Its doctor's day in India

Every year Doctor’s Day is celebrated in India on the 1st of July. This observance fulfills a need to show the doctors and physicians in our lives how important they are to us and how invaluable their treatments are that cure us. The celebrations are indicative of the respect that they command in the lives of their patients and thus obligate them to fulfill their responsibilities as well. 

Doctor’s Day is celebrated in India on the 1st of July every year. This day has been chosen as a mark of respect to the contributions made by Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, who left an indelible mark in the history of medical profession in India. July 1st was his birthday as well as his death anniversary in the year 1882 and 1962 respectively. 

I am blessed with wonderful, kind and compassionate doctors. My doctors treat their patients like their brothers and sisters. I make sure that I congratulate them on this special day for all their hard work. Doctors ease our pain and put their efforts in making our life beautiful. I am fortunate that I met numerous doctors in my life who left a deep impression in my mind. They not only treated me but also inspired me to a great extend. I really respect my doctors and pray that they continue to serve the mankind in the best possible way.

My heartfelt gratitude to all my wonderful doctors.

On doctor's day I would like to pay my tribute to all those doctors who took care of me

You are a beautiful light

Which makes others life bright.

You have the power to heal

And you give people a wonderful feel.

You have a reservoir of compassion

Which you exhibit with great perfection.

You feel others pain and agony

And make them realize that life is a beautiful journey.

You guide others with firm determination

And they end up finding their real destination.

Your pleasant words are like a honey comb,

Sweet to the soul

And healing to the bones.

Being a father

Being a father is not a joke. It is tough and exciting at the same time. A father not only nurtures his child but also sees his own image in him. Anyone can produce babies but the real challenge is in upbringing the children in the best possible way. Upbringing not only means telling the child what is right or wrong morally but giving freedom to the child to think beyond the set norms. A father is the one who guides his child to understand the reality of life. A father is like a teacher who has the capability to teach his child the most amazing things. He has the potential to encourage his child to find the meaning of his existence. A father sometimes becomes a friend to provide comfort and give a helping hand to his child in tough times. He is the ultimate source of love and affection for his children, a shadow which remains with his kids every minute and a guiding light which is always bright.

A father gives unconditional love to his child and keeps him safe. The love of a father is something which is precious for the child. Fortunate are those who have loving, caring and compassionate fathers with them. Life becomes beautiful with the existence of a father. He is the one who fills our world with vibrant colors and makes life a satisfying journey. 

He is the one who accepts our faults and shows the right way to us. A father is also a mentor who trains his child to face all the odds of life and become a winner. He finds true joy when he sees his kids smiling. Their smile gives him every pleasure of life.

He appreciates his child on his victory and never underestimates the importance of loosing. A father tells his child that it is absolutely fine not to be a winner every time. Loosing is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and put more efforts next time. He also makes his child understand that loosing has nothing to do with failing or feeling less of oneself. Loosing for others happiness is more important than winning which gives lifelong satisfaction.

A father can sacrifice his own happiness for his child but can never see his child in pain. He would do all the things for his child to be pain free and won’t let tears come in his child’s eyes. 

“Greatest gift I ever had

Came from God; I called him Dad”

Meeting with my most adorable doctor

Last week I met my Gastroenterologist. It was such a nice feeling to meet him. My doctor is really a compassionate being. He believes in learning from the patients experiences. Dr Sanjeev takes keen interest in treating each and every patient. He has a charismatic personality. He was so happy to see me. My doctor asked about my academics, bleeding disorder and the current medicines I am taking for my Paradoxical puborectalis and Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. He seemed worried for my anemia. Dr Sanjeev has advised me to get a Hemogram (laboratory test to determine the level of Hemoglobin in blood) done as soon as possible. He thinks that I might need blood transfusion. 

I met him for the first time in 2007. I went to the hospital for consulting him regarding my irritable bowel syndrome. I had to wait to meet him as he was doing Proctosigmoidoscopy of a kid. After completion of the procedure he asked his assistance to call me inside the endoscopy room. I wished him and sat on the chair. He gave me an opportunity to tell him everything about my bowel problems. My doctor listened to me patiently. Suddenly he asked me whether I was into medical profession. At that time I was pursuing my Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery. I told him that I just started my MBBS. Then he asked me about my interest in sub discipline of medicine. I told him that my interest had always been in GI surgery, Clinical hematology and Cardio thoracic vascular surgery. We established a nice rapport with each other. This is the most crucial phase of treating any patient. Establishing rapport with the patient and giving him/her assurance regarding privacy, trust and attention helps a lot in a long lasting doctor patient relationship.

