Anne Schwegmann-Fielding
Week Four and Five - Health, Hospital and Happiness
Posted by Anne Schwegmann-Fielding on 11th March 2008
Week Four 25/02/08- 09/03/08
If you have read the last text about my week in Kutch, you will know that all was not well. I was totally exhausted and the pain I was enduring was worsening with each day. It is during this week that I discovered some wonderful Doctors to restore my faith in health professionals. If you don’t want all the test details then scroll down to Friday 29th. It is just that for me the detail really matters – the people, the process, the understanding…
Tuesday 26/02/08
Spoons and Doctor
Despite the pain I manage to work on some more spoons I started before leaving for Kutch. There are utensil shops by the dozen nearby in the busy Manek Chowk area. This links so well with my current practice, working on functional objects – this coupled with the endless stalls selling bindis and bangles has begun a whole spoon project in itself. The small scale also makes them manageable as experimental pieces – sketches to be elaborated on when I return to the uk. The spoon drawings I am producing along side these are inspired by the mithila work and matanipachedi detailed drawings I have seen.
In the early evening I visit the doctor who on brief examination suspects appendicitis. I explain that over 2 and a half years ago they x-rayed me for this and said all was ok. He says you can’t tell with just an x ray….
Wednesday 27/02/08
Nil by mouth Hospital Diagnosis
Early start to the day with blood and urine tests and continue to ultrasound and barium test. The ultrasound was so thorough – checking the whole abdominal area and even looking at my back when I mentioned pain there. This was an experience in itself –actually listening to the patient rather than just going by what it says on the form. He lets out a sigh as if he has discovered something and asks me if I have a fever. I have had one for three days.
The barium test was quite surreal – the receptionist proudly became chief interpreter despite her minimal English. But she was lovely and between us, the doctor and his assistant, we managed to communicate when I was meant to swallow or not, breathe and lie “prone”. The words were shouted at me but at the same time they were gentle and reassuring. Several cups of so called strawberry flavoured barium later I am back on the table having more xrays – Between tests I am allowed my own room where I have to lie on my right side underneath the air conditioning unit because I am “foreign” and am given a cup of chai. I feel like royalty. Never have I been treated this well by any health professional.
Nobody wears uniforms, there are no badges and the doctor who owns and runs the clinic actually performs the test, not a nurse or assistant but him. It all seems so strangely but wonderfully personal. The tests go on until late afternoon when I have another ultrasound scan performed by who I think is the father of the practise. My concern grows as does theirs. They announce acute appendicitis and suggest I go straight to the doctor to discuss the operation. With no time to think I am at the doctors. He again confirms acute appendicitis and suggests an operation asap. I need to go back to Arts Reverie and have a think. Travelling to the uk doesn’t look like an option and to be honest I feel more confident in it getting sorted here.
In the rickshaw back, I am bewildered – I have had all these tests and receive the results and diagnosis all in one day in India. The doctors in the uk still couldn’t find diagnosis after for two and a half years!
I arrive back and breakdown with relief and shock more than worry. I speak to various friends and family and all feel as do I that I should have the op here asap. All concerned about it rupturing. The other artists here feel the same and are really supportive – we rearrange furniture for more comfort and have an evening of munchies watching “Love Actually”, god bless Richard Curtis!
Thursday 28/02/08
Admitted to Maniar Hospital
The doctor is reluctant to say whether I should stay in India or travel back and it is for the surgeon to decide. All the surgeons seem to be in Bombay so we visit a nearby hospital, Maniar hospital and meet Dr. Bhauman Maniar. My saviour! He confirms yet again acute appendicitis and explains that I am 2mm away from it rupturing which is likely to happen in the next 24 hours. He talks me through the results and the procedure with a reassuring calmness. I have to stay at the hospital so they can start administering drugs. My operation will be in the morning. Tanvi, the other artist becomes my nurse and fetches all the necessaries from Arts reverie and stays with me throughout. She is a darling. The doctor even allows me the use of his mobile to call my parents and boyfriend! Tanvi and I settle down in our room for the night. I feel totally calm, happy and an immense sense of relief that this will all soon be over.
Friday 29/02/08
Operation
8.30am I walk around the corner to the operating theatre. The hospital is one floor of a tower block and has a mere 6 beds. Sometime later (which turns out to be about an hour and a half) I return to my room. Gaining consciousness it feels as though my insides have been ripped out and I can hear myself groan and scream. I fall in out out of consciousness. By early afternoon I am more aware and am greeted by the offending appendix in a jar. I am thrilled. The nurses are wonderful – constantly checking on you, friendly and helpful I feel completely safe and confident. Turns out there were 3 problems; along with the appendicitis I also had a haemorrhaging cyst on my right ovary and cluster of adhesions surrounding the appendix – all now to remain in India.
Saturday and Sunday 01/03/08-02/03/08
Home
I am finally allowed to eat which is a relief, even if in small amounts. I am improving but still feel weak and my stomach groans with every move. I look paler than ever but am happy. The surgeon shows me a dvd of the operation, removes the staples from my belly and sends me home to recover. It is good to be back at Arts Reverie.
Week Five
03/03/08 – 09/09/08
Convalescence
The week is spent resting and slowly catching up on emails and continuing with my spoon drawings. I make sure I move around a lot, venturing out to a nearby stall selling deliciously fresh and cold pineapple juice. Each day I can do more but the pain although different is still quite bad.
Friday 07/03/08
Plasters and Vishalla
My plasters are removed exposing my bruised belly for the first time. To celebrate I travel with Tanvi and the dutch girl, Rosa who is also at arts reverie to Vishalla – both a utensil museum and a restaurant. This is a truly amazing place. You are led to the restaurant by oil lamps and whilst you wait for a table you wander around the adjacent museum. This is filled with decorative pots, urns, swords and spoons – decorated to the extreme, they are more like ornaments than functional things. Quite beautiful. Our meal is served on a low table – like a big slice of tree – almost the same as my coffee table back home. We sit on soft, velvety rugs as our food is served from various clay and metal containers directly onto our mats made from leaves. Wonderful food and atmosphere. The evening continues with a puppet show and musicians followed by a memorable ride in a rickshaw – the equivalent of the boy racer with its huge speakers, plastic flowers and neon strip light.
The weekend. 08/03/08 - 09/03/08
Lunch and the movies
Meet Lokesh and his colleague Ravi at the House of MG for lunch. A popular spot for tourists, the most I have seen since I arrived. Nice to be outside. We wander back through a busy market area where I purchase a few more spoons for the collection. The evening brings me my first Hindu film – Jodhaa Akbar. Wow. I wondered what sitting through what must have been nearly three hours of a language I know nothing of would be like. But it was great. Beautiful colours, music and acting. It is amazing how much you can understand through facial expressions and tone. Still would like to see it with subtitles next time – just to get the detail.
Sunday was spent resting, reading and a little walking.
