Amanda Boxtel In Delhi

June 29th, 2007 at 05:56am Amanda Boxtel 18

Day 2–Holy Cow!

Zander recommended having us rent an apartment he found online.  Great idea.  Mum and I are definitely curious to check out the apartment but will hang here for a week and see how things go.  Just now figured out how to make the shower work but still cold water.  I now have a top sheet for the bed, more kitchen utensils for cooking and simple basics.  Brought some pot plants in from outside to make our little room fresher and a couple of candles.  I’ll let you know how things progress.  If the smokers continue to smoke inside, then we’ll probably end up moving.  Mum and I will pay for the cost if that’s the case.  Geeta Shroff put a ban on smoking, but they are persisting regardless. 

First day of therapy today.  Very rigorous PT - really good and hard work.  Two stem cell injections today.  Neighbor Aussie named Andrew is a T-6 paraplegic and moved his toes with tiny barely visible wiggles today and he has only been here a week.  He is eighteen months injured so a newer injury than me.  All people I’ve met in wheelchairs have shown some progress, which is quite amazing.  Other people getting treated in the hospital have motor neurone disease, parkinsons, cerebral palsy, and some progressive spinal diseases.  Everyone is optimistic and positive.

Aparently the stem cells that are injected into the muscles (arm and thigh) “home in” to find the site of injury or place in the body that needs healing.  These will prepare my body for the higher doses.  I will have these daily injections with therapy, followed by higher dosages via an IV.   At some point I’ll have a spinal tap (she suggested six in total) injecting stem cells as close to my injury site as possible.  Therapy and injections are six days per week with Sunday off.  I think that is the plan for now.

Delhi is still tough to be in…yet humbling and the people are gracious.  Stench takes your breath away sometimes; traffic unbearable; people squat and pee in the street; ladies in colorful saris carry ten or more bricks on top of their heads at one time and build brick walls; we saw women in saris making and pouring concrete; beggars tap our car windows incessantly wanting money or food (one lady had a fake bandage wrapped around her baby’s head begging for money…money for drugs and alcohol we were told by our driver); the Holy Cow rules over everything and is the ONLY thing that will stop a bus (in fact Holy Cow had a whole new meaning when we ’bout collided with one); and the people are simply the most polite gracious human beings, willing to help over and above.  Mum and I ordered basic cheese sandwiche s today from the hospital and gave our lunch to the little children in the park out the front.  We handed our sandwiches wrapped in tin foil to some t iny girls and then we stood and watched.  They unwrapped the foil surrounded by about ten other tiny children and shared.  I think I’ll give my lunch to them everyday.  Outside the wall of our apartment complex the street and dirt is laiden with rubbish.  A little boy and an older man were rummaging through for food.  I guess this is a humbling reminder to be grateful for our little apartment, our modern conveniences and all that we have.  The bed is hard but at least I have a bed.  The shower is cold but at least I can bathe.  And the internet has been down…but at least I can be in touch with the people I love when it is up and running. 

I had a massage today from an Indian woman named Shakuntala.  She worked on Mum and me each for an hour and a half @ $15 a piece.  I’ll get her to come every Tuesday and Thursday to keep my legs warm and the blood circulating…(yes, warm pink meat is the goal). 

Mum and I are completely vegetarian not risking anything so we can avoid the Delhi Belly.  Asti, a roommate from Oz, has been sick in hospital for four days–she’s deathly ill.  Again, if you can’t peel it or boil it, the rule is don’t eat it!

 

Day 4 of treatment-Monsoon rains wash our spirits.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Mum is naked on the bed next to me having a massage from Shakuntala.  The oil is really great for her skin and we both sleep long and hard after our massages.  On Tuesday the only oil we had was Virgin Olive Oil purchased for cooking. Have you ever had a massage in olive oil?  It’s the best thing!  I figured that if I could ingest it, it would be just as good on my skin.  Today we’re being bathed in pure coconut oil—Mum smells good enough to eat.  Massages are the best thing to relieve our stress.  Shakuntala is wearing the prettiest pale pink patterned Punjabi suit with a matching sca rf, which she throws over her shoulders.  Her thick black hair is swept up in a sparkly clip.  Shakuntala says to Mum and I:  “You young Mammie…you young Didi”.  Yes, our morale is already picking up.

