MONDAY, July 9th, 2007
Operation Egg
We arrived early at the Hospital this morning, and although we were there at 7:30, we were the first to arrive. Soon after, the office opened up and we were ushered into a private room, pretty nice, with its own bathroom. I was called back for a scan when Dr Parikh arrived, in the usual sonography room just off Dr Parikh’s office. The scan showed a beautiful round egg, and the other two, which were still misshapen. So, we would go ahead with the harvest- albeit not a very bountiful one.
About an hour later I was called back into the Operating Room just on the other side of the hallway, walked into the surgery and got on the table. Of course, I always think of everything as if it is a set, and couldn’t help but imagine that if I were decorating that Surgery, where I would have gotten the antiquated medical instruments, in all their enameled 1940’s glory. Nevertheless, I wasn’t worried because Dr Parikh does so many of these surgeries, that as long as the sonically guided needle was working, that was all that mattered.
The next thing I knew, I was back in our room, so Hardy probably knows better exactly what happened. Total elapsed time- 7 minutes- was barely time for Hardy to have the free “Husband tea” he was offered.
We stayed in the room long enough to have the Indian vegetarian meal, and indulge ourselves with the cable TV, even if it was the bad 80’s movie Beethoven. And, as one must do with hospital food apparently all over the world, Hardy ran out to Domino’s and brought back some post-op pizza.
That afternoon we took it easy, but woke up in time to go down to the Consulate and have drinks with Michael Owen and his wife Annerieke. Michael Owen is the American Consul General in Mumbai, and he and his wife were kind enough to respond to my questions forwarded by my Aunt Teresita Schaffer. When my Aunt had been our Ambassador to Sri Lanka about ten years ago, and I had been to visit her. Both Michael and his wife had also been stationed in Sri Lanka, and had a passing acquaintance with my Aunt and they share a lot of mutual respect for each other. It was my Aunt that initially contacted the Owens about my list of Doctors, and they couldn’t have been more helpful in the initial endorsement of Dr Parikh. It turns out Annerieke is herself a Doctor. I think their affection for my Aunt and curiosity about ourselves also got us an invitation for drinks at their residence above the Consulate. The Consulate itself is a former Maharajah’s Mansion (literally), built in the 1930s and still very unchanged with its Deco marble staircases and intricate fretwork. The Consular General has the top two floors for their private residence. We arrived at 6pm, and went through the elaborate security system you might imagine we sadly need now abroad. Once up in the apartment we were met by Michael and his wife (and their son as he passed by- home from Princeton for the summer).
We talked about our impressions of Mumbai, crazy accounts in the local news, and how Annerieke was also aware of a growing fertility problem in India as professional women waited until later in life to have children. And though this is happening all over the world, it seems, unlike the rest of the world, Indian women have a low peri-menopausal age making it harder for even “young” women to have children.
We also discussed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s impending Bombay visit in two months. I’m sorry I didn’t ask more about this. All I do know is that he and Maria will be meeting with the Bollywood crowd while in Bombay for two days, after stopping in Delhi for a day, and then- need you ask?- going north to meet the Dali Lama. Additionally, we discussed the growing trend of Americans seeking foreign medical treatment- India being one of the more frequented countries. At present there is virtually no interface between Americans (or other foreigners) and the Indian Doctors and services they offer. I know I had to do a lot of internet research just to find Dr. Parikh, and if I hadn’t had my Aunt’s help, I don’t think I would have been nearly so comfortable coming 8,000 miles for treatment. Apparently, I (or someone) could have a tidy little business being an interface for these services, but I’m not quitting my day job!
After drinks and hors d’oevres they showed us the wonderful view out over the Arabian Sea. Unfortunately, due to the huge volume of visitors the Consulate processes daily (1200 Indians apply for visas to the US every day!) the Consulate will soon be moving to new and more secure quarters closer to the airport. But because they have a 999 year lease on the property, they are looking to do something with the site that will maintain and preserve it- one of the possibilities being to rent the building to a club of some sort (there must be many who would jump at the chance!) and also have something like an Indo-American Cultural Center housed there for the public to visit. Of course, being into Historical Preservation, I think that would be a great use for a fantastic property!
After the bracing air on their sweeping veranda, I realized just how tired I was from the early day, so we took our leave and headed home. A warm thanks to the Owens.
