Kaise (Kai'-say) Hai (Hey) - How You' Doin'?

Kaise Hai (actually "How are You?", though "How you' doin'" is more fun).

We just got back up to the room after another wonderful lunch (our biggest meal of the day), a very short stroll up the block, and a nice long visit with the young folks at the front desk (learning more Hindi and Marathi words); not to mention some waves and "Kaise Hai"(s) along the way.  There was also a visit with a large friendly fellow, the head of corporate sales for the hotel, Mr. Robert Young.  He has relatives in San Francisco and, when he found out I worked in music, he told me he likes Bryan Adams and Kenny Rogers.  I told him there was a famous TV actor that had the same name as him (Father Knows Best), and we parted with me shaking his hand and saying "Goodbye famous actor Robert Young"...he seemed pretty happy.

 

(Upper two photos are of our usual friendly waiters in the restaurant, lower left is of the late morning to early evening cute and fun front desk staff, and the lower right is of three of our usual housekeeping staff.  Everyone is friendly and helpful)


Laurie's gone off now to the clinic...today she gets the added technique of warm oil poured over her forehead; can't wait to hear how that went.  We both saw Dr. Pendse last night and he has decided to add that technique to her regime.  She also went in this morning with me, her first morning trip, and saw Pendse Madam (Mrs. Dr. Pendse) for some chiropractic work on her left upper back.  She will be going back to see her on Tuesday morning, and she will also be looking at her foot pain.  When Laurie arrived today with me (no clinic happening when I'm there first thing in the morning) Gajanan opened Dr. Pendse's office and let Laurie lie on the little raised bed he uses for checking abdomens, pulses etc.  It's nice and comfortable and she laid there and read.  Conversely, the previous night, when I was there early while she was getting treated, I sat outside the office on the hard steps or in the crowded waiting room, reading; as well as going for a walk to a nearby park thru the multitudes of commuters, students, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and more.  Boy does she get the special treatment.  To top things off this morning, after we both complimented Mrs. Pendse on her outfit she asked Laurie if she wanted to go shopping for some herself... "DUH!!".  I asked her the brilliant question as to whether she (Mrs. Pendse) enjoys shopping herself..."DOUBLE DUH!!"  Well, there you have it, two peas in a pod, already planning on meeting tomorrow to go do what Mrs. Pendse so proudly and happily claimed is a woman's right and calling; their joy.  Me, I'm a shlub, a proud representative of the vast majority of my gender...go team go (yawn)!

The Man, the Doctor, the Legend...

The Woman, the Doctor, I'm assuming the true boss...

There are more motorcycles and motor scooters here in Pune then probably any one place on the entire planet; I kid you not...I have never seen anything come anywhere close to the sheer volume that is here in this city of 8-9 million people.  That's right, you read it right, 8-9 million people...nothing like getting away to the country for a nice relaxing vacation after a hard year or two of work (Yea-Haw!!).  I've got to  tell you, the daily drives are like going thru a continuous movie set, or back-lot of a movie studio, only probably much more colorful, more entertaining, more exciting, better.  That is some dance out there, it is really hard to describe the absolute, continuous knife's edge of chaos, beauty, grace, near tragedy, poverty, filth, trash, calm, air and noise pollution, potential apoplexy, spirituality, and overwhelming color that embodies the daily theatre of life that takes place before our eyes during each day's trips in the rick-shaw; not to mention the walks around, and across (Oh God, Please, I've been Good!) the streets.

 

I hate to get side-tracked here in the middle of the photo collage, but remember the mention of the pillow predicament?  Well, take a look at this...

Okay, so how many pillows do YOU SEE on my side of the bed?!  "Welcome Home Honey!  While you're up would you please get me the..." Ah Yes, I do LOVE my pillow-laden wife, but hey...

So last night Dr. Pendse continued to give me quite the positive feedback, letting me know that I continue to progress, as does Laurie (though she has been feeling more continuous pain than me these days).  He likened my situation to a two horse drawn chariot.  On the one side is a very strong, active, agile 30 year old mind with the abilities to multi-task a large number of things simultaneously, with a maturity in its 40s; and on the other side a physical body that is around 62 (about 5 years older than I am).  The problem seems to stem from the imbalance between the two and what the doctors have been trying to do as of late is provide enough suppleness and renewed strength to my physical body to be able to withstand the next phase of trying to bring everything more into balance.  He started me on a first meditation of breathing in one nostril and out the other and then repeating in the opposite direction.  He does not want to slow my mind down but he does want it to reduce its hold over everything, as the imbalance reached a critical phase with my physical being no longer able to keep up or cope with the stress created by my mental activity.  He said that in the future he will give me more meditations and that the inability to eat a lot of foods will most likely change as I bring everything more into balance.  What is rather amazing is that prior to seeing him Laurie and I discussed some of the questions we wanted to ask and one of them for me was whether he felt stress or foods were more important to my condition; and before I said anything he launched into answering the question.  

With Laurie he feels strongly that she needs to nurture more of her creative elements, be it writing, drawing, or gardening, to help her along with her condition; and the results will be forthcoming without actually concentrating and worrying with specificity about her prognosis (easier said than done but sage advice nonetheless).  He has also, to Laurie's delight, made the suggestion, at least over here, that I consider having some chicken; preferably in a soup form to start (now that is something both Jewish Grandmas could get behind in the biggest of ways; probably with huge grins on their faces.  Not so fast though, true to form I'm being somewhat slow and stubborn about this).  I haven't had chicken in over 40 years...to which Vikrant replied with a wide grin (when I told him) "Well, now you start" and then proceeded to offer me a high five; the same thing Dr. Pendse did when I relayed to him what Vikrant said to me.  What's with these people, high fiving over chicken?!! Oh, and mutton was thrown in as well...this after I was told not to eat much in the way of peas or corn...simply wonderful news for a vegetarian, to go along with everything else I shouldn't eat, though I've been given the go ahead to have some dishes over here that have nightshades in them.  Like the grandfather said with tears in his eyes toward the end of the movie "Moonstruck", "I'm confused...!"