The rain has come and when it pours it really pours.  It’s as though the Gods ordered the rains for today to cleanse our spirits and wash our world with renewed life.  The gray skies are overcast and the air thick and muggy as hell.  The kids in the park were soaking in the heavy droplets swinging in the monsoon rains, carefree and washing their bodies.  I imagine it’s the first shower they’ve had in a long time.  Their faces lit up with smiles, their mangled hair dripping, and their feet bare and muddy…and yes, we handed our plastic bag of lunch to the little ones again.  It seemed they couldn’t be happier flicking stones like marbles into holes–a complex little game as they nag each other of the rules incessantly.

This morning I lost it.  I had a little break down after my cold shower (still no hot water) and the power going off and losing an entire email this morning.  Internet has been down for two days so this was my first opportunity to write.  It took me a long time to type it…and now I’m starting over having had a reprieve, a visit to the hospital, physio therapy, lunch and a cuppa tea.  I hit the save button every minute or two.  Thanks to Zander and Brian (and Taylor) for your concerns about our accommodations.  Things are looking up and Brian, I spoke with your friend Stacy in Las Vegas this morning regarding our situation.  Zander found a couple of apts. for rent on the internet from a website-www.expatriates.com.  My Goodness, were we conned.  For US$750 the ad read:

Description: Available for rent a 2BR, air conditioned, fully furnished, spacious apartment with study and attached washrooms on the 5th floor in an apartment block with lift, close to Janakpuri Metro station linking it to the CBD of Connaught Place.

Travel time to CP 17 minutes.

Travel time to CBD and Shopping Centre of West Delhi 5 minutes

The Washrooms are provided with geysers and health faucets and the kitchen is provided with all normal electricl appliances including fridge, toaster, oven, geyser etc

The apartment is provided with 24 hr Satellite TV and 24 hr high speed boradband Internet connection port with unlimited upload and download and the apartment has a 24 hr water supply.

The apartment block has well maintained parks, jogging tracks and 24 hr security at the gate.

Charges: INR 30,000 pm. Electricity Charges Extra.

Refundable security Deposit against breakages: INR 30,000/-

After driving 45 minutes in heavy traffic across Delhi, we found an educated English speaking man and his wife who were true con-artists.  My God—cess-pool foul water in bathroom; piled dirt and rubbish in shower; one sunken-in bed and no other furniture; cockroach infested concrete floors; filthy stove, no oven; no air conditioning; and no internet access.  We then looked at another for US$1,500 and it was only a hair better.  So, be warned, never rent anything sight unseen from the internet.

Our roommates consist of Andrew, his wife Sarah and their six year old daughter, Jorja.  Andrew is a true blue Bandito with tattoos covering his whole upper body and heavy silver jewellery (five rings on each hand); he had a motorcycle accident on his Harley (T6 level injury who just moved his toes); and he’s not afraid to say fuck and other four letter words in a quick rage.  He is rough and prickly on the outside but soft and a bit fearful on the inside—like an over ripe pineapple.  Both Andrew and Sarah smoke like chimneys.  I can’t understand it…how can the stem cells possibly take in a smoke-intoxicated body?  Asti is the o ne who had the Delhi Belly for a week and has just returned back into the apartment (apparently she was spewing violently with intense green diarrhea—was that too much information?  Pray to God we don’t get IT).  She is overweight and is prone to mental outbursts of anger.  She also has a head injury we were told…and smokes.  She’s down to one packet a week she reckons (from her usual one packet a day). 

Mum and I had a meeting with Dr. Shroff this morning.  We informed her of everything and the smokers in our apartment.  There is a saving grace.  Beginning July 5th we will move into another apartment upstairs with the non-smokers in the group.  We feel better and Mum is supposed to be getting a top sheet for her bed today (still nothing); and we are hoping to have a hot shower.  We spoke with our roommates and pleaded for them to respect the no-smoking rules and have a puff outside.  They were pretty negative and will smoke in their bathrooms where there is an exhaust fan ( I doubt they’ll comply).  We are going to make this place work and we realize we are living in luxury having seen the other options first hand.  I am sure there are luxury apartments elsewhere but accessibility is an issue along with something within close proximity to the hospital.  This place will be fine for a few months. 

