Medical Doctors are not Gods,they are mere Mortals and like every profession we have "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Doctors". It is common knowledge that Doctors kill more people in the world that Motor accidents but are protected from all Liabilities.
It is "Your Life" Inform Yourself well about your health understanding your bodily symptoms, consult Dr Google (Trust me Doctors too consult Dr Google in this century) and check to see if your Physician is talking sense or giving you Bulls Shit.
When in Doubt do more Google searches and get a second medical opinion.
All I am saying is spend time and FIND good Doctors like you'd find good mechanics to repair your cars.
Not every one with a Degree is a Good Doctor, there are more quacks and pretenders out there than talented ones
I lost many good friends to botched up surgeries:
One Classmate had pain in the leg that prevented him for playing golf. Agreed to some surgery to an artery in the leg and did not come out alive from theatre
Another very close friend exchanged messages with me on a Wednesday and went in for a surgery on Friday that he did not tell me about as he thought it was a simple routine Heart Valve replacement. He died in ICU and family got told surgery successful but Patient died as he could not breathe with the ventilator.
Just today another family friend of mine went in for a triple bye pass and died in ICU from complications
Not to forget, a friends wife who went in for delivery and was given the epidural injection in the wrong part of the spine her baby was still born and she almost lost her life too
You can share your stories using the comments section of he Blog
Take Charge of your lives. "Say No" to Optional Surgeries
My Sob Story:
My Sob Story is very very long. so here is a not so brief summary
1946 - Born a sickly child
1953 - Coma after falling into a ditch
1955 - Whooping cough almost killed me
1960 - Congenital Discoid Cartilege in both my knees
1978 - Sciatica from Spinal Injury
1982 - Blocked nose from Rhinitis & Septum Deviation- Stopped breathing in theatre
1985 - Survived a nose surgery but ended up with a crooked nose
1987 - Hernia Surgery
1988 - High BP aka Hypertension
1989 - Severe Sleep Apnea
1996 - GORD - Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease with Hiatus Hernia
1998 - Severe Whip Lash from a Rear ender when a truck hit my car from behind at high speed
2000-April: Millenium Gift - A Brainstem stroke that very few survive.
2000 - August : Essential Thrombocytosis
2002 - Uvuloplasty Laser surgery to stop Snoring
2003 - Diabetes Type -2
2004 - White Tail Spider Bite and Ulcer in my ankle bone that just would not heal (Turned out to be a drug reaction)
2009 - Dengue Fever
2010 - Fibrosis of the left Lung
2012 - Palpitations and shortness of breath diagnosed by Cardiologist as Exercise induced asthma
2012 - Blacked out and to ER Caused by Vit B-12 Deficiency
2015 - Metabolic syndrome meaning now Type 2 Diabetes as diagnosed but Type 1.5 Diabetes also known as Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults
2016 - Sebacious Cyst on my Back
2018 - January - Stage 3 Bradicardia requiring Pace maker
2018 - May - Myelofibrosis
2020 - Severe Iron Deficiency requiring Iron Infusion injections
If you want to read all gory details you can continue or Stop here if meek hearted
1946: Was born a skinny scrawny child and suffered from coughs and colds and fevers all the time. Thank God my Dad was the medical superintendent even though he was not a doctor he knew what medicine to give me. Often a Brandy in Hot water to which my mother Objected vehemently as Dad would use the excuse to have a swig too :-)
1953 - Port Blair Andamans: - Was sitting on the Verandah Hand rail and Playing Horsies. Fell outside into a ditch 3 metres deep (about 9 feet) paved with granite and cement. Blacked out and admitted in hospital. Don't remember getting there. In Coma for a few days and not expected to live. 2021 I am still here
1955 - In Madras, I had a Cough that lasted six months and almost killed me. Tuberculosis was prevalent then so my Mother sought my uncles help to consult a TB specialist. One Dr Xavier who was the head of the TB dept saw me. Did not examine me, did not get any tests done but decided I had TB and Prescribed an expensive injection Streptomycin to be given twice daily. My Poor Mother took me every day by Rickshaw to see the Physician who gave me the jab twice daily.
My health deteriorated and I was Coughing like a dog especially early in the mornings and had become a Bag of Bones. My Dad was in Port Blair working and did not know. Then came a Good Samaritan whom we called the Railway's Uncle as he worked as Railways Engineer. He told my mother we need a second opinion or else you could lose your only son. He took a day off and came and took me and my mother to see a Dr Guna Sagaran, who was a fresh LONDON return.
