A Hole in One "Heart" - Part one

When we went to Paris, we were roaming inside the Lovure musuem where the french and Italian paintings were having the uniqueness... most of the male paintings/statues were having the Fig leaf to cover the genetals... My wife was not happy while I was taking the pictures of them.... I was trying to do it from the artistic perspective.... liked the way the paintings done or the statue made.... Poor my wife or me didnt know that in few months time I will be like this (lying just with cotton plaster instead of fig leaf that too in front of 5-6 ladies and 3-4 males for about 45 minutes :-))


It all started in 2011 when I was having my vacation for about 1 month... Me and my wife went for master health check up,where everything was told alright for both of us, but just before closing it doctor asked me whether did I have any history of some illness... wherein I told that I was diagonised with HOLE in heart at the age of 4 or 5, then had regular checkup on that but after i crossed 16 years there were no checkups done.... So I was asked to have an Echo to confirm whether I still have the hole or not... I did the Echo jus on the day that I am about to return to UK... I was confirmed that I was having hole.... but there needs to be one more test (they call it TEE - a transesophageal (pronounced trans-esoff-a-gee-ul) echo, where the echo transducer is placed in the esophagus (pronounced esoff-a-gus) or food pipe that connects the mouth to the stomach - where one will be given sedation/sleeping dose during the process-thanks to google) which will confirm the exact size of the hole which help the doctors to make some decisons.... with this I took my flight back to Britain by on 01-Feb-2011....


Within few weeks I went to NHS to talk about this, where they told that there is nothing to worry but we will recommend to the cardiologist... with about 5 months wait I met the cardiologist at Macclesfield General hospital, where he told me that he is not good in deciding it but there is a specialist @ Wyntheshawe hospital in manchester, he can definitely help me on this... Again i was in waiting list... after another 4 months wait on 31-Jan-2012 I met Dr.Ray. He is nice gentleman, he explained what could be the problem and how to identify it. He asked me to get admitted for a day and he will perform the test. With in a month I got an appointment, so hospitalised on 05-mar-2012. After a long wait and around 16 hours of fasting I was confirmed that there is a hole in my central of heart wall which measures upto 1.6cm.During this process I was proudly asked the doctor that whether I can see my heart, they said no during live procedure but after procedure was over. But I was given sedation, so I was going in to sleep and coming back... since a big long tube will be sent through your mouth and your will mouth will be blocked with something in circle shaped cup... it really hurts you....due to that I was coming out of sedation and goin in... at the end one of the doctor called me and told that this is your heart and here is the hole.... but there were only black screen.... again went in to dreams :-) Later I was given confident that hole can be closed. Dr.Ray explained the process and showed us the model of the instrument which will be kept in to my heart where in he will send it through my thighs and it costs only £3500/-.I asked him whether it will be detected in the airport scan... he said no (what to do I know the pains of clearing the airport security especially in Europe) He also said that the can plan for surgery which has waiting time of 3-6 months.... Then I got the appointment on 05-Jun-2012 and later on it was  postponed to 05-Sep-2012.


Once I updated this to my family, they were asking me to come to India to have the surgery (actually it seems I should not say this as surgery, but a procedure. It is called as Device closure (ASD) where none of your body will not be opened completely but using a small niddle (3mm) it will be fixed, those who want to know more about this talk to a cardiologist). I was also looking after an option to move out of my current assignment as it was quite long time I was sitting idle (hope my friend sripathy is not feeling bad for saying this and Vijayraj not cursing me). So i decided to move out of the country for performing this procedure. Things were moved on, it was decided that I will be moving out of UK and will be given a replacement... my replacement whom I can say that 'why fear when Mr.Process is there'. Meatime I planned my europe trip to ensure that my personal goals are met(thatz were we saw the statues/paintings). I had forwared my TEE report to my sister-in-law who had discussed it with her fellow doctors and found that MIOT hospital has specialist in this procedure (remember not surgery). She met Dr.Sivakumar (Chief Pediatric Cardiologist) who told that it is not big deal for him, he had even closed 3.6 cm sized hole in heart. My travel date was fixed as 22-Jun-2012, I closed all sort of things @ britain and started from 11 degrees of local temprature and landed at a place with 36 degrees temperature. I was given date to meet Dr.Sivakumar to have a checkup and it was 25-Jun-2012.


