A Relaxed Sunday in Hinduja Hospital with Russel

Sunday, June 16, 2019
Bombay

A Relaxed Sunday in Hinduja Hospital with Russel

     Namaste from Bombay!
     Almost a week has passed since Russel was admitted to Hinduja Hospital and I am happy to say that, so far at least, he does not show any signs of agitation at his prolonged stay. Thank goodness for little mercies!
     I awoke at 6.30 am and actually managed to relax in bed a little bit as I downloaded the weekend editions of The Times of London. Then, I hopped into the shower, ate my breakfast of muesli and coffee, got dressed and left for the 8.00 am Mass at church. It has been a long time since I have been for this early Mass (I usually go for the 9.15 Mass) and I left right after Communion so that I could relieve Dad who was doing night duty at the hospital. I was also lucky to find a rickshaw right outside that took me to the hospital in 10 minutes.
     Both Russel and Dad had passed a good night. The Times of India and other newspapers were scattered around--which indicated to me that both Russel and Dad had taken a look at them. Russel's morning grooming was on when I arrived--he was being sponged and shaved. When it was all done, I could chat with him. I found out that he'd enjoyed his breakfast of utthapam with chutney, cornflakes with milk and coffee. Dad did not stay too long after my arrival.
     Left with Russel to myself, I too took a look at the Sunday papers, but then because I feel culturally ignorant and do not recognize half the Page Three celebs, I switched to my Ipad and The Times of London--there too, a lot of the faces are unrecognizable to me! I was tempted to start transcribing one of my pending interviews from my computer-crisis backlog, but then I reminded myself that it was Sunday and I ought to give it a rest!
     Russel's nurse Milagren stopped in to check on him and answered many of Russel's questions about her personal background. As Russel loves chatting, this was especially fun for him. Then Leroy D'Sa from the Management Team (Customer Service) of the hospital arrived to get feedback from us and he too stood for a long chat. We discovered that we know a few people in common and that he and Russel went to the same school (St. Mary's in Mazagoan). And so with a lot of hospital personnel , part of Russel's morning passed quite smoothly.
     I received a call from my cousin's husband Wilfie to say that he was going to be with Russel shortly as he wanted to visit him. The hospital has morning visiting hours on a Sunday. I had to go downstairs and give him my pass and then sit down while he visited with Russel upstairs. He barely stayed for ten minutes. I then got a call from my cousin Allan's daughter Meghan to say that she would be visiting with her husband Rishad. When they discovered what a production it was (exchanging passes), he decided to go and see Russel while she decided to go over to Russel's place once he is discharged. So, unexpectedly, Russel had two visitors from among our relatives.
     Then, one of the surgeons from his team, Dr. Devendra arrived to change his dressing. Russel was excited about this as he hoped to receive some information about how his surgical incision was doing. He recalled that Dr. Bhende had told him that if it was "clean and dry", he would be discharged. To his utter joy, Dr. Devendra told him that it was progressing very well. The infection seemed to be under control (but they would only know for sure once reports from the culture sample came in). The wound that had refused to heal for months on end was invisible. It had been tackled and incorporated into the long clean incision that I could see. It was the neatest incision, about six inches long. I was told that there were no stitches as metal staples (exactly like we use to staple pages) had been used. Dr. Devendra did a good job reapplying antiseptic lotion to the site and then covering it with sterilized gauze. A half cast was placed under his calf to support it and then the entire leg was bandaged very neatly. It did take over a half hour to carry out the procedure but Russel was very pleased as he had no pain and no discomfort at all. Dr Devendra told us that the dressing will be changed again in another 2-3 days after which a decision will be taken whether or not to discharge him. Antibiotics are being given to him intravenously and will be continued once he gets back home.
     By then, it was time for soup and lunch and Russel enjoyed both. During lunch, I switched on CID, his favorite TV program and right after lunch, both he and I had afternoon siestas. Mine lasted about half an hour while Russel slept for about 45 minutes. Tea with tomato-onion dosas were brought in as a snack and he enjoyed them immensely.
     By 3.30, the match of all matches began as the World Cup Cricket brought India and Pakistan pitched against each other at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. There was palpable excitement in the hospital as the ward boys also kept entering and leaving so that they could check out the score on the TV screen. As it turned out, India hammered away when they elected to bat and Pakistan's bowling was left feeling most ineffective. I watched the match with Russel while also dipping in and out of my novel Origins by Dan Brown. At 5.00 pm, I nipped into the downstairs pantry to pick up a guava juice box and a packet of chocolate Bourbon biscuits which I sipped and nibbled on as I watched the match.
     India was doing superbly and was poised to leave Pakistan out in the cold when the dreaded rain began. Play was abruptly stopped and Russel and I switched the TV off. Soup came in again and I helped Russel to it. Dad called to tell me that he would be going to the 6.00 pm Mass in our church and would then come to the hospital. I continued reading my novel which I found very interesting in-between chatting with Russel.
     Dad did arrive at about 7.30 and we ordered Paneer Makhanwala for our dinner which we shared after we helped Russel have his. It was 8.15 pm when I left and since it had not rained all day and the streets were bone dry, I decided to walk the half hour home at leisure and get in some exercise as well.
     Once home, I sat on the phone and had a long chat with Llew. Then I made myself a gin and tonic and ended with a bowl of chocolate ice-cream as I watched a movie--an American comedy called It's Complicated with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in an untidy triangle. The family setting and the location (Santa Barbara, California--what's not to love???) were gorgeous as were the interior locations of the superbly-decorated houses...but the plot left me cold.
     It was past midnight when the movie ended but I was still wide awake and decided to spend some time on my computer. In the end it was about 2.00 am when I finally fell off to sleep after what had a been really lovely relaxing Sunday.
     Hopefully, it will not be long before Russel is discharged and our lives can return to normal again. Meanwhile, Dad and I are happy that he is happy at the hospital and because we know that he is in the best hands that are doing all they can for him.
       I fell asleep with a prayer on my lips for yet another lovely week and a day filled with blessings.
     Until tomorrow...