Rusty Without Wheels

 

These flowers are shavings from wood and made into very pretty arrangements.  Popular for home decor here in India.

Rusty balancing on the ball in physio - very difficult for anyone, especially if it you are paralyzed from the waist down.

 Ball balancing and raising one hand at a time.

Shivani watches Rusty very closely to make sure he does not topple.

Carrots for dinner?

Some of the many “homes” located right on the street. 

Interesting sites on the drive to Gautam Nagar.

This is the front of Gautam Nagar Hospital where Todd and Adam from Australia wait for our taxi to take them back to Green Park.

Apartment housing on the side of the hospital.

This is a side view of Gautam Nagar Hospital.

Yesterday, we finally got through with our 3-day procedure at Gautam Nagar and were released to return to NuTech at Green Park.  I haven’t experienced any “radical” changes from stem cell injections, but the nerve sensations in my muscles are definitely stronger and my limbs feel heavier - like there is more substance to them.  An odd thing did happen, on the last set of injections my left eye, cheek, chin and nose got very tingly.  Then, the sensation went to the top of my head and my right cheek.  Dr. Ashish said he’d never had anyone experience these sensations.  After the injections were over my eyesight got kind of waverly and swimming.  The entire sequence lasted probably 20 minutes.  Pretty weird.  The hardest thing, well really the only thing hard about leaving Gautam Nagar, is knowing you won’t be getting any more omelets for breakfast.  Damn, they sure are tasty and nice to wake up to.

We signed out, loaded my butt in the taxi, and headed home.  Travelling through the market we were gauking at all of the different stores, merchants and their wares and the funky, cool alleys that are dark and mysterious.  Kathy was trying to get a couple of pictures of goat carcasses hanging in a shop window, when I looked out my window and there is an elephant’s hind leg and butt a foot from my face.  My bride has been gaagaa over getting close elephant pictures and here one was – she was in heaven.  Her camera was in overdrive clicking pics.  After we got on the main drag and looped back towards NuTech, here he came trudging along, right along side every kind of vehicle imaginable.  No worries.  When we unloaded at the hospital the elephant came striding down the road and passed right in front of us, heading somewhere to toil for his masters, riding atop him.  His trunk, face, and jowls had an awesome fluorescent orange design painted on them.  Pretty cool encounter; Kathy was delighted and pleased.

This elephant is up close and personal - look at how calm his eyes are.

A working elephant and his handlers heading to a job across town.

Shocked us at how fast this ambling elephant got throught the busy traffic.

After physio and lunch on Saturday, Kathy drug me out shopping.  I tried to tell her I didn’t travel half way around the world to shop, I came only for the stem cells, but it did no good.  We hailed a tut-tut and took off for Dilli Haat, an open air market specializing in crafts and textiles.  Kathy shopped to her heart’s content, picking up gifts and souvenirs.  Indian fabrics are all so vivid and colorful.  Combinations of some (which you’d never contemplate putting together) are strikingly beautiful and make amazing garmets, shawls, saris, etc.  Finally I convinced her to let me go back to NuTech, so we hopped into another tut-tut and came home.  I love watching people as we load me into and out of a tut-tut, never ceases to amaze me how interesting we are to others and vise-versa.

This man is weaving a rug at the market.

This little girl wants a toy so bad - Mom is negotiating the price.

Posted on February 6th, 2010 by admin
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Women loading gravel into sacks to carry on their heads.

You don’t dare cross the center line in this street on the way to Gautum Nagar Hospital.

 

We survived our first procedure over at Gautam Nagar, on 1/28 - 1/29.  Getting bent in half for 45 minutes so Dr. Ashish can locate where he wants to inject, then perform the injection, is a little tough on my non-pliable body.  After the injection was over it was back to our room where I had to lay on my back for hours, with the foot of the bed raised to a 2-brick level.  Finally at 8:00 pm they removed one brick and I could turn onto my side.  It felt like someone had super glued by lower back and hips, God I was stiff.  My body spasmed quite a bit from the procedure.  Hopefully there will be some progress and improvements in function from the procedure.  I slept OK, even with all of the back pain and the nurses coming in to check my IV.

At 6:30 am my body was wide awake, raring to go.  Dr. Ashish showed up very early, questioning me on my response to the procedure and whether or not I had a headache.  I felt alright except my back and ribs hurt to breathe from lying like I did for the extended time.  Since we had no complications he cleared us to head back to NuTech after breakfast.  We had ordered omelets for breakfast from their “canteen”.  This is a highlight for us, a real breakfast with eggs.  The sister told us we had “5 minutes” before the taxi was to be there for the trip back to NuTech.  I wasn’t even dressed and Kathy hadn’t done much in the way of packing or getting ready to leave.  We got around, went downstairs, signed out, loaded my butt in the taxi, and came home.  It is always an adventure to see how much the road construction has changed since our first trip in November 2007.  To us it looks as though the progress is stagnant, no changes.  This construction is on the new subway system being built from downtown Delhi out to the airport for the Commonwealth Games in October 2010.  I don’t think they are going to make it, but it’s interesting to see.