There is a plan for us to have a one to two hour meeting with him next week to go over all of our questions and lay the groundwork for the next couple of months of continued treatment when we are back in the States.  That's right folks, as far as everyone over here is concerned, our treatment does not end here in India, but must be maintained when we return home if we want to continue to see positive results.  I, for one, can really feel a growing improvement and have not had my allopathic medicine now for 9 straight nights. Aside from the pain in her left foot and upper back Laurie has noticed a lot of positive change with her system as well, and today she felt the muscles in my left leg and foot, as well as my shoulders, and was amazed at how relaxed and supple they were (a huge, major difference then the status quo that she has felt over the years).

At today's session I brought in my laptop to play some music for Vikrant especially; as well as Gajanan.  We had been talking about it for a few days and I finally lugged the computer and adaptor over to the clinic.  As we prepared to start I gave Vikrant a quick tour of Errol Garner, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole (a little bit of Jazz), then when we started with the warm oil (color and consistency of transmission fluid) over the feet I played some traditional classical Indian music with Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Nikhil Bannerjee (sitar) and Swapan Chaudary (tabla).  Vikrant enjoyed this, and then I decided I needed something longer for the duration of the session and went to one of my mixes.  As I lay there getting oiled (tranny fluid again) up and down my legs (I'm on my back now) I started "Wondering Where The Lions Are" (Bruce Cockburn), and as they worked on my feet I began to feel like a "Nowhere Man" (Beatles).  As my abdomen was rubbed my mind floated to "Love at the Five and Dime" (Hart Rouge) and I wondered if I would get "In the Sweet By and By" (Dolly Parton).  My upper torso and arms got a good working over as I contemplated if Laurie would "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan) across the big brass bed that I don't even have.  As I flipped over to get my back exquisitely worked on I drifted to "China" Chin-ay far away (Greg Brown), and dreamed of sweet "Melissa" (Allman Brothers).  As my shorts were dropped down, so as not exclude my (fill it in for yourselves...butt, tush, rear, bum, posterior...that's as far as I'm going here) the perfectly timed "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (John Lennon) came on wafting thru the room (well I thought it was perfectly timed).  Now down to the back of my legs and Vikrant asks about the music coming from the computer and it is Nanci Griffiths doing John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness"; which he lets me know he likes very much.  This is followed by Dougie MacLean's "Solid Ground" and the Old Blind Dogs "Rolling Home".  I am now getting seriously nostalgic and my mind is wandering back thru the years of all the music and connections I have been most fortunate to have experienced thru the years; and I am enjoying the music like I have not for quite some time (I really must be getting better folks; it ain't just an improved appetite or being able to walk with more ease).  I explain to Vikrant that the Dogs are the first group I really worked with; man, my mind is going back now, and enjoying the thoughts.  And then...then...on comes one of my favorite  songs (that I never seem to tire of), Harry Nillson's version of "Everybody's Talkin'" and I let the guys know that I absolutely love this song and it must have been something in my voice because Vikrant asks me if I am feeling nostalgic..."Yep, I sure am".

Well, a few songs later it's time for my busti (for you newcomers that's spelled e-n-e-m-a).  Got to have the right music for that...right?!!  Wellll, you guessed it...Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World"...hey, you can't make this stuff up...So, Kaise Hai...Here's Lookin' at Ya...BOTTOMS UP!!

Chicken?! OY!!!

Life Goes On . . .

One of the most amazing things about death (and I've been lucky to have had relatively limited experience so far) is that for the rest of us, life goes on.  I feel like there should be angelic hosts trumpeting gospel spirituals (even here in India) along the streets and golden streams of light in the sky heralding the passing on of our Judy from amazing earthly being to graceful, peaceful, beautiful, free spirit whose flight is felt as a breeze on our faces like that of flapping majestic wings.  She deserves all that fanfare of course, but it's a quiet passing - felt more than seen.  A tender hearted woman who leaves behind loved ones and friends who are themselves more tender hearted for having known her.  Happy Trails, Judy.  May we meet again.




Well life does go on and we've established a routine of sorts here in our rather small world of clinic, the streets of Pune, hotel room, restaurant.  Ironic to be in such a fascinating place and spending the majority of time here in the hotel room under strict orders to remain calm and resting at all times.  Dr. Pendse is concerned that we have no setbacks by getting sick or worn out because we have a ticket to fly on August 2nd.


We are rather lethargic feeling so it's not really that frustrating at this point ( although it was for me at first).  My feet are still acting up and it's important that I don't walk much since walking brings on the burning feeling still.  At least it's gone if I'm just sitting around now.  So we're not even going on our half a block walk after lunch.  We might spice it up today by watching more of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings.  Whoo hoo!


Cloud gets up around 6:00am and I'm usually already awake so the light goes on.  He gets ready to go and then goes off to his morning at the clinic.  I'm happy to be able to stay in bed and either read a book, read stuff on the computer, or fall back to sleep.


Awhile later I'll get up and shower and wash the thin towels (and a few clothes items) we need each day to bring to the clinic - used for wiping off the oils and especially the herbal rice milk during the last phase of treatments.  I have a bucket for soaking and washing, but as the monsoons really set in, they can take so long to dry - sometimes 2 days or more(!) even though the bathroom window is open at all times and the fan is going too.  If I don't get all of the oil and milk out of the towels they begin to get really smelly by the second day and I wash them again with twice as much soap.  Lately I've begun using the laundry service offered here at the hotel more.  Clothes smell so much better after they wash them.  There are very few driers here so what most people do is use the iron to finish the drying job - that makes sense - and explains why our clothes look so smooth as well as clean.