We were waiting our turn when the doctor heard me coughing and asked my mother "How long has he been coughing like this" and my mother said six months and been given Streptomycin twice daily, He said "OMG Your child does not have TB. He has whooping Cough". Gave one bottle of a Mixture he compounded himself and my cough was gone by the time I finished the mixture in about ten days. Saved by a God send but a Lot of damage had been done by the prolonged use of Streptomycin.
2 Injections a day for 6 months
= 360 Steptomycin INJECTIONS
This could have killed a Horse but not me as some one was Guarding my life
1960 : Both my Knees were clicking badly and painful. So my older sister who was a medical student then took me to see the head of Orthopaedic Dept Dr Natarajan. He just listened to the noise in both my knees and diagnosed it as "Congenital Discoid Cartilage" needs surgery in both knees or else he will end up with a Locked knee. When My Dad was told about this he said "No bugger is going to lay a knife on my sons knees. We will leave it to God". End of story. I am going to be 75 now and don't have a locked knee even today. My Dad Saved me from a Butcher
1978: Sydney - Sciatica: Had an accident lifting a very heavy fridge up a winding staircase and ended up with a Ruptured Disc in the lumbar spine. Have avoided risky spinal surgery and have had to live with this excruciating pain since. I have talked to so many people who have had spinal surgeries and had some vertebrae Frozen and have had nothing but more and more pain. I am not out of Trouble but have weekly Physiotherapy every monday morning since 2007 and stretch my spine by hanging off a monkey bar and it gives instant relief
1982 - Sydney: Suffering from Blocked Nose all the time and addicted to Otrivin nasal drops. So I see a ENT Specialist Dr Bridger. I walked into his room and he did not even let me sit down. He walked up to me, pushed my head backwards and said "Rhinitis" Ask my secretary to book you in for surgery. I got a booking and got admitted on scheduled date the night before and was told it is a very simple surgery that will take about 30 minutes at the most. I was taken from the ward at 2.00pm and was not back in the ward until 10.00pm. Then Our Family Friend Dr Vimala Nayanar who was head of Radiology came rushing from home to see what was going on and found me in PostOp recovery room and got told "They almost lost me in the theatre" I did not know anything as I was unconscious and at about 3.00am the Night nurse from Sri Lanka woke me up to check if I was OK and whispered to me You almost died. Don't you let this butcher Operate on you. Another God Send. Phew that was close I thought
1985: Had my nose operated for Septum deviation by Dr Trevor Williams a Sri Lankan Surgeon. Knowing I had intubation problems earlier in 1982, he was assisted by three anaesthetists and they still could not intubate me.
Imagine this. They wake me up, Sit me up on the operating table and Dr Williams is telling me "Ram You are gagging and putting up one hell of a struggle that we are unable to intubate you. So we will be giving you local anaesthesia for the throat. You will feel you are unable to swallow but don't panic as you will be swallowing but cant feel it. so do not panic".
They shoved a mask on my face and I don't remember anything else. Something went wrong but they would not tell me. I know because the surgery was all botched up in a mad rush leaving me with a collapsed nostril on the right side
1987: My whooping cough caused a rupture and an Inguinal hernia at age seven and it needed to be fixed as it was getting worse. I had my surgery and had no problems with anaesthesia what so ever
1988: Developed HIGH BP
1989: Diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea caused by very small and narrow airway and have used CPAP Machine for 3 decades now
1996: Collapsed after a game of indoor cricket thinking I was having a heart attack. Turned out to be Gastric Reflux
Had serious intubation problem again during endoscopy. Diagnosed with a small hiatus hernia, oesophagal & Stomach ulcers
1998: Whip Lash: I had to brake as traffic came to a sudden stop. Looked in the rear view mirror and saw a truck speeding behind me and he was on the mobile phone. He rammed into me at Full speed and blamed me for stopping suddenly. I walked out of the car like a hero when Police arrived and asked if I was OK not knowing I had suffered a bad whip lash in my neck
2000: Millenim Gift:
From Feb 2000 after attending my mothers funeral I was ill and had all sorts of crazy symptoms like:
- Tingling of my hands and face
- Hands going to sleep when I was driving
- Visual disturbances in my right eye. It started as a small bubble and the bubble kept growing until view through the bubble magnified everything
- A Zig Zag Pattern would start in my right eye when at work and the ziz zag would grow and was bright orangish red etc
My GP a Lady doctor thought I was Crazy and labelled me a HYPOCHONDRIAC but sent me to see an eye specialist, a neurologist - a migraine specialist who concluded I had migraine and a Cardiologist who gave me a Sistimibi injection for a stress test on a tread mill, when I suffered a severe TIA and rushed me to emergency in a wheel chair on 7th April 2000
- 7th April was rushed to emergency by my cardiologist who told the triage nurse : "I am a Cardiologist, this gentleman is a patient of mine and is having a Stroke. please get the Neuro Registrar to see hims straight away".
