Twenty- five Seven

November 18, 2019
Not just a simple accident

Two weeks later I learnt that mine was not a simple accident. I had a rotator cuff tear of the right shoulder. An immediate repair or a possible joint replacement was the verdict.

So surgery it was.

After identifying, the doctor and his availability, we checked the hospital for availability. Luckily both were. Dr. Abhay Narvekar agreed to operate at Mumbai’s Global Hospital.

With my surgery scheduled for the earliest possible date, I found that there was a lot of last-minute stuff to do.

For instance, even though I was covered by a Cashless insurance policy, it was better to get the paperwork done before the actual admission. This was to prevent any last-minute surprises.

My mom’s road accident taught me that a housewife’s life had no real value and that she only got some compensation because she was otherwise employed as a teacher!

While mine was an accidental fall, it wasn’t an “accident”. It was more of a mishap. Luckily I had a Mediclaim Policy from Bajaj Allianz. Even though this isn’t a sponsored post, I’d like to acknowledge their swift and prompt action.

Call the cops

Anna Shetty accompanied me to the hospital and while she narrated the incident, the doctor’s ears perked up when he learnt it was a domestic accident.

“Did you inform the police ?”

“No,”

“Well, this isn’t a straightforward admission. We have to intimate the police. ” I thought I heard the words medico and legal as we continued with the paperwork.

Later on, the neighborhood police station called Hubby Dear testify that it was well and truly an accident and not a case of domestic abuse!

Poor chap! He was miles away in another town when this happened.

Learnings from this accident
- An accident involving a toddler or a senior citizen has to be reported to the police.
- A Mediclaim policy is a must for everyone. I never thought I’d need any hospitalisation as I don’t have any health issues as such. But this surgery has turned out even more expensive than ALL my medical expenses incurred in the past 60 years.
- It always helps to have a family doctor you can trust to guide you through the medical process else you face a real run around. I am blessed to have all kinds of specialists in my family ranging from my 88-year-old Dermatologist father to Anna Shetty my anaesthetist daughter. And with an orthopedic son in law, ENT and Ophthalmologist sisters in law, Pediatrician, Gynecologist and Cardiologist brothers in law , Dentists and a pathologist in the extended family, I am truly covered.
Have a great weekend !

Ciao,
Help! FASHION EMERGENCY

November 13, 2019
When a broken wrist leads to a fashion emergency

Can a broken wrist lead to a fashion emergency? Well as it turned out, mine did.

Coming to terms with a broken wrist didn’t take longer than it did for the POP to harden.

With my hand out of action, I settled down to enjoy the break from my daily chores.
- no more driving the car
- cooking was taboo
- no more managing the household accounts. After all, there was just no way I could hold a pen leave alone sign a cheque.
With enforced rest, I was looking better . I also got more compliments than ever before for my sartorial style.

[bctt tweet=”Perhaps, I was meant to be a lady of leisure.” via=”no”]

However, just as I was getting used to life in a sling, I developed a niggling pain in my shoulder. Not the all day dull ache but a throbbing ache that started at night. The only way I could get some relief was when I slept upright!

Now Anna Shetty always calls me a hypochondriac who uses different ailments to seek attention. So it was with some hesitation that I mentioned this. Immediately, I could see a conspiratorial look pass between her and Dr. D as their worst fears were coming true. Either I was coming down with a Frozen Shoulder or there was more damage than we thought.

I went for an MRI.

It was here that I learnt that an MRI requires a metal free garment Else I’d have to change into a suitable garment. Now am I phobic about wearing an unwashed garment that has been worn by many other patients before me. Equally, I was scared of the pain involved by multiple garment changes .

We found a rotator cuff tear in the MRI.And the only option was surgery.

I went off to equip myself with two button down shirts with non-metallic fastenings. This was harder than I thought because the shirt is totally out of style.

[bctt tweet=”Did you know that a front open shirt is more essential than a little black dress?” via=”no”]

I went from shop to shop till I found two cotton front opened shirts. Oversized ones that I could manage to put on easily. And since my arm was going to be strapped down, I bought two shoulder tie up night dresses .

The major learning from this experience
- Always have one garment that opens down the front or back in your wardrobe.
- Ensure that you have one elasticated pant/trouser.
After all, you can easily buy that Little Black Dress but a button-down shirt is another matter!

Did you ever think that having surgery would actually involve a new wardrobe?

Having surgery actually involves much more. Keep watching this space.

Till then,

Ciao
Life in a Sling

November 11, 2019

So now here I was now with my wrist in a cast and my arm in a sling. And learning to live with it.

The little ones were most excited at this turn of events and told all their friends with great glee how their granny fell off the ladder. Especially Wow Dinga who remembered everything in detail.

Ms. Papaya was a bit wary of bumping into me and kept a respectful distance. but for Little Po, ‘fracture’ became the new buzz word and every day, he would come up with a new ‘fracture’ that needed to be kissed better.

Living with a sling

How I wish it was that easy to kiss away a fracture! for me, it meant a shift in both attitude and lifestyle.

Initially, it didn’t seem too much of a bother.

It took me all of half an hour to figure out my lifestyle changes.

♦Showering was easy with a hand shower, so I had to rearrange my bath schedule to use the other bathroom.

♦I also became adept at slipping on a waterproof cover for my cast, manoeuvering the shower and using a long-handled loofah. I managed toweling myself dry, powdering myself generously before slipping into my elasticated pants and a loose T-shirt.

♦Getting into my inner wear required some ingenious moves that would have left Houdini amazed. However, with a few baggy Ts, pull-on elasticated pants and two billowy caftans, it was sufficient for the 5-6 weeks that I would be inconvenienced for.

♦I managed to shower myself with a hand shower, and some ingenious twists and turns while I dried, powdered myself and wriggled into my minimalist wardrobe.

But there was the odd day when I had to be better dressed. Especially when I did have the odd day that I had to be more presentable.

Luckily, I had some material lying around and I rounded up my local darzi to make me two sets of loose fitted kurta pajama.

♦What was really difficult for me was being unable to drive, not butter my toast, fold away the clothes and even do the sudoku!

I missed my independence and felt frustrated when I had to be served at the table. I also didn’t fancy asking for seconds so preferred eating smaller meals

Exercise, especially Yoga became no-no.

Going out became tedious too especially if it involved a change of clothes.

[bctt tweet=”Life does have a funny way of playing out” via=”no”]

The only good thing to come out of this was that I had to make sure the Didis did things under my strict vigilance as they were now truly my right hand.

Perhaps, I would realise my life-long dream of having a perfectly run house that could carry on very well without me.

But was it going to be smooth sailing?

Watch this space for more

Not just a simple accident

Call the cops

Learnings from this accident

Help! FASHION EMERGENCY

When a broken wrist leads to a fashion emergency

[bctt tweet=”Did you know that a front open shirt is more essential than a little black dress?” via=”no”]

The major learning from this experience

Life in a Sling

Living with a sling