We arrived early at the Hospital this morning, and although we were there at 7:30, we were the first to arrive. Soon after, the office opened up and we were ushered into a private room, pretty nice, with its own bathroom. I was called back for a scan when Dr Parikh arrived, in the usual sonography room just off Dr Parikh’s office. The scan showed a beautiful round egg, and the other two, which were still misshapen. So, we would go ahead with the harvest- albeit not a very bountiful one.
About an hour later I was called back into the Operating Room just on the other side of the hallway, walked into the surgery and got on the table. Of course, I always think of everything as if it is a set, and couldn’t help but imagine that if I were decorating that Surgery, where I would have gotten the antiquated medical instruments, in all their enameled 1940’s glory. Nevertheless, I wasn’t worried because Dr Parikh does so many of these surgeries, that as long as the sonically guided needle was working, that was all that mattered.
The next thing I knew, I was back in our room, so Hardy probably knows better exactly what happened. Total elapsed time- 7 minutes- was barely time for Hardy to have the free “Husband tea” he was offered.
We stayed in the room long enough to have the Indian vegetarian meal, and indulge ourselves with the cable TV, even if it was the bad 80’s movie Beethoven. And, as one must do with hospital food apparently all over the world, Hardy ran out to Domino’s and brought back some post-op pizza.
That afternoon we took it easy, but woke up in time to go down to the Consulate and have drinks with Michael Owen and his wife Annerieke. Michael Owen is the American Consul General in Mumbai, and he and his wife were kind enough to respond to my questions forwarded by my Aunt Teresita Schaffer. When my Aunt had been our Ambassador to Sri Lanka about ten years ago, and I had been to visit her. Both Michael and his wife had also been stationed in Sri Lanka, and had a passing acquaintance with my Aunt and they share a lot of mutual respect for each other. It was my Aunt that initially contacted the Owens about my list of Doctors, and they couldn’t have been more helpful in the initial endorsement of Dr Parikh. It turns out Annerieke is herself a Doctor. I think their affection for my Aunt and curiosity about ourselves also got us an invitation for drinks at their residence above the Consulate. The Consulate itself is a former Maharajah’s Mansion (literally), built in the 1930s and still very unchanged with its Deco marble staircases and intricate fretwork. The Consular General has the top two floors for their private residence. We arrived at 6pm, and went through the elaborate security system you might imagine we sadly need now abroad. Once up in the apartment we were met by Michael and his wife (and their son as he passed by- home from Princeton for the summer).
We talked about our impressions of Mumbai, crazy accounts in the local news, and how Annerieke was also aware of a growing fertility problem in India as professional women waited until later in life to have children. And though this is happening all over the world, it seems, unlike the rest of the world, Indian women have a low peri-menopausal age making it harder for even “young” women to have children.
We also discussed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s impending Bombay visit in two months. I’m sorry I didn’t ask more about this. All I do know is that he and Maria will be meeting with the Bollywood crowd while in Bombay for two days, after stopping in Delhi for a day, and then- need you ask?- going north to meet the Dali Lama. Additionally, we discussed the growing trend of Americans seeking foreign medical treatment- India being one of the more frequented countries. At present there is virtually no interface between Americans (or other foreigners) and the Indian Doctors and services they offer. I know I had to do a lot of internet research just to find Dr. Parikh, and if I hadn’t had my Aunt’s help, I don’t think I would have been nearly so comfortable coming 8,000 miles for treatment. Apparently, I (or someone) could have a tidy little business being an interface for these services, but I’m not quitting my day job!
After drinks and hors d’oevres they showed us the wonderful view out over the Arabian Sea. Unfortunately, due to the huge volume of visitors the Consulate processes daily (1200 Indians apply for visas to the US every day!) the Consulate will soon be moving to new and more secure quarters closer to the airport. But because they have a 999 year lease on the property, they are looking to do something with the site that will maintain and preserve it- one of the possibilities being to rent the building to a club of some sort (there must be many who would jump at the chance!) and also have something like an Indo-American Cultural Center housed there for the public to visit. Of course, being into Historical Preservation, I think that would be a great use for a fantastic property!
After the bracing air on their sweeping veranda, I realized just how tired I was from the early day, so we took our leave and headed home. A warm thanks to the Owens.
1 comment:
Hey Hardy and Regina,
I have really enjoyed reading your daily posts... I am glad things are progressing. We wish you guys the best of luck!
Take Care
JW
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