The Triage nurse stuffed around doing her paperwork and organising routine Blood tests and in 4 hours time I came good and was discharged with the note I had suffered a "Migraine".
13th April 2000 I woke up at 4.30am paralysed in the right side of my face and left side of my entire body. Had double vision, could not speak, could not swallow, Could not even wiggle my toes in my left leg. It was like a dead log of a Tree but still alive not dead but wouldn't move. I had severe hiccups and severe ear ache in my right ear. I heard my registrar saying if the stroke did not kill him I am afraid this hiccup will :-(
Was diagnosed as Vertebral Artery Dissections a Typical Text Book Case meaning seen only in Autopsies. I was not meant to live.
I have defied the odds and am still here in 2021. I owe my life to the Young Registrar Dr Steven VUCIC I could tell was a natural born doctor. Not at all surprised that in 2021 he is a Professor and a leading neurologist in Sydney.
I had Planned to surprise him and Visit him with a Bottle of Champagne on 13th April 2020 to Celebrate my 20th Post Stroke anniversary, but damn Covid fears ruined my Party
August 2000: My first neuro consult after my discharge from hospital to rehab. Senior neurologist Davis took the file away from Registrar Steven because it was a very rare case and he wanted credit. On my part I had educated myself using my XT Computer at home and had all these questions for Steven but had to ask Davis.
I asked him if a Vertebral artery By pass was an option as US surgeons had done many successfully. He Told me don't read all the crap that you find on the internet and waste my time.
My second question:-
This stroke was caused by a blocked vertebral artery should I not be seeing haematologist.
His Response was "If you want to see a haematologist go and see a bloody haematologist"
I said OK give me a name in this Hospital meaning RPAH Sydney. He said go and see Harry he is in the Ground Floor Haematology section
I came home and phoned Dr Harry Iland for an appointment. Secretary said he is an extremely busy man and you cannot see him for a few months. I told her Dr.Davis wants me to see Harry now and even a few days may be too late. She said OK Come tomorrow morning at 8.30am
Dr. Harry Iland asked me how Can I help You. I said doc I suffered a Vertebral artery dissection on 13th April and was admitted here at RPAH and I want your opinion. He sort of shook his head and said you mean you were admitted here. Let me have your medicare card I will check your blood works during that period. He returned about ten minutes time.
He was RED in the face and swearing in F Language saying I don't believe this F@#kin system in this hospital. You were admitted here and your Platelet count was 890 (normal range 150 to 300) and your bloody neurologist did not inform haematology dept.
I said Doc I am an Engineer and a Patient and don't even know what Platelet is. Is something wrong I asked. Well you are lucky you did not have another stroke and die by now because Platelets make the Blood to Clot.
He said we have to do a Bone Marrow Test right now and it was done straight away.
Prof Harry Iland said platelet count is still hovering around 790 and dangerously high and started me on Hydroxyurea in addition to my Warfarin (blood Thinner) therapy.
Ram, I am sorry to say this. You have "Essential Thrombocytosis" and I asked him Prof why is it essential ? and he says because we buggers do not know why platelet count in the blood go up suddenly
Prof Harry Iland is another God Send who saved my life.
Never saw Dr Davis the Neurotic Bloody Neurologist again
There is something else that angered me even more. The three weeks I was in hospital I had hundreds of visitors family and friends ten of whom were practicing Doctors in various fields. Every one as a Routine had a look at blood test reports hanging at the foot of my bed yet not one of these doctors raised the question why is the platelet count so High as it was a recipe for disaster?
2001: Post stroke I was suffering from multiple TIA's (Transient Ischemic Attacks) every day. Every time I turned my neck I was affecting blood flow to the brain stem triggering a TIA so I consulted A Vascular Neuro surgeon Dr.Stoodley who admitted me in Prince of Wales Hospital, did an angiogram and wanted to perform a PICA Bypass surgery in my Brain stem.
Google searches told me that this was a procedure with very high mortality rate and banned in USA as early as 1985.
For 13 days he kept me in hospital to get me to agree to the risky surgery. Family members told me "You are not a doctor what makes you think you know more than him ?" (I understand family wanted me to get well soon).
