health care system in the US means my mother can't afford life-saving surgery and tests to treat suspected cancer -- her insurance doesn't cover it -- and so we, along with thousands of other Americans in the same boat, decided to become medical tourists. My mother's doctor in the States went to Harvard with a doctor here in Mumbai who works for a medical tourism hospital, and so with that connection we began planning a trip.
Unfortunately, India is known for it's bureaucracy, and while I, World Traveler, already had all my papers but for a visa, my mother had to get everything -- and boy, what a runaround they gave her. If it weren't for her doctor in India calling over and over, she never would have gotten her visa. In fact, the doctor had to call over a dozen times, and my mother's visa arrived only 4 hours before her flight! I was not expecting to leave when we did. My mother called me, 4 hours before her flight, 10 hours before I was to meet her at JFK to hop on a plane with her to Paris.
My mother didn't take the flight from Seattle to NYC well. About 3 months ago she developed right-sided weakness (the doctors think part of the suspected paraneoplastic(sp) syndrome related to the suspected cancer), and started walking with a cane -- she's only 48 and looks 38, so it's jarring to see her like this. The flight was so draining, and the anxiety so intense (she also suffers from severe anxiety disorders) that she found at the end of the flight she could no longer walk at all. With only 45 minutes between connecting flights, she barely made it to the Airfrance gate in time, pushed along in a wheelchair by a very sweet Jetblue attendant.
After a long and sleepless flight to Paris, we were greeted by My Love, the most beautiful, hazel-eyed, kind-natured Frenchman in the world, who helped my mother into her wheelchair and gave the folk at the boarding desk a lot of merde when they tried to seat my mother and I separately. Alas, but I didn't get his number. We made it to India 9 hours later, my poor mother having not slept the entire 22 hours of her journey, and were met by the liaison to the hospital, an incredibly sweet and helpful man.
Medical tourists are treated very well, I must say. The room is big, with the hospital bed for my mom and a sofa-cum-bed for me. Internet, TV, and a DVD service, gourmet food (for me, my poor mom can eat only a high protein liquid diet), and a nice view of the city. I've never seen doctors and nurses so attentive. They actually come only seconds after my mother presses the call button. The doctors sit and talk with her, never rushing her, and come by just to keep her updated -- something completely unimaginable in the US! Part of me does feel a little guilty about all this, though. I really am not well-informed on the state of health care in India (I ought to read up on it, I know), but I doubt the treatment my mother is receiving is the norm for everyone here.
The liaison is amazing, helping us with everything and getting us whatever we need. This is my first time in a country where I don't know the language (I don't speak Arabic, but my French was good enough to get by in Egypt), and while many people here do speak English, it's definitely a different experience for me. I can say "thank you" in Urdu and Hindi, but that's about it!
My mother is doing alright, she's having a lot of tests. Her surgery was delayed because they've discovered a benign tumor on one of her adrenal glands which could be affecting hormone levels, and they need to determine how it's affecting her before giving her any anesthesia. We are both looking forward to the week after her recovery, when she will be an outpatient and we will get to explore Mumbai more completely.
So, does anyone have any tips -- good restaurants or sights we should see? My mom is thrilled about seeing the Elephant Caves, and I'm mostly looking forward to just wandering around Mumbai. There is a Nigerian girl about my age with her mother in the suite next door, and we're going shopping together later while both our mothers rest!
For a few months now I've known I'd be traveling to India at some point. The sad state of the health care system in the US means my mother can't afford life-saving surgery and tests to treat suspected cancer -- her insurance doesn't cover it -- and so we, along with thousands of other Americans in the same boat, decided to become medical tourists. My mother's doctor in the States went to Harvard with a doctor here in Mumbai who works for a medical tourism hospital, and so with that connection we began planning a trip.
Unfortunately, India is known for it's bureaucracy, and while I, World Traveler, already had all my papers but for a visa, my mother had to get everything -- and boy, what a runaround they gave her. If it weren't for her doctor in India calling over and over, she never would have gotten her visa. In fact, the doctor had to call over a dozen times, and my mother's visa arrived only 4 hours before her flight! I was not expecting to leave when we did. My mother called me, 4 hours before her flight, 10 hours before I was to meet her at JFK to hop on a plane with her to Paris.
My mother didn't take the flight from Seattle to NYC well. About 3 months ago she developed right-sided weakness (the doctors think part of the suspected paraneoplastic(sp) syndrome related to the suspected cancer), and started walking with a cane -- she's only 48 and looks 38, so it's jarring to see her like this. The flight was so draining, and the anxiety so intense (she also suffers from severe anxiety disorders) that she found at the end of the flight she could no longer walk at all. With only 45 minutes between connecting flights, she barely made it to the Airfrance gate in time, pushed along in a wheelchair by a very sweet Jetblue attendant.
After a long and sleepless flight to Paris, we were greeted by My Love, the most beautiful, hazel-eyed, kind-natured Frenchman in the world, who helped my mother into her wheelchair and gave the folk at the boarding desk a lot of merde when they tried to seat my mother and I separately. Alas, but I didn't get his number. We made it to India 9 hours later, my poor mother having not slept the entire 22 hours of her journey, and were met by the liaison to the hospital, an incredibly sweet and helpful man.
Medical tourists are treated very well, I must say. The room is big, with the hospital bed for my mom and a sofa-cum-bed for me. Internet, TV, and a DVD service, gourmet food (for me, my poor mom can eat only a high protein liquid diet), and a nice view of the city. I've never seen doctors and nurses so attentive. They actually come only seconds after my mother presses the call button. The doctors sit and talk with her, never rushing her, and come by just to keep her updated -- something completely unimaginable in the US! Part of me does feel a little guilty about all this, though. I really am not well-informed on the state of health care in India (I ought to read up on it, I know), but I doubt the treatment my mother is receiving is the norm for everyone here.
The liaison is amazing, helping us with everything and getting us whatever we need. This is my first time in a country where I don't know the language (I don't speak Arabic, but my French was good enough to get by in Egypt), and while many people here do speak English, it's definitely a different experience for me. I can say "thank you" in Urdu and Hindi, but that's about it!
My mother is doing alright, she's having a lot of tests. Her surgery was delayed because they've discovered a benign tumor on one of her adrenal glands which could be affecting hormone levels, and they need to determine how it's affecting her before giving her any anesthesia. We are both looking forward to the week after her recovery, when she will be an outpatient and we will get to explore Mumbai more completely.
So, does anyone have any tips -- good restaurants or sights we should see? My mom is thrilled about seeing the Elephant Caves, and I'm mostly looking forward to just wandering around Mumbai. There is a Nigerian girl about my age with her mother in the suite next door, and we're going shopping together later while both our mothers rest!
My mom laughed when I read her that too. 