At this point it's time to take my morning herbal pills and VIR liquid.  I have yet to find out the exact purpose of each pill. (They have to be taken 3 times/day.)   I also take two powdered herbs - one dose each - each night (one of those is for helping with sleep) and this has been the fourth day of taking another powdered herb to help with the burning feeling every two hours or so.  So far - no negative side effects have been noticed by either of us from any of the herbs.  Cloud takes a similar regimen, but not exactly the same.

We both take 2 or 4 of all of these pills 3X/day.  I'm still taking the VIR - used to rid toxins
 from the body through the unrinary system.

Each dose of powdered herb is individually wrapped in paper.  In order to get it down,  I mix it with honey and swallow.

The Housekeeping Dept will send someone up for the laundry at about 9:00am and I hand it to them in a large brown paper bag that they provide.  It comes back around 9:00pm.  Everyone here at the hotel calls me "Ma'am," but their pronunciation does not rhyme with "ham" - it rhymes with "mum."  Sounds really nice.


Cloud comes back from the clinic and rests.  He'll eat some dates and nuts and usually falls asleep for an hour or so at about noon.  I either go down to the restaurant for breakfast of fresh papaya, pineapple, banana and rice or other amazing grain or pancake type food each with a different filling - or stay in the room and also have dates, almonds, fruit juice.  Our large meal of the day comes at lunch, which is always incredibly delicious, and we eat very little if at all around 8:00 or 9:00 for dinner.  That is the way of meals here for most - or traditionally speaking.  I think most businesses close for the lunch hours.  I see a lot of school kids heading home at 4:30 when I head to the clinic.  Not sure when they begin.


Schools are free for anyone up until the 10th grade. There are government schools provided free of charge and then there are many private schools as well.  Books and any fees are provided free to girls (I assume this is in the gov't schools) in order to encourage parents to send their girls to school.  Anjali says there are enough schools for everyone in the cities, but not in the rural areas.  I have read articles in the newspaper here explaining that there is quite a desperate shortage of schools in the outlying areas. 


 After 10th grade, you enter 2 years of college - a type of jr. college.  Your grades and exam scores determine whether you can get into the very best schools or not.  It has become increasingly competitive here to get into the finest schools. Otherwise you can get into others, though they may not be your choice.  There are private and government colleges.  The Ayurvedic college where she and Dr. Pendse teach is a government college. It costs 10,000 rupees this year but is going up to R 12,000 next year (about $5,000.00).  That's out of reach for the poor - but not for the middle class, I guess.  


Dr. Pendse's daughter just finished 10th grade and will get into a good school but not the one she wanted to get into even though her grades are in the low 90% ile.  She will be in a college of the sciences because she wants to be an Ayurvedic doctor as well.  Anjali says she is a brilliant student and she'll do well.  


After lunch we hang out reading or writing and then I get ready for my adventure into the streets and traffic jams of Pune.  It will be great when during our last few days we can venture out into the city a bit.  There is this amazing, intricately detailed temple to Ganesha that the taxi driver passed only one time (he has several routes) that I really want to go into.  Anjali says it truly is worth seeing and told me a bit about Ganesha.  (She is not a devotee of Ganesha - but acknowledges and values his importance in the pantheon.)  Ganesha is the god we see represented most commonly here in pictures and statues.  One of the largest temples of all to Ganesha is here somewhere in Pune.


Ganesha is who you pray to for the removal of obstacles in your life.  It's not too hard to see why he would be so popular here.  He's also the god of intellect, wisdom, learning, and good positive thinking - caring for others.  That is my limited understanding from talks around the oil tray.  Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati - the god that has an elephant head and a man's body.  He has a huge belly.  One of the stories is that Ganesha's head was cut off with a sword and his mother Parvati saved his life by placing a young elephant's head upon his neck.  This technique worked well because it seems he lived a long life and became very famous.  Here's a link to some rudimentary info about Ganesha.   http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordganesha/a/ganesha.htm


There are gods for many entities - even the monsoon, and I previously shared a photo of the god for doctors and patients, just to name two.  All of these gods serve the one god.  Who is the one god you may ask?  It is the creator, Brahma - the maintainer, Vishnu - and the destroyer, Shiva.  They are three gods but somehow they are one as well.   They can't watch over everything, so the other gods are like emissaries for the gods.  People petition the more individualized or "localized" gods who are in communication with the one god and can also help people on their own.  Hinduism seems to be practiced in many different ways  - an extremely complex religion/philosophy.  Just reading a little about it makes it clear that you could spend a lifetime trying to understand the many facets and still not learn it all.  


My treatments are the same.  The warm oil that is poured on our feet is really amazing.  It's a maroon color and it's the consistency of syrup.  It has been cooked for 5 hours with an herbal infusion of water until all of the water is boiled out.  I asked for the name of the oil and she said it doesn't have a name because it is a combination of three different oils - a recipe Dr. Pendse ordered  to treat our ailment.  The same bowl of oil is used for four days and then tossed out.  The oil for our massages and bustis are new each time.


After my feet have soaked in it and it's been poured over for about 15 min, I notice that my left foot (the one that is most ailing) feels very warm and swollen.  I think the foot tissues are taking it up - and then later on at night or in the morning, my foot is less swollen I've seen it in years.   The oil's purpose is to take out the swelling.  The night before last my foot burned so much I couldn't sleep.  Last night I slept well and my foot is not burning if I stay off of it. I'm really hoping this incredible oil is going to take the disease as well as the swelling out of my foot. 




Cloud's and my "dis-ease" is so similar that we share the same recipe and much of the same treatments - although many of our herbal powders and our busti herbs are different.  


When I return to the room I often have to run to the bathroom although last night I "held the oil" for another hour or so.  Perhaps I am worthy of Mike's name for me.  How gratifying.




More taxi ride photos:  

I love passing these stands because the fragrance is to die for - and the beauty - yes!  These strands are for god statues and temples and not sure what else.  Sometimes women wear small ones in their braids.