The man in white shirt is a shoe-repairman with a customer.  This man conveniently lives just above his shop — in the tree!

Kathy has been getting sicker with a respiratory problem brought on by Delhi’s high pollution and wet foggy weather.  She coughs and sounds like her lungs are filling up with fluids.  The doctor at Gautam gave her some medicine.  Her cough and congestion has worsened since we returned from Gautam.  Dr. Sudeep prescribed different antibiotics, cough medicine, and use of a nebulizer.  She coughs so much, nothing seems to be helping.  Her sinuses and head are very painful.  Something better start working and soon, she can’t keep going like this. 

Saturday was just a half day of physio, the therapists only work 1/2 a day.  Sunday is quiet around here.  Everybody sleeps in, if possible.  Some take day trips to see the sights and get something to eat.  I had an IV infusion (an IV w/syringe of stem cells injected into it) this morning.  Kathy is still battling her respiratory infection.  If she feels better this afternoon, we’ll go for a walk and pick up some fruit at the market.  Our diet has been too heavy with carbohydrates and starches, not enough fiber and roughage/salads.  My system is plugged up.  I’ve never had trouble here before with regularity.  It’s the first day it hasn’t been foggy.  Visibility is about a mile and the sky is finally blue.  Going to order some take-out/delivery food for dinner tonight.  Not sure what it will be, but it will be different than what we have been eating.

 

There are so many questions we have . . . what some people are doing, what we are eating, what people are saying?  It is interesting to be outside of your element.

Posted on January 31st, 2010 by admin
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Hard to believe we have already been here in India for a week, 25% of our allotted time.  The clinic is pretty slow, not a lot of patients, but all of them are English speaking,(Brits, Aussies, & US).  I’ve already had 2 low back, intramuscular injections of stem cells.  “Procedures”, they call them.  These are of a much greater volumetric measure of stem cells than the intramuscular injections we receive in our shoulders twice a day.  I would be perfectly content to be hooked up and have stem cells pumped into my body 24/7, but know this is not feasible.  It’s tough to travel all the way here and not get more, but there is a protocol for their program and we respect that, knowing they are doing what they can for us and believe is right for our bodies.

Still struggling with lack of late night/early morning sleep.  So far medication hasn’t helped solve the problem.  Never had problems with jet-lag coming to India, just with it going home.  It usually kicks my butt good then, taking me days to recover.  Will hope that my system straightens itself out soon as this impacts Kathy’s rest too with her sleeping on the floor next to my bed, I can’t believe how much my body is spasming and fidgeting.  It’s like you turn on a light switch, my body comes alive with its cravings for pain meds, caffeine, or whatever it is seems to be needing.  It’s a small living area we share, so every action has consequences for the other person.  I think it will work itself out, otherwise my bride is going to wring my neck.  Time will tell.

Tomorrow we will be going to Gautam Nagar,(the other older hospital), for an epidural injection into my spine.  We will be spending a night there so they can closely monitor any adverse reactions my body might have.  Sometimes extreme headaches are associated with these procedures.  Hopefully that won’t be the case, but I have suffered through these previously on other trips.  My body seems be having increased sensations in my legs, groin, buttocks, feet, and toes.  The nerve/muscle feelings have increased in strength and intensity from the two previous procedures.  We won’t have Internet access over there so we won’t be in touch with the “outside world” for a couple of days. We are posting this so people won’t worry when they don’t hear from us the next couple of days.  If there are a bunch of grammatical mistakes in this, no worries.  It’s just me being me.  Bye.

Posted on January 27th, 2010 by admin
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Foggy days in India.

We made it!  After a long, arduous trip we arrived in India late Thursday night.  OP (Dr. Ashish’s right-hand man) met us at the airport to transport us to the clinic.  The fog was so thick we couldn’t see the other jets parked on the different concourses, or discern any of the buildings.  It was kind of spooky in a way, but it was also just India.  Winter is in season here too, so fog is normal this time of year.  We just hadn’t seen any that thick – ever.  It was 60*F when we landed, so to us it felt wonderful,  but as we had to wait for our luggage, Kathy and I both seriously overheated.  Too many polar fleece garments on for the cold back home.  On the way to the clinic, OP and the taxi driver were cranking up the heater, complaining of the cold as I was rolling down the windows trying to keep from passing out from heat exhaustion.  The streets of Delhi were erie with the fog shrouding the bustling traffic and muting the beeping horns.  We finally collapsed into our room a little after midnight.  I was toast from the exhausting trip, not having slept much on the plane, but thank God Kathy had enough energy to organize things enough to make room for our luggage and get me into bed.  I crashed, not hearing her continued noise as she put things up so she could make her bed on the floor. 

Street view from our room:  cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, fruit/bike cart, wheeled cart, laundry hanging to dry, and lots of dust and fog.