My doctor was glad to know that I had a medical background so he started telling me about the etiology (cause) and manifestation of symptoms of Paradoxical puborectalis. He was suspecting this disorder of gut motility with reference to my case. There were various tests which he advised me to get done immediately. Unfortunately most of the tests were not available in the city where I live. I had to go to another city for my tests. My doctor gave an elaborated description of every test and how they would be useful in ruling out other disorders of gut in my case. I just loved the way he taught me about motility disorders and various tests like anorectal manometery, defeacography, colonic transit time study and balloon expulsion test. I must say that my doctor is a great and dedicated teacher. Above all, he is a great human being.

Four years have passed but I cannot forget my first meeting with Dr Sanjeev. I always get a smile on my face when I meet him. My doctor makes sure to make me aware about the various advancements happening in treating my condition. Every time I visit the hospital he would ask me about my Von Willebrand and the efforts I am putting for making life better for other girls and women with bleeding disorders. My wonderful doctor always motivated me and helped me to discover a winner in me.  He is a teacher, guide, friend and father figure to me. I really respect him a lot. I wish all doctors were like him.

From batchmates to friends ... a journey

The first day of my university was an eye opener for me. I realized that it won’t be easy to survive in this harsh world. I knew that I would be meeting and facing people who may or may not like me. In the beginning I was extremely guarded and used to keep mum. I was totally into books and considered others arrogant, rude and insensitive. Those who bunked lectures were devils for me. It was very difficult for me to become friendly with any of them. I always thought that my batch mates won’t be able to understand my bleeding disorder. I must tell you that I have a very bad habit of forming preconceptions about others. 

Most of my batch mates started considering me an emotionless being. In the first semester, all of us were trying to know each other. A nice bonding was created between all of my batch mates but I was still guarded. I tried to maintain distance from them and allowed none of them to know about my Von Willebrand's Disease. I would become irritated when someone used to give wrong answer to the professor’s question. Frankly speaking I became very rude with my batch mates. I was secluded. No one ever tried to come and talk to me. My faculty mentor would ask my batch mates to suggest me to worry less about studies and have some fun. Once she agreed to sponsor outing of our batch just for me. It was really touching. But I denied. 

After few months, I had an argument with Ashna. That was the day which marked the beginning of a wonderful bond between me and my batch mates. I cried and told them about my bleeding disorder. They were shocked to know about it. Surprise is the appropriate word to describe the reaction of my batch mates. Shohinee wiped my tears while Suchitra gave a pat on my back. All of them made me realize that they were not insensitive human beings. 

                                     

Now, our batch is like a wonderful family which laughs together, dines together, shares joys and sorrows together. My friends respect and love me. There is a special bond of understanding between me and Suchitra. One thing which is common in both of us is our obsession for DOGS. We go to dog academy (which is in our university) together to play with dogs and understand their behavior. Both of us are keenly interested in animal psychology. Our favorite dog is Genius who is cute golden Labrador. Ashna is the food monster of our batch and Shohinee (we call her “Sho”) is a superb baby sitter. She is extremely good at dealing with kids. Sho has a lot of experience as she worked for more than two years with ADHD, Autistic and MR kids. Fortunately I was always posted in the adult psychiatric units. Mehej (our Miss Assom) tells me that I must work with kids in the psychiatric unit because the manifestation of the disorders or psychiatric condition of kids is different from adults.  I am trying to work with kids who have behavioral or neurobiological disorders. 

Coming back to my batch mates, Tanya is the one who keeps track of my grooming. She makes sure that I wear matching pant with my kurta (a kind of Indian outfit) or shirt. It took me a long time to open up with my friends. I am fortunate that all of them understood that I am a different person who prefers to be in my own world of thoughts. I must tell you that my friends gave me a nickname “Prawat”. I know it sounds very manly but it is alright. Whenever they call me by this nickname I feel their love and affection for me. I am fortunate that I am blessed with such caring and compassionate batch mates.