Bananas for Sale

Woman Sitting on Bricks

One of the many vegetable sellers literally on the street.  She has an umbrella for the returning rain.

Manna for the Blog-Thirsty rabble

Greetings fellow blog-a-natics and a very special greeting of love and hugs to our Washington family; we continue to wish we were with you at this time but envelope you with all of the supportive thought we can muster from here in India.

As I write, the rains continue fairly unabated outside...I have already been to the clinic once today; for my session #10.  In a little over an hour Laurie and I will trek back into the middle of the city for her session and a dual meeting with Dr. Pendse.  I will plan on my usual escapade to the grocery store for some needed essentials; today's list including another jar of honey (helps the "powdered" medicine go down, the medicine go doowwnnn), dates, and perhaps more almonds.  I'm considering branching out to a small bag full of dried calmyrna figs (dare I be so bold?).  This will consist of at least four street crossings, so if you have some spare time please put in a good word for me...believe me, it will come in handy.

Laurie is making progress in the foot owie department, with her usual swelling seeming to go down a bit and the burning pain not as persistent.  The shoulder pain, while not gone, is also subsiding.  She continues to get by without any Tramadol and I have now gone 5 nights without Naltrexone (though the thought has crossed my mind a couple of times to reintroduce my tongue, throat, and stomach to the tiny little pills).  Somehow I've managed to avoid the urge to even open the bottle, but stay tuned...

View from the room

As to our sessions, Laurie is continuing to have the oil poured over her feet similar to the way I do at my sessions.  It seems to be helping her.  I continue to get oil rubbed on the head (good for stress), though they missed it yesterday (I think they even looked at my head and thought (oh my god, this is beginning to really look gross).  I finally decided to give myself a good shampoo yesterday (aahhh, mo' better).  I also continue to get the oil and milk from the fomentations rubbed off with the edge of business cards.  For you detailed types it is made of a lightweight stock.  It is multi-colored and is for a Dr. Anuprita Naik (Management Trainee) for Indu Pharma (GMP Certified), Ayurvedic Medicines with Ayurvedic principles.  I'll spare you the telephone numbers, e-mail address, website and office and factory address.  This is the only card that is used on me, though I have thought of giving the guys some of mine.  I have been assured that this card is no longer of valid use so I would have to say that Dr. Anuprita either failed as a trainee or moved up the ladder.  Suffice to say it both tickles and grates, depending on where it is being used and to what degree of concentration is placed behind the technique of removing the excess oil and milk.  Needless to say there seems to be ample stock of the cards for my panchakarma run.  I asked today what they would use if the business cards were not available and I was met with silence and smiles.  Laurie, on the other hand, just gets everything rubbed off with the palm of the hand.  Ahh, to be the gentler sex.

View from the shower

Yesterday I met Dr. Pendse's wife, Mrs. Dr. Pendse (she being Aruna, he being Narendra, both being doctors).  She has her own practice at the clinic during the times that he is not there and she also practices chiropractic.  Dr. Gajanan refers to her as Pendse Madam.  She wanted to meet me, take my pulse, palpitate my abdomen.  The night before Laurie and I both had had some, shall we say, intestinal activities in the wee early hours of the morning, and I was not feeling quite as peppy as the day before.  We engaged in our own game of musical 'chair', taking turns, one after the other from 4:00 - 6:00 in the morning.

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...

It seems as if the oils, infused with herbal medicines were beginning to work a certain magic (or else the day's food didn't quite settle).  However, in my case I began to feel as if my insides were wanting to turn inside-out, and I for one was not exactly enjoying the feeling.  The ride into the clinic was not exactly my favorite and my pulse turned out to have less strength than the previous day; no small wonder with a rather sore and tender abdomen.

After Pendse Madam took my pulses, she told me she wanted to call her husband to discuss some other medicinal prescription for me, whereupon I looked her straight in the eye, held up one finger, and said "No VIR!"  She laughed and told me she knew all about me and VIR (helps remove toxins thru the urine...

The dreaded stuff...

To my delight, she came back and told me that she spoke with her husband and recommended that I not have a busti (enema) that day, but instead take a fairly benign tasting powder, mixed with warm water four times that day to ease the soreness and tenderness of my intestinal tract (and, sure enough, it did the trick).  I was also instructed to only eat steamed rice and either dal, or buttermilk. "Buttermilk!" I yammered, "I've tried that maybe once in my life...it's sour."  "You can have it fresh and sweet" she replied, "but they do sometimes put chilies in it." "Chilies!?! Is there anything that they don't put chilies in here" I asked rather increduously.  I asked her if she drank buttermilk and after she replied in the affirmative I queried both Gajanan and Vikrant the same question as they hovered inquisitively behind her (they too, replied affirmatively, with Gajanan doing so with the ever present Indian bobble head shake of the ol' noggin).  Pendse Madam, along with just about every other doctor, suggested we talk to the hotel management about having our food prepared without all of the spices normally used here (delicious, but not exactly what my particular system or condition are comfortable with).  Just the other day I ordered something that I was told was not spicy (of course to them it isn't)...after a few bites I pleaded for a large bottled water to put out the fire that had exploded in my mouth (so much for four years of carefully staying away from nightshades and other spicy foods).