"A Man has got to do what a man has got to do".
From my Prince of Wales Hospital bed I phoned Prof Harry Iland at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and told him about he Proposed PICA Bypass surgery. Guess what he told me.
"Ram, Get out of there Right now. Don't let any idiot open up your brain and experiment with it. You may not even come out alive"
Prof Harry Iland saved my life one more time
I put my foot down and said said "No to PICA Bypass" and got myself discharged.
During this stay at POW Hospital, they put a cannula on my wrist the day I arrived and nine days later the same cannula was still there. I was bored and walking around the hospital corridors reading messages on the notice board when I read that max time a cannula can stay in place is 3 days and it was already 9 days. I could have died of Staphylococcus Infection. Again Medical negligence. When I questioned the nurse on duty she blamed other nurses..
So Never ever believe that you are in safe hands in a hospital. Never.
Stay alert always.
2003: My Blood sugar levels were elevated and I was diagnosed to have Type 2 Diabetes ( I will talk about Diabetes in a separate section)
2004: Ulcer on my Ankle Bone
I woke up one morning to find skin had come off on my ankle bone (lateral malleous) in my right leg and bone was visible
Was admitted in the geriatric ward at Concord hospital as they did not know where to admit me. Diagnosis was "White Tail Spider Bite" and put on an antibiotic drip for two days and discharged
Don't ask me what a white tail spider is as I don't know
I was tested for Spider Bite, Bone Cancer, Skin Cancer, Diabetic neuropathy and I had a nurse coming home once a week to dress the gaping ulcer/wound what ever but the damn thing just would not heal.
By 2004 I became a very very active member of the Massachusets General Hospitals Neurology Forum ( a God send Forum). Even in 2004 there were 56000 members and it was divided into many subsections for neuro diseases like Stroke, MS (Multiple sclerosis), Alzeimers, Parkinsons, Motor-Neuron disease etc etc etc. I became a King Pin in the Stroke Forum except there were no Vertebral artery dissection SURVIVORS. All were dead except me.
When I mentioned about my ankle ulcer that would not heal a Good Friend NEOMA said "Ram give me a list of all medications you are on and let me do some searches for you"
Two days later she wrote to me and said Ram, the Ulcer on your ankle is caused by Hydroxy urea prescribed for Thrombocytosis. I research Publication from Germany has stated tha nearly 6000 patients treated with Hydroxyurea have developed this ulcer on the Lateral malleolus but Pharma is rejecting the findings.
Off I went and questioned Dr Harry Iland.
He said Ram that happens to one in a million cases and I said "Doc, What if I am the Unlucky Jonah ?"
I said doc this damn thing has not healed in more than six months and I am not going to swallow one more Hydrauxy urea Pill. I explained to him that the urea goes down my leg and is too heavy to be pulled back up through the veins as the diastolic pressure is not strong enough.
He was beginning to see my point of view and says " Ram there is only one other medicine that we can use for Thrombocytosis and that is Anagraklide but there is a problem. I asked what ?
and he says Anagralide can cause Leukemia. I shook my head and said Doc why take one more medicine get leukemia and did. I might as well allow High Platelets to kill me and Prof Iland said "Ram you are a funny bugger and have a good sense of humour "
He said You have to wean yourself off Hydroxy urea slowly. I said what for ? wait for an ulcer in my other leg too
I went off the Medication Cold Turkey
Neoma, another God send of Mine was a True Blood Red Indian Lady from the Cherokee tribe and "Neoma" meant "the one who walks on water"
2009 - DENGUE FEVER on 15th Jan 2009 I got bitten by one Bloody Piddly Mosquito when I went to visit my friends at IIT Madras Campus, I was fine until 1.00am chitchatting with my friend CK who had come from Bangalore to see me
By 3.00am I was shivering like mad and tried to get out of bed but could not. I had pain head to foot. Luckily I managed to get up and unbolt the bedroom door and realised I just could not sit down on the Toilet seat.
My Dr Sister Manjula was there by 5.00am and organised blood to be taken and tested. Test showed it could be Dengue Fever or Chikun Gunya and my Platelet count which was 550 a few dats back had plummeted to 200. Had my Platelet count been normal between 150 and 300, I would have required immediate hospitalisation and blood Transfusion.
The adamant Pig that I am I flew to Kolkata and attended two family weddings and all I had was PAIN KILLERS to manage Dengue Fever. there was no known treatment besides drinking Tender Papaya leaf juice (To be Continued)
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