Fighting Delhi traffic takes one’s patience to the max.  Conny’s description:  a fastidious pace of slowness—difficult to wrap one’s mind around—frenetic faster than a speeding bullet while at a snail’s pace.  Delhi time has a meaning of its own.  It’s almost as if one can’t really accurately describe Delhi.  It’s a total assault on the senses.  Dirty; dusty; humid; stifling-stinky-hotter-than-hell; busier than the busiest street in Manhattan; honking horns; absolutely no road rules (I haven’t seen a road sign to stop, yield, slow down, and not one set of traffic lights); tiny children tapping on car windows begging “Madam, pleazzzzzzzzzzze” with their hands cupped to their lips; people curled up on the pavement or median strip asleep; animals rampant; even the music has a different cacophony of sounds…and yet there is an odd calm and ease amongst the people.  A good morning welcome “Namaste” and a gentle bow with hands held to the chin in prayer position and my world changes, my mood lightens, and again I am grateful.

I have grown to love the hospital because of the people in it—they are soooooo incredibly positive and there is an air of optimism I feel as soon as I roll up the steep ramp into the waiting area.  I had my seventh stem cell injection today.  I will continue through Saturday with Sunday off.  On Mondays and Tuesdays I will have an intravenous injection of many stem cells mixed with a bag of saline.  On August 6th I will have my first spinal tap surgically on the operating room and I will stay overnight in the hospital.  Each day I do rigorous physical therapy with a petite PT named Chavi.  She is gorgeous and very positive and she’s not afraid to crack the whip.  I’m working on balancing and strengthening exercises.  She is impressed with how “in-shape I am” (dig at Jim Finch) and how healthy my body is.  CP, I attribute much of that to you my angel friend.

I fully respect Dr. Shroff and what she is doing.  She IS getting results from every patient and I believe I will be next.  I met Mr. Singh yesterday who was paralyzed 18 years ago (a complete T-10 SCI) and he now has bladder/bowel function, he has increased sensation, he can move his toes/feet/muscles in his legs and practices walking with calipers.  He gives me courage and inspiration.

I’ll compress my photos and send in a separate email.  Haven’t yet created a blog, but hoping to do so soon.

Thank you all for your emails and loving best wishes.  Mum and I are hanging in there—attitude is everything!

Have a huge green fresh salad for me with big crisp lettuce leaves and raw veggies (something other than cucumber).  Mmmmmm.  I am salivating at the thought.  Drink some fresh clean water with a squeeze of lemon and be grateful for the simple pleasures.  I love you.  Namaste. 

Amanda and Jill xoxoxoxoxoxo

Here’s a note from Mum….

First the accommodation – up early to avoid talkative neighbours to make strong coffee in the communal kitchen to get us going, then muesli, physillium, walnuts, banana and yogurt, healthy!

Living here is like living in the Big Brother house – all different personalities thrown in together, Barry and Grahame still have not heard who was evicted and nominated!!!

Get dressed in coolest cotton then off to the hospital in an ac car. Stem cell injection and physio.

I’m making a pictorial record of all the treatment after some quick lessons on how to use  Mand’s new digital camera. You can’t help being excited at the hospital when you see patients injured at a higher level than Mand who actually wriggle their toes for the first time or a former quad sitting up in a chair with the full use of his arms and fingers and able to walk with callipers.

It’s really like a big family at the hospital – you just have to operate on Indian time which means it comes when it comes.

Love to all and keep emailing to keep us in touch with what is going on in the big wide world outside India.

M and J

P.S. Mand and I have invested in Punjabi suits which consist of long pants, ¾ length tunic and long stole worn across the chest and draped down the back, hers orange and jeweled, mine a more conservative cream with my very favourite green stole.

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