Spinal Injuries

Recently my father, who is 64 years old and about 85 kgs, fell down the stairs and suffered a fracture between the C5 and C6 vertebrae of his spine.

No one was home when it happened, and we had to break the door to get to him, just to find him sprawled on the floor, unable to get off the floor on his own.

We immediately took him to the doctor, my father was in extreme pain, and the doctor first recommended that we take him for an X-Ray, unfortunately due to the kind of trauma his spine had suffered an MRI was recommended for the best possible image to detect the extent of the injury.

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a medical imaging technique that uses a strong Magnetic Field to make images of structures inside the body.

An MRI is used in cases where X-Rays are not able to provide enough information about the trauma, because of bones or tissues that are in the way of a clear view of the trauma/injury.

Finding out where I could take him for the MRI was the hard part. I had no information about which centres provided MRI scan, which were better facilities, better machines, where the scans were most competitively priced? Which centres were better for Cervical Injuries?

That's when I came across Zywee.com, a website that is a one stop shop for all hospital and healthcare options in Bangalore, from doctors to specialities to reviews and prices. Zywee has everything one needs to know when it comes to healing oneself or a loved one.

To my joy I was able to locate the nearest MRI Centre and was prepared with what it would cost me, but mostly I was glad that I could access this information with a few clicks on my laptop. 

Geriatric Care in India

For all those who have old and ailing parents, deciding on the appropriate care centre is crucial. There are many options available in India based on the level of care to be given to geriatric patients.

1. Old age retirement homes: These are places where the old can come and live in a community. They are expected to be in full health, with ability to do minimal chores for themselves. They usually have canteen, where they can come together to eat. The facilities in such places are for able bodied old citizens .There are a variety of places with services like physiotherapy, on call doctor facilities etc. The prices range from Rs.8000 to Rs.1,50,000 per month depending on the location and services provided such as special meals, swimming pools, attendees etc. They have a vibrant community with the Retirement homes arranging for festivities and regular day outs for the members.

2. Old Age homes: These are places where the patient’s partly ailing .They have on call doctors, physiotherapists, attendees, nurses, medical equipment etc. Food will be provided and they will be given attendants to feed, bathe & clothe and take care of ablutions. They will also be given medications regularly and have monthly visits from a variety of doctors. They have a vibrant community and aim to improve the quality of life for the aged.

3. Rehabilitation Centres: There are few specialized rehabilitation centres in India. They are specialized for post operative care from the minimal to the extreme cases with severe mobility disability. They aim to help the patient recover and therefore have in-house doctors, therapists, nurses and staff. These centres are cost prohibitive (Rs.50000 and upwards) since they provide specialized care.

4. Palliative Care: These are centres for the severely ill and dying patients suffering from cancer or aids among other diseases. They have full medical facilities with in-house doctors, specialists, therapists, nurses, attendants etc. Their aim is to manage the quality of life of the patient while providing long term medical attention. Most palliative centres are run by NGO’s and therefore they provide services for patients across the economic spectrum.

Deciding where to house and care for depends on a few factors which you can consider.

1. Health: The decision on which caregiver is appropriate would be based on the health and amount of care to be given to the patient. You can consider the amount medical assistance and help required to perform everyday duties. Among others, consider the length of the recovery for the right choice.

2. Cleanliness and Hygiene: Since most doctors will confirm the chances of “catching something” like an infection is higher in a medical facility, cleanliness and hygiene is critical. Check the beds, bathrooms, kitchen and their maintenance routine to be sure. And odour free environment, with plenty of sunshine is ideal in most cases.

3. Cost: Though we want to provide the safest care for the elders in our life, we have to consider the cost of rehabilitation & recovery. While the palliative centres in India are some of the most affordable in the world, the cost in an old age home can range anywhere between Rs.15000 to Rs.1,50,000 and higher per month. Most of the places also ask for donation or advance amount which can range from Rs.20000 to a couple of lakhs. The monthly rentals typically include accommodation and food.

 

4. Emergency Services: Most of the old age homes have associations with hospitals, ambulances, clinics etc. Depending on the health of the aged, you can choose a home that provides these services and are closest to your home.

5. Quality of Life: The primary attention though, is to find a loving and caring environment. Speak with the other elders housed in the facility and gather their experiences, to judge the timeliness and gentleness of response from the Home. Also consider the community experience that the Home can provide to the elders. 

www.zywee.com

The best thing you can do is get more information in case you know of someone who needs these facilities, websites like Zywee offer  information that you can use to figure out the best possible solutions for you and your loved ones.

Health Woes when Travelling

In a country where start ups, new ventures, franchisees and multiple branches across the country are common place, it is but obvious that one has to travel a fair amount for work.

A friend who travels very often for work, finds herself in a different city every third week, and invariably after the travel itself, a change in the air (rather the pollution), the water, causes her to fall ill.

Everything from an upset stomach (Delhi Belly is real), to sore throat, fatigue of travel, fever, or worse viral infections.

And since one is travelling for work, taking a day off to recuperate is not really an option.

Recently this friend was off to Bangalore for a month long stint as part of her consulting job. And on day 3, she started feeling a bit under the weather; it was a bad bout of inflamed tonsils.