Well, Laurie and I did have a wonderful lunch of rice and (drumroll please...) you guessed it, dal (did you really think I was going to opt right away for the buttermilk).  After that we went outside to our favorite spot with the outdoor tables under the awning, surrounded by plants, and decided to try and take some photos of ourselves.  As luck would have it up walks Vijay, the chef (seven days a week, overseeing all of the meals...seems to be more common around here than we would have thought).  We get to chatting, he in broken english, and us in rather halting english trying to make ourselves understood.  We go over the menu together and he assures us that he will do whatever we want with the spices, or no spices as the case may be (which he since has done).  He also describes the various details of different dishes that we are interested in (and are cleared to eat by Dr. Pendse).  And then, he insists on giving us a dessert; so okay, we choose Gulab (Goo'-lob) Jamun (Jah'-moon), a sweet doughy cake-like ball, deep fried in ghee (butter) and placed in a warm lemony sugary syrup.  I mention that only Laurie will be eating it because the doctor ordered me to only eat rice and dal (yes, I know, or buttermilk).  Well, out come two orders of the stuff (two balls per stemmed glass goblet), of course, and Laurie begins to eat hers while uttering divine sounds of delight and letting me know that it would not be  polite of me to turn down such an offering (she of course is right, as Vijay looks on smilingly).  After another moment of internal tug-of-war (my trademark modus operandi) I sit down, whisk the spoon up in my hand and "OH MY GAWD...", it's, how do they say it, "TO DIE FOR!!"

Vijay - He's not really this blurry...I was though, before the Gulab Jamun

Anyway, at this morning's session, Gajanan asked me what I had to eat yesterday and I told him rice and dal.  "And dinner" he asked.  "Nothing" I replied, "Oh, actually I did have a little more rice and dal."  And then, with a rather wry smile he said, "And a Gulab Jamun?" Well, to put it mildly, I was stunned...BUSTED!  How the heck did he know (LAURIEEEEEE!!!-Gajanan happens to be at the clinic in the evenings also, when Laurie is there, and she of course described the dessert manna to Anjali and Sneha, and...you guessed it )? All I could do was wag a finger, shake my head and let him know he got me; while he had a nice hearty laugh at my expense.

I also shared photos of our girls, Judy, the Maguires, and Grandma Ruth with the guys this morning (sorry Jack, we didn't discuss you...the very, very cute Maguire household dog); as I showed them some of the photos we have from last Christmas time that are still on the camera.  When Vikrant left today and said goodbye to me he turned and said "And give my regards to your daughters, they are very beautiful" (cut to very proud papa, beaming, covered in oil and milk, still waiting for his morning busti)...then he even used a parting shot of "gorgeous".

Proud Papa and Mama

Anyway, it turns out I had another busti-free day (hooray for me), partially due to a slight mechanical failure, but it's getting late, and I would rather not go thru the details at the moment.  Suffice to say that...


This just in:  We have returned from the evening visit, and yes, I did get the Calmyrna figs (thanks for all the kind thoughts, I had little to no trouble crossing the very busy streets tonight) and Dr. Pendse declared that my pulses had a "bounce to them".  He said this with a rather startled look on his face and raised eyebrows.  Laurie also got a good evaluation, though she is progressing at more of a slow, steady pace, while my rate of improvement has accelerated.  Dr. Pendse feels this is a good sign because I have a much further distance to travel to get to overcoming my "more difficult" condition.  He mentioned that the pulses are a good sign, but now the physical body needs to catch up, and that will take a bit of time to bring it all into balance.  Today, however, I actually showed some signs of energy and buoyancy for a brief spell after my session (of course during the session I actually fell asleep and woke myself with a brief snort).  Now to get my stamina back.


So, there you have it folks, today's update.  Sorry for such a short, broadstroke post...I'll try to be more detailed next time...thanks again for all of the support, love, and suggestions (Yeah Mike <Schroeder>,    "Head with Grease" and "She Who Holds Her Oil" are much better sounding Native American names than "Cloud" or "Cactus Flower":-)...)...Love to all, Thinking of you, Cheers...

BURNING WOMAN ('S FEET)

Yesterday was tough for me because my feet - most especially my left foot - started having an old feeling of burning pain after doing very little, or nothing at all.  This is the kind of pain that I used to experience a lot before I began taking Tramadol - the little white miracle pain pill that is not without it's addictive and negative qualities.  (Don't take it unless you really need to.)  


The experience was reminiscent of the many times I've dedicated myself to medical treatments - acupuncture for a year, psychoanalysis, physical exercise regimen, herbs and potions, wheelchair and leg brace, spiritual cleansings, variety of pain meds, variety of orthotics, surgery to remove neuromas in the foot - only to find that after all that - the pain in my feet would be the same.  I'd take a walk on cement and my feet would start burning, increasing with more standing or walking.  The longer I stand, the longer the pain stays with me when I sit down as well - so have to watch it and always assess whether the activity is worth the pain.


With Tramadol, the recovery time was much quicker, and my activities increased in amount and variety by 40 - 50%.  However, T is not healthy for the body and it eventually stops working for everyone eventually - a negative for all of these narcotic or narcotic - like pain meds.  If I end up not recovering as much as I'd like, I'll probably go back on it - but will cut the amount from 200 to 50 or 100 mg/day.


I'm happy to not have it in my system now - and like experiencing my body au natural.  I don't have a revved up feeling inside, and I know my tissues are not drying out as caused by T, which is counter productive to health (especially as we age).


BUT - that old burning feeling paid me a visit yesterday.  I was upset enough to call Dr. Pendse on Saturday when the clinic is closed to let him know, hoping he would have a strategy to deal with it at my Saturday evening session.


Upon arrival Anjali spoke to me - Dr. Pendse had called her already and there was a new plan.  The steaming portion of the treatments have been curtailed.  The steam has served its purpose to soften the muscles and due to the fever I had, it could be that they've been giving me too much heat.  Instead, following the heavenly oil massage,  they had me sit on the little white step stool and placed my feet in a plastic tray about 4 inches deep.  Then Anjali poured this very warm, rich, thick, dark auburn colored oil over my feet, from a spouted beaker.  They slowly poured it twice on my left foot and ankles and once on my right.   My feet stay in the oil and it was very soothing.  
"What herbs are in this oil?"  "Many herbs."  I don't pursue the question of herbs because they are not going to have English names, anyway.


