Just realized that I had not scribbled here for a long time. Its been months actually.
It has been fairly happening, these last few months.
Dad's accident was the highlight. The problem with him is, he wants to do everything independently and not depend on anyone for anything. That is good, but then when you are over eighty, there are some things that one should not.
So, on the 1st of September, he said he would be going to the post office across the road to check his post office bank account.
For him, and also for me, across the road is over a kilometer. Its a six hundred meter walk from my apartment to the main road. Then another five hundred meters, on the road, till one reaches the footpath, which on the opposite side of the road, on which the post office is. Then from there, cross the road and get to the other side. Then you walk down into a basement, where the post office is.
What Dad says is, unlike the Delhi post office, which is big and fairly inefficient, this is very small but very efficient.
Any way, so on 01st September, he went to the post office. He went down the basement, spoke to the people. Came out. Decided to walk a bit and then cross the road. This would have been around 10 AM.
Around 11 AM I got a phone call from an unknown mobile number. I thought this was one of those telemarketers, calling for loans or credit cards. I took the call. The person asked me. I said Yes, speaking. The person said Someone wants to talk to you. I said Okay. Then I heard my Dad saying, he had fallen down on the road and was not able to walk.
I told him I would come there.
A colleague of mine came along with me. We kept looking everywhere and then saw him sitting on a chair near a car workshop. He said he was unable to get up.
There was a small hospital across the road. I went there and said I needed help as there was a patient across the road. The person was old and unable to walk, so an ambulance was needed.
The first reaction was - ambulance is a paid service. I said I will pay.
Then they said Sorry - we do not have one.
They sent two attendants with me, who had no clue who transport my father to the hospital.
I will not name the hospital but this was a bad experience.
Then with the help of people on the road, I managed to get my father in my colleague's car and get him into the hospital. From there, they put him in a wheel chair and took him to a doctor.
The doctor said it looked like a hip fracture and they would need to do X Rays.
This was the first time, I saw a simple X ray take 2 hours.
After the X Ray, the hospital head called me and said I will need to fix his hip, and he will be on his feet in three days.
This sounded a bit fishy.
So I told the person, thanks for your help but I will be discharging my father. I gave some reason that I had contacts in a different place and will take him there.
Reluctantly, the doctor agreed.
At 4 PM, I called Columbia Asia Hospital and asked for an ambulance.
In an hour the ambulance came and my father was transferred there. Good professional doctors. Nice environment.
Evening the doctor said they will have to operate on him and would be doing the pre-op tests.
A room was given. A night spent. Next day was the surgery. And also a Bangalore bandh. And also when my brother was coming. I had informed him about the accident so he caught a flight and came over.
The surgery got over and then I was called to the ICU. The surgeon said all was well and I could see my father in the evening. Hearing this, I came back to my apartment. Got a phone that my brother had landed.
While I was at home, got a call from a number. Again saying, someone wants to talk to you. This time it was my Dad asking where I was. I told him to relax and that I had come home for sometime and would be coming back after sometime.
Evening went back with my brother. He said he would stay in the room allocated (even though my father was in the recovery ICU) and I came back home.
Months have passed now and when I look back, it was hectic. I went with the flow and things somehow fell in place.
My father is recovering, slowly but steadily.
It has been fairly happening, these last few months.
Dad's accident was the highlight. The problem with him is, he wants to do everything independently and not depend on anyone for anything. That is good, but then when you are over eighty, there are some things that one should not.
So, on the 1st of September, he said he would be going to the post office across the road to check his post office bank account.
For him, and also for me, across the road is over a kilometer. Its a six hundred meter walk from my apartment to the main road. Then another five hundred meters, on the road, till one reaches the footpath, which on the opposite side of the road, on which the post office is. Then from there, cross the road and get to the other side. Then you walk down into a basement, where the post office is.
What Dad says is, unlike the Delhi post office, which is big and fairly inefficient, this is very small but very efficient.
Any way, so on 01st September, he went to the post office. He went down the basement, spoke to the people. Came out. Decided to walk a bit and then cross the road. This would have been around 10 AM.
Around 11 AM I got a phone call from an unknown mobile number. I thought this was one of those telemarketers, calling for loans or credit cards. I took the call. The person asked me. I said Yes, speaking. The person said Someone wants to talk to you. I said Okay. Then I heard my Dad saying, he had fallen down on the road and was not able to walk.
I told him I would come there.
A colleague of mine came along with me. We kept looking everywhere and then saw him sitting on a chair near a car workshop. He said he was unable to get up.
There was a small hospital across the road. I went there and said I needed help as there was a patient across the road. The person was old and unable to walk, so an ambulance was needed.
The first reaction was - ambulance is a paid service. I said I will pay.
Then they said Sorry - we do not have one.
They sent two attendants with me, who had no clue who transport my father to the hospital.
I will not name the hospital but this was a bad experience.
Then with the help of people on the road, I managed to get my father in my colleague's car and get him into the hospital. From there, they put him in a wheel chair and took him to a doctor.
The doctor said it looked like a hip fracture and they would need to do X Rays.
This was the first time, I saw a simple X ray take 2 hours.
After the X Ray, the hospital head called me and said I will need to fix his hip, and he will be on his feet in three days.
This sounded a bit fishy.
So I told the person, thanks for your help but I will be discharging my father. I gave some reason that I had contacts in a different place and will take him there.
Reluctantly, the doctor agreed.
At 4 PM, I called Columbia Asia Hospital and asked for an ambulance.
In an hour the ambulance came and my father was transferred there. Good professional doctors. Nice environment.
Evening the doctor said they will have to operate on him and would be doing the pre-op tests.
A room was given. A night spent. Next day was the surgery. And also a Bangalore bandh. And also when my brother was coming. I had informed him about the accident so he caught a flight and came over.
The surgery got over and then I was called to the ICU. The surgeon said all was well and I could see my father in the evening. Hearing this, I came back to my apartment. Got a phone that my brother had landed.
While I was at home, got a call from a number. Again saying, someone wants to talk to you. This time it was my Dad asking where I was. I told him to relax and that I had come home for sometime and would be coming back after sometime.
Evening went back with my brother. He said he would stay in the room allocated (even though my father was in the recovery ICU) and I came back home.
Months have passed now and when I look back, it was hectic. I went with the flow and things somehow fell in place.
My father is recovering, slowly but steadily.
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