As it was first meeting I went with my father, wife and kid.After driving in the mid day and proper chennai traffic I was already in frustration. While entering in to hospital I was asked whether patient is me or my kid. As I said its me, they told no kids allowed. Temperment increased, but my calm n cool wife took my daughter and went to wait in the hot sun as it was just 12.45PM:-) My SIL gave me the reference number which I showed, as a surprise they told no payment for now as it was paid during the previous visit by my SIL. Then I went n meet the assistant of Dr.Sivakumar, who is actually assistant to assistant she asked me to take all tests and enquired whether I had lunch and I said its fine. I didnt understand the reason for it, but understood when I actually took the lunch.She also helped me in getting me a file with my name on it (remember in hospitals, files are very important without that you are nothing. Anything can be inside but the cover should be hospitals').


The beauty of MIOT hospital is it replicate the working model of software companies, where in lot of process will be there but none of them are related to each other and each process will be performed at different locations of the hospital. But before that you need to pay. With lot of thinking I took 2500 as cash, thought it should be sufficient. But the bill was 4800, so swiped my debit card (good system, no password required to swipe your card :-)). Then I walked around corridors to find the process room one (bloot testing). If you ask the staff over there they will say go staight and take left or right. It will be common for any areas.Finally found the blood test room, where few people were sitting outside, I was wondering whether everyone was for blood test. I was not sure whether to go inside or not. Thinking that someone will come and ask if anybody there for blood test (problems of being in britain and visiting those hospitals) I was keep chanting "be Indian when you are in India"decided to keep this as Golden rule). So, with lots of privileges i peeped in to the blood testing area, no one was there but I heard people talking. So, opened the door and found that there was a corner where people were chatting. I told that I need to have blood test. They asked me to wait. Meantime one person came and directly went in to the room. It seems he is also a patient, but he was allowed to take the samples. After some 15 mins wait I was called. There was discussion going between lab technician and a relative of patient stating that they cannot give report before 3PM, but the person was telling that doctor will leave by 2.30PM. As expected technician doesnt have much answers (looks like she is the lead technician) then one junior technicial came and told that we need not give all the reports but few of them. It seems everywhere the leads doesnt know much stuff :-) Meantime 2 ladies were doing reasearch on my hand and things to be tested and they were deciding on which bottle to use to get the samples. I was tied with big wrap with maximum tight (if they tighten it bit more, blood would have come automatically without any needle). They put a needle to get the blood and I was asked to keep the cotton after taking the blood. With that I moved to X-ray section which is quite near by. As usual here also people were chatting and lot of patients were sitting. Remembered golden rule, so went and told that I need to take x-ray. Within few mintues I was sent to x-ray room, I was asked to remove the shirt and i became semi nude to take the xray. They saw the proof and told its fine. The next one is ECG. It is on the first floor. So, walked for about 5 mins and saw cardiology department.So, presumed that it should be somewhere here. When I asked they told "go straight and turn right".After walking for some time I found that room. Already one 50+ old person was there. But the door was closed. Waited for few mins and remembered golden rule, so knocked the door.No response. Meanwhile the 50+ old person getting worried whether I will go before him. No response from inside. Suddenly a lady came, not from the room but from outside. Immediately the 50+ went near the door. I was waiting for my turn. I was called. Again semi nude. I was given tonnes of gel across my body.I asked her why you are not using strips but using the gel for the past 20+ years (again problem of having ECG done at britain). She told that strips will be used only for pediatric patients (not sure what she meant). After sometime she asked me to wipe my body with the paper on which I was lying. It was like wiping your body after you finish your bath. As a person of writing exams with additional papers, i took additional paper to wipe my body. Damn what a smell that gel and it is the same for the past 20+ years. I had successfully completed all the tests.