The rice fomentations continued, but no more pressing them into the bottom of my feet.  I'm glad for that as I think the heat from that the night before - was too intense.  
Anjali was out night before last and did not come to the clinic.  It was a day to honor and celebrate one's teachers and gurus as Cloud related previously, and she went to a celebration of her guru.  Another young graduate of the Ayurvedic college took her place.  Aruna Pendse,  the doctor's wife, shares the same guru and they both were there.  She said it was a wonderful celebration - lots of singing and flowers given to the guru.


The substitute practitioner did not have the same smooth touch as Anjali, even though she was very good.  Sneha has an excellent touch.  The substitute put the compress on too hot on my left foot and may have helped bring on the burning feeling.  


I told Anjali how depressed I felt about the burning pain in my feet having returned because it brought up bad memories of it happening many times before after putting my hopes into a remedy.  She completely understood and has seen this happen to many others before.  People think that it means that all will go back as it was and get very upset.  She told me to not let my mind go off into the past or into the future, but to experience the present.  It's very common, especially in neurological problems for pain to get worse and then better - up and down.  She portrayed confidence that it would be better in a day or two.


Another treatment change:  The herbs in the busti (enema) are changing.  Now the purpose of the enema will not be just to clean out the toxins from the intestinal system and the toxins that travel there from the limbs due to the massages, but also to cause healing to other parts of the body, like the limbs.  I don't really understand that, but I gather that I have made busti progress.  It is getting easier to handle the rickshaw ride home - and it's a good thing, too - as we were in a wicked traffic jam last night and it took an hour to get back to hotel, sweet hotel.


Anjali says I am feeling lighter now in my abdomen, hips, lower back and thighs - less congestion in those areas.  I feel that too. Sneha said there is less swelling in the lower back/sacrum area and in a swollen area of the left foot - progress again.


Today - now it's 3:00 pm, a couple of hours before the next treatment, and the burning feeling has subsided, come back, subsided again and now it's back.  Dr. Pendse called into the clinic last night and prescribed an herb to be taken every two hours to help with the burning pain.  It's one of the herbal powders that you have to mix with honey in order to get it down.  The burning is still with me, though to a lesser degree.  I wonder if I'll get that stuff again.  Fortunately, though, I do not have any feeling of depression today and generally feel much better; perhaps the extra herbs given me last night have helped, not to mention the talk with Anjali.

That's Aunt Judy in the center of the family last Christmas.  

We're feeling blue today because our dear, sweet sister, sister-in-law, auntie, and friend - passed away peacefully at home yesterday afternoon(US time).  Judy was a woman filled with loving kindness for everyone and will always be a beloved member of our family.  She has been with my brother Dan for 39 years - a constant, loving companion.  Judy has been a light for all of us and such an engaged and sweet aunt for our girls and supportive mom to our nieces.  She made our family a whole and it will be hard to struggle on without her giggles, sweetness, good sense of humor, generosity of spirit, and love of family.  We're sending all our love to Port Angeles, WA now - for Dan and the girls, and my mom, Ruth.  Those who know her will join us in doing so, and in sending Judy on her way to eternal peace and joy with love and light - 'tho we hate to see her go. . .

He's Baaaccckkk...return of the substitute

 Well, Laurie's gone off to her session, sooooo I finally get some pillows (hooray for me).  Not that she shouldn't have as many pillows as she likes, of course, it's just that she likes pillows, sometimes all of them...and, I kind of like them too.  So, to all of you who have written that maybe it's a good thing that we each have different times for our appointments, I give you the 'pillow predicament' to add to your list of reasons why it is in fact a good thing.

Updates:  We each went in to the clinic last night, Laurie to have her session and the both of us to see Dr. Pendse.  Yesterday was a day to celebrate gurus and teachers and in keeping with the spirit we presented Dr. Pendse with a beautiful flower arrangement that I managed to find at a florist nearby to the clinic while Laurie was getting treated.  Laurie gets the credit for the idea and me for the legwork (there's teamwork for ya).  The staff (Dr. Pendse's advanced graduate students and young doctors) were very impressed, as was Dr. Pendse.  As promised, I gave him an added gift of my newly unopened VIR medicine that I had been given on Tuesday, to which he heartily laughed and asked what vintage it was.  The ploy worked beautifully, as not only did he accept the offering but he took me off the stuff entirely.  I now have one extremely happy gag reflex.  Dr. Pendse offered both Laurie and I a very yummy, chewy soft mango candy, as it is custom for the teacher or guru to offer something in return to those that give gifts to him or her.

As to our prognosis', he said that Laurie had a bounce in her pulses and was impressed with her progress; and that I was doing 5 - 10% better than he had expected me to be doing up to this point.  Laurie, now off of Tramadol for about 7 days, is beginning to experience again the same kind of pain she had prior to getting on that drug over a year ago.  This is proving to be a bit of an understandably emotional setback, yet Dr. Pendse seems undeterred in his positive appraisal of the upside possibilities for her.  She is starting to get that burning sensation back in her left foot when standing on tile floor or hard surfaces, and when walking even short distances; and she is experiencing burning in her left shoulder and scapula area as well. Dr. Pendse does not seem to be discouraged and I reminded Laurie today that in just a short time she has gone from 200 mg of Tramadol daily to none, and she has completely cut out caffeine for the time being; with very little to none of the usually horrendous side effects that go along with quitting either of these.  Dr. Pendse continues to encourage as much rest as possible and does not want Laurie to overdo using her feet at this point and exacerbate the pain.  He asked Laurie to have Drs. Anjalie and Sneha to call him after today's session so that he can discuss what he would like to do next regarding her situation.  Also, he mentioned last night that she would start to get her appetite back very soon and sure enough today she ordered the most substantial lunch yet.  We still eat considerably less than we have been used to doing back home.