The sisters (nurses) told us, when we arrived at NuTech and got signed in, that I already had a procedure scheduled for the next day.  This was welcome news, even though we were too tired to think.   It was heartening Dr. Shroff and Dr. Ashish plan to schedule as many procedures as my body can take because of the limited time-frame we have to deal with and are going to pump as many stem cells into my body as possible.  I believe that the volume of stem cells is equally important as to the frequency they are received. 

Friday dawned early for us.  I struggled with jet lag, not sleeping well during the night and unable to stay in bed because of the discomfort my body was suffering.  Kathy and I got up to watch the dawn, but the fog was so thick we couldn’t even see across the street.  It was difficult to believe we were actually here, but looking out the window and at the furnishing of our room we knew it was true.   We are lucky to be in a street-side room on the 3rd floor (4th to us - here they call the first floor “0″).  The street feels like it is a long way down, but we can still see out and watch all the excitement and events.  The sisters came by and said I was scheduled for physio with my therapist Shivani, then after lunch my procedure would be here at NuTech.  Kathy and I reintroduced ourselves to the sisters we remembered and met new ones.  Shivani greeted us warmly.  After filling out a recent medical history, she got to work trying to stretch out my miserable body.  I was so stiff.  It felt like each of my legs were filled with concrete, and that all of my joints had been super glued.  It felt like my body was someone else’s.  Too strange, I’ve never felt these types of sensations before.  Shivani kept it light and easy.

Skyline construction workers.

The street is so busy … with all modes of travel.  Just amazing to watch.

After lunch, Dr. Ashish’s technicians and OP, came calling.  They hauled me to the operating theatre, where Dr. Ashish injected stem cells into the muscles in my lower, right lumbar area.  It didn’t take long, especially with us talking and asking questions of each other.  Kathy went over to the local market to get our needed supplies, having them delivered to the room.  I rested and put the word out on Facebook that we were alive and made it safely here.  Kathy worked around the room until exhaustion caught up with her, we both crashed for a couple of hours, missing yoga.  We ate, watched some TV, and turned in early, still not recovered from the trip. 

Travelling cart with beans and lentils.

It was another ugly night for me.  Slept OK until around 4:00 am then my body wouldn’t relax.  It spasmed relentlessly.  As a result, I was tired and stiff at therapy.  Kathy says there’s something to sleeping on the floor and not being in the same bed with me!  Didn’t matter much, though; she was awake and up for the day by 5:15 anyway.

Several puppies and their parents live in the lot across the street.

It’s funny how all of the Indians are all bundled up against the cold and we are running our air-conditioner in the room, and wearing short-sleeve shirts because we’re too hot.  We went outside to sit in the sun and watch people this afternoon - the temp was a great 69*F.  I am white, pasty and feel like crap.  I am exhausted.  Hopefully I will sleep tonight and feel better in the morning.  Tomorrow, Sunday, we are going to the Hyatt Hotel for lunch, taking a tut-tut and seeing the sights.  More to follow.  Kathy will proof this and add a couple of pictures.  Bye.

PS.  I dropped our Steripen today (ultra-violet light used to sterilize water).  It is non-functioning now.  We’ll have to buy all of our water now, where I use to sterilize the water for dishwashing and such.  Bummer!

We are interesting too.

Posted on January 23rd, 2010 by admin
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Christmas is tomorrow.  I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year.  We have a lot to be thankful for from this past year.  We journeyed to India in February and since that series of stem cell treatments I have continued to experience increased sensations and feelings in my lower body, especially over the past 2 months.  My sensations have increased in strength and intensity.  We can only hope that with this next trip, in January 2010, the upcoming stem cell treatments will lead to new and dramatic changes.  This is our dream and hope.  We pray that God will allow my body to respond and that I gain more control of the nerve impulses to the muscles in my legs and feet.

This past 3 weeks, since we had the big snow, I have been battling painful arthritis in my neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands.  The humidity has been very high and the temperatures very low.  I had arthritis in my hips from when I broke my back in 1990, but I haven’t suffered from it since I became paralyzed in 1998.  For some reason it has reared its ugly head and forced me to deal with the consequences of my actions, which caused my injury.  Last week I finally approached my pain doctor for medication to help ease the joint swelling and pain.  In less than 4 weeks we leave for New Delhi, hopefully the warmer weather there will ease the discomfort, at least I am hoping it will.  It gives me some thing to look forward to besides receiving more stem cells.

The next four weeks will be stressful, especially for my wife, Kathy, as she takes care of most of the details and packing for our trip to India.  Thank you God for giving me a spouse who is willing and able to take care of me.  This is not the kind of life I envisioned spending with my wife, but it is what we have.  I can’t change that fact.  I screwed up, period.  Our lives changed in the blink of an eye when I wrecked.  Once some thing like this happens, there are no “do overs”.  All we can do is deal with what we have and go forward.  Hopefully this next round of stem cell treatments will help improve our quality of life, we can only pray and believe it will happen.

Have a Merry Christmas!  Stay tuned, next up will be our reporting from India.  I hope people still use the information from our experiences and it helps them find answers for their own problems.  Peace be with all of you!

Posted on December 24th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: My Entries | 4 Comments »