Meantime I had asked my dad to drop my wife and daugther at my brothers house. Though he was hesitant to leave me @ hospital I told him its all just tests so i can manage. So, by the time I came from the tests my father was back. I was asked to take ECHO with Dr.Sivakumar but he was busy in a surgery (may be a procedure). While we were waiting my SIL also joined us. She went and met the assitant of Dr.Sivakumar. She was told that it will take time, so we decided to have the lunch as it was 3pm (reason for asking whether I had lunch answered). The cafeteria was about 15mins walk from main reception. There were two types of restaurants A/C and Non A/C. The difference is in the NON A/C restaurant you will be getting dust and sand on every food you order, but at the A/C food area you wont. While having the food my SIL got a call that doctor is back. So, we had a nice walk back (remember the movies the hero/villain will walk from smoke, bcoz they were constructing MIOT 2,3,4.... behind hospital) to hospital and after waiting for 15mins, doctor called us in. He told that lets go for echo. Again semi nude, he took the scan by himself and he showed me a black area and told me that that is the hole and he drew nicely on it and told me how it will be fixed. Dr.Sivakumar is nice person, who talks casually and handle things very cool.


We went to his room, he asked about my current health condition. I told him I am doing good but getting exhausted within few mins, like I was not able to play 2 continuous games in badmittion and not able to swim for more that 3-4 mins. He also asked when i was diagonised my hole. I smartly passed the question to my father guessing he can answer. But poor father doesnt have complete answer. After listeining to us, doctor told me that he will close it and it will be just 30mins work for him. It will be 2-3 days hospitalization then i need to take some rest. I will be completely alright in few days. He assured me that after the surgery I cannot play 8 games of badmitton. He also told that he is flying to Franfurt by night flight and will be back on 04-jul-2012. So, I can have surgery on 05-Jul-2012, it looks like there is something there with my heart and the day 5 :-) He asked me to submit the insurance papers. He told me that he will perform the TEE process that I did at UK to know the exact size then he will perform the surgery. it will take 30 mins to complete this. I was asked to be in fasting since previous night of surgery and must have a medicine.


From there we went to Insurance team of MIOT, where in they told that its too early to submit the papers, we have to submit only before 7 days. So, we left the hospital and went to my brothers's house to pick my family. My father was bit nervous by being with all these process. Next one week went on meeting my offshore team and giving them 20000 worth dinner (where in they ordered 18 starters only).Meantime my SIL submitted the papers for insurance and I was approved partial amount. Then my SIL asked me to check with insurance company and my company. I got one HR number and I was told that its a process to allocate only partial amount. If we need more then the hospital should be giving the details of expenses. Then I called hospital to have a check. They told that they cannot give the splitup until the surgery performed, but If doctor approves it can be done. Then I asked what about the balance amount, they told that me that I need to pay for it, once the insurance is cleared it will be refunded to me. Oooopppssiii... then why it is called cashless treatment.... May be for the patients.... As one has to pay the balance amount at one shot... he will become "cashless" in a minute :-)


In general people at my house will be afraid if we go to hospital, that too I am gettin admitted for 2 days to perform a procedure. So, the previous day they were not allowing me to go anywhere. In the night I had my dinner, medicine and slept. As usual a disturbed sleep due to Airconditions too much cold air in the midnight.... In the morning my wife packed my stuff and I got ready. we took a cab and went to hospital during the peak hour traffic.My SIL was there and we met Dr.Sivakumar then he asked us to finish the admission formalities.By that time I realised that I didn't bring the purse. I was planning to swipe my card for the huge amount that hospital needs. I was already tired as I didn't have any food for more than 12 hours.


My dad and SIL left to get the money and I was left at the corridor with no energy to do anything.....