As for me, I haven't taken my drug, low-dose Naltrexone (the one that helped me get over that awful hump a few weeks back when I was in such excruciating pain) for the past two nights and we have agreed to see if I can have success weaning that from daily regimen.  Naltrexone is not known to have the same issues as Tramadol during the weaning process, but if it becomes no longer necessary then why bother taking it.  If the pain returns I will definitely start it up again and Dr. Pendse is in complete agreement.  My abdominal pain has almost completely gone and during my morning sessions the massage work is getting deeper without the normal wincing reaction that I have become so accustomed to.  Matter of fact, today, Dr. Gajanan (all of 26 years of age; Vikrant being 25) was working on my left foot and calf muscles in a way that I have been unable to tolerate for at least 15 years; and boy did it feel good to be able to just lay there and let him go at it. The rice fomentations are also getting hotter and I am not yet having any trouble tolerating them.  As for the enemas, let's just say I'm glad when the hotel comes into view at the end of the rick-shaw ride.  Laurie on the other hand has become quite adept at 'holding her oil', shall we say, for a longer period of time than moi.  Dr. Pendse has also reiterated his desire to not have me engaging in work, if at all possible; at least keeping it to the bare minimum so as to concentrate on healing.  As to my sleep pattern, after being up for nearly 24 hours (from 10 pm the previous night until just after 9 pm last night) I managed to sleep fairly normally last night from close to 9:30 pm until 4:30 am this morning.  I also took a short pre-lunch nap this morning when I returned from the session.

Me and the boys (I guess I can say that...for crying out loud the two of them together don't even add up to my age) do spend a fair portion of the time chatting during the sessions, though I tend not take part in the rapid fire Hindi interactions that the two of them engage in.  I have been trying, to the amusement and (at times) appreciation of those folks that I interact with, to learn various Hindi words and phrases, and the hotel front desk staff, driver, watchman and doctors are now primed, ready and eager to hear my morning "Supra Bhat (Good Morning)"; not to mention the cheery "Dhanyawaad (Thank You)" or the roll off the tongue "Fir Milenge (See You Tomorrow)".  I've yet to master "Bad Mai Meeleain Ge (See You Later)".  Anyway, we talk about everything from Ayurveda, the various aspects and treatments, to Vikrant asking me today "What is Jazz?  What instruments are used in this Jazz?"  Some other day, if I can remember some of the conversational details, I will pass them on.  I do remember today, however, that Vikrant played some music off of his phone during the session; some very nice Arabic and Sufi music, some very heartfelt vocals, and then this one more modern piece that midway thru the Arabic broke into "My name is Sheila, (unintelligible, unintelligible) body, I'll be sexy for you..." and then back to Arabic.

Some of today's quick takes during the morning ride (not a very easy task from a moving tuk-tuk):

 

Thanks again for all of the love, support and feedback...Stay tuned

Recovery at the Park Central Hotel

Whoo!  Sure glad that's over.  I'm feeling much better today.  Ya know when you have a lot of pain for a prolonged period of time and then it goes away?   At some point late in the afternoon my fever broke, and some hours later the intense pain throughout my body just disappeared.  I felt my body relax into the bed and felt relief.  The only thing that could distract me was the first film of The Lord of the Rings.  So glad Cloud packed it.


I didn't make it to my panchakarma party yesterday - had to cancel due to the fever.  Dr. Pendse was pretty sure it would only last 24 hours and he was right.  The sore throat and runny nose that preceded it did make it a 24 hour illness.

Recovered! and relaxing on the patio Friday morning.  This is a favorite place to relax after breakfast.

Serious news these days - since the bombings in Mumbai.  So tragic and senseless.

Cloud on the other hand, did go to his treatment session yesterday and he went again this morning.  He leaves here at 6:45am.  I leave at 4:30pm.  This is a heavy traffic time, as is my return time at about 7:00.  I now put a scarf over my nose and mouth on the ride.  (I could almost pass for a local.)  The last thing I want is to suck in more toxins that I have to get rid of.  The women here who wear head coverings that leave only their eyes showing may just be the healthiest people in Pune.  Once in awhile in traffic I see men and a few women with a bandana tied over just their nose and mouth like a bandit.  I assume they can't take all the exhaust either.  

Tonight Cloud will come with me because it's been three days since we've seen Dr. Pendse and he wants to see us again for the pulse check, etc.  The other doctors/practitioners rely on Dr. Pendse's orders for any changes to our treatment protocols.  We have to be sure to let him know about any changes since the previous meeting as he listens very carefully during these appointments.  It's also the time to ask questions so I'll have to get prepared for that in a few minutes.

Cloud will have to either sit in the crowded waiting room or take a walk during my treatment time - maybe go to a supermarket close by (very large for here - small for the U.S.) and get a few things like more almonds, some soap, etc.  This market has an interesting way of keeping shoplifting under control.  First of all, there's an army of people working there, but they also hand you a transparent plastic tote bag with a zipper before you go in.  You put all of your valuables in this bag - like your purse or wallet, and they they close it/lock it with a plastic tie - the kind we use to lock cabinets and such.  (You can carry that with you.) You have to check in any other bags you have a little further on before you can enter the store.

Here are some shots that Cloud took today on his way to the clinic:

Empty pushcarts in the early morning

White school uniforms on the young girls

The red-checked uniforms

Bloggus Interruptus - Substitute Writer

When last we met, Laurie left you with the juicy coming attraction: 'Cloud's treatment changes and continued progress!'...Well, I know you have all been patiently waiting with baited breath, so here goes:

The first treatment, which started out more slowly than Laurie's to begin with, got even slower the second day because of my body's inability to handle what they were trying to do with it.  For example, I have not had any steaming done since the first treatment as Dr. Gajanan said that my skin was getting red and blotchy from it and was not ready to be getting the steam because of its sensitivity (yes, I am a sensitive Western male).  Also, along that same line of thought, the pressure used to initially massage me was dialed back the second day due to extreme sensitivity and pain in my superficial tissues throughout my body and the obviously intense abdominal pain; especially the left side (the colo-rectal part of the intestinal tract).  To Dr. Pendse's thinking, the presentation of the abdominal pain, which began to show itself a few weeks back in earnest (after the systemic spread of my condition), is the dis-ease unmasking itself at its true core; this being the root cause area and origination of the problem.  As he has previously explained to me, the issue at hand in his mind is that my body has an innate inability to properly metabolize heat in various manifestations (foods, climate, stress, etc.).


After having dialed back the intensity of the treatment after day 1 (on day 2 for me, instead of briskly massaging my feet and ankles, warm medicated oil was poured over my legs just above my ankles while my foot would hang horizontally over a plastic bucket, then be slowly scraped off with the edge of a business card), Dr. Pendse gave the go-ahead to incorporate two more added procedures starting with the fourth treatment.  I now am the happy recipient of both the rice fomentations (absolutely fabulous stuff) on my back, legs, feet and ankles, and a daily enema of medicated oils ('nuff said: other than the fact that there goes my enjoyment of the wonderful complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel which ends at 10 am - I can't eat now until about 11:30 am).

Nand Kumar - our daily Rick-Shaw driver (lovely man, very pious, speaks no English)

As to the massage pressure, that has increased as the treatments go by, along with the temperature of the rice fomentations.  Over the past 14-15 years, since I first developed this condition (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy in the States) I have not been comfortable with very much touch and/or pressure to my left foot, ankle and leg.  These guys have gone further, deeper, and brisker in their touch in the last five days than anything I have been able to allow to happen in that area since the onset of my condition.  The have been peeling my muscles and tissues back layer by layer to expose pain that I didn't even know existed; trapped at various levels of depth throughout my body.

Dr. Pendse initially gave me a much more guarded prognosis for overall improvement than Laurie while here (Laurie 40 - 50%, me 25%) and stated that my condition was more complicated and entrenched, but he has been pleasantly surprised by the initial progress we have both shown with the treatments.  

Nand Kumar close-up; immediately after the photo he broke out into a broad grin (must be cultural)

Speaking of Laurie, the reason you are getting me on this blog is she came down with a rather vicious cold that included quite a fever; not to mention the accompanying muscle and nerve aches from hell in her face, back, and legs. Dr. Pendse actually called off her treatment (now yesterday) and she stayed in the room all day.  Matter of fact, we ordered room service (new one for us) and watched part of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' on a DVD we brought, on the computer, to distract her from the pain.  After lunch, at about 3 pm, I completely crashed out (with Laurie soon after me) and woke up with Laurie's help at 4:10 pm to call Dr. Pendse with an update on Laurie (fever broke, pain subsiding).  I immediately went back to sleep, still in my clothes (hadn't changed from my treatment) until 10 pm (I don't know if I'll ever get the timing down while I'm here...slow learner I guess) while Laurie slept, tossed and turned, read, repeat cycle.  We both woke up, me finally showering and Laurie having some more to eat (they give large portions here, food is great, though a bit on the spicy side for the likes of my system).  At the moment Laurie is snoozing again and seems to be over the hump (hooray!!!).

Monsoons hit last night and today (now yesterday)

Real wet...street plumbing patterned after L.A. (or vice-versa)

On your marks, get set...

Back to treatments:  Unlike Laurie's, my treatments start out with medicated oil rubbed into my scalp (and when Dr. Gajana does it my head gets patted too; I guess he wants my head to be flatter), and a few drops of the thick red oil get dropped in each ear.  I found out today that they want me to only shampoo my hair once a week (Laurie has taken to calling me 'Greasehead') and use very little soap (aren't you glad we're in India and not close by).  The idea is to allow for the oils to absorb as much as possible into the pores and do their work (which apparently doesn't include sleeping at the proper local time).  As to the herbs, ghees, and medicinal concoctions, I have a hard time keeping up with the amount and schedule that the doctor has laid out.  Laurie is much better at it than I am, especially with the VIR, a concoction that is very good at inducing the gag reflex.  Late the other night I awoke to a gag fest in the next door bathroom and thought the poor guy had decided to down an entire bottle of the stuff at once...I considered going next door and offering to give him mine as well.  I asked today if they could include the VIR with all of the other herbs they use for the enema (they weren't buying it, though they did find the question rather amusing) instead of the oral approach.  Matter of fact, Friday is teacher / guru appreciation day and Dr. Pendse's staff are planning to shower him with flowers.  When we met with him the other evening I told him I plan on gifting him with my remaining VIR (he laughed rather heartily at the suggestion).

By the way, my condition, in case it hasn't been clear, involves the sympathetic nervous system; which is part of the autonomic nervous system (controls fight and flight, body temperature, etc.).  Unlike most people (consider yourselves very, very lucky) my sympathetic nervous system tends to run amok, on its own, rarely, if ever, shutting down.  The word 'relax' has a uniquely special meaning to me because when the rest of me decides to shut down and call it a day, or generally choose to relax during any part of a day, my underlying sympathetic system continues to run; hence causing everything to go out of whack, pain pathways to develop, and the muscles, tissues and bones to go thru some chemical and physiological alterations.  Time can move quite slowly during these lovely little episodes; with this latest one (of the past few months) seeming like an unedited trilogy from Tolstoy.

Anyway, we're still hoping for the best, taking things as they come, and definitely putting our faith in Dr. Pendse and the entire scope of the thousands of years of the Ayurvedic study of medicine.  

I wanted to let you all know that the love, support and kind words are greatly appreciated and do help tremendously; we consider ourselves very fortunate to have you all as family and friends.  We also look around us daily, especially here, and realize over and over again how lucky we are, and yet how much we can learn from simplifying aspects of our lives as well to gain a sense of happiness, fulfillment and contentment.

Thanks for allowing me to substitute; your regular writer (teacher) will most likely be returning very soon with a new installment of 'As the enema holds...(the story of the 20-30 minute bumpy rick-shaw drives, post internal oil inducements)'...Cheers