A visit to the GP closest to his Hotel, and some antibiotics later, she was healed and back to work for a total of 5 days before it came back, and this time with a vengeance, and inflammation was a lot worse, difficulty in swallowing food, even water, stuffed nose, you know the symptoms.

And this time she wasn't ready to go back to the same doctor, because obviously, the doctor didn't do a good job the first time.

And now the question was who and where?

That’s when my friend used a very cool service that exists in Bangalore, called Zywee. 

www.zywee.com

It’s basically a listing service for Doctors, Hospitals, and Healthcare. With reviews, contact details, timings, and prices. 

In a world where reliance on technology is at an all time high, we need more services like Zywee to help us with our very real, non technological, can't troubleshoot to fix, health problems.

Do yourself a favour and stay informed of services like Zywee, in your city or the one you travel to, you never know when you might need it.

The importance of First Aid for Spinal Injuries

10 days ago, my father slipped and fell down the stairs. 

He is 64 years old, weighing 85 kgs and a highly diabetic patient. We found out the next day, when we took him to the hospital that he had suffered a fracture between C5 and C6 vertebrae of his spine. This had compressed the nerve next to it rendering his arms stiff and unmovable. The doctor told us that the best thing we did was give him the right first aid that saved him from paralysis. 

Here are some of the things you can do when a geriatric in your house falls down.

1. Do not move the person unless they are in an emergency such as fire or if they have fallen in an awkward position. If you have to move them, ensure their head is balanced. Do not attempt this single handedly. Have one person near the neck and one near their feet. Call your doctors immediately.

2. Check for their breathing, especially if they are vomiting or have difficulty breathing, roll them to their side. If they have breathing problems, do not attempt CPR, because that can strain the neck, instead attempt chest compression techniques.

3. Make them lie on their back with least stress to the neck. Any extra pressure may severe the nerves, rendering them paralysed (worst case scenario).Add a neck brace if you have one handy.

4. Check for swelling and bruises. Most of them will not appear immediately. Make them move their arms and legs to check for onset of nerve damage.

5. Check their memory with a few simple questions, such as the year, the current president or a few arithmetic problems, to see impact on their speech pattern and brain function.

6. To manage the pain till the doctor arrives, you can give them any pain killer such as Dolo 650, after they have ingested some water and food.

First aid is critical to ensure the patient does not suffer from any severe damage. Since spinal cord bones are non regenerative, to ensure minimum damage, they need to be taken to the hospital within 12 hours. Also any surgery that has been suggested needs to be done within 24-36 hours to minimize the damage.

Currently, my father has undergone surgery, where the doctors have inserted a titanium plate to help healing. A graft from his neck was used to fuse the cervical vertebrae with the titanium. He is healing slowly with the help of physiotherapy, which the most important postoperative care, for any bone & muscle related injuries. 

www.zywee.com

Scary situations like this need expert help, find an expert near you who can help you in your time of need. Zywee can help you locate everything from Doctors to Tests to Hospitals to Medicines that are delivered home.

The Side Effects of Self Medication

We live in a country where self medication is common place, in fact people take pride in popping pills that they can purchase OTC - Over the Counter. 

Uncles offer advice on what symptoms mean and which pills alleviate said symptoms, chemists are part time doctors and peddle their latest wares, listing out the benefits of vitamins, antidotes and keep you young medicines.

I know so many people, who keep a handy stock of pills, for every known common ailment and sometimes uncommon ones as well. And at the first sniffle, tickle or pain, starts the self diagnosing, "Maybe it’s this, maybe it’s that" and down goes the medicine with a beatific smile.

  

We also live in a country where prescriptions aren't necessarily needed, and the length of the relationship with your friendly neighbourhood chemist, is prescription enough.

Of course with apps like BuzzPharma, ordering medicines home is easy, prescriptions are essential, and no part time doctors to deal with, I reckon that the crazy pill popping and self medication will stop.

There are some serious side effects to self medicating. 

First of all - one mustn't self diagnose, unless you have spent a few years studying and a few hundred nights cramming your head with all the possible ailments that mankind suffers from, you really have no idea what you're dealing with. With new diseases on the horizon attacking our species, getting a diagnosis from people who know best is the safest way ahead.

Second of all – if you have an ailment that’s common, like a case of tonsillitis say, do know the degree of infection, can you peer inside your own throat and figure out if your tonsils are pink, swollen, blotchy or oozing pus (yes that happens). So how would you know the dosage, the anti biotic, what medicines are needed to counter the side effects of the anti biotic (yes, sadly that does happen too), what to eat (I was once prescribed vanilla ice cream to deal with a very bad case of tonsillitis, I speak from experience) and how long must you consume the medicine.

Relapses occur when a dosage hasn't been taken for long enough to kill the offending bacterial intruder. A less than required dosage just sort of stuns the bacteria and then it gathers steam and before you know it, you’re out of commission again and now dealing with a strain which has grown immune to the said drug (what doesn't kill the bacteria makes it stronger, survival of the fittest – pick your metaphor)

And also aren't you weakening your immunity, by popping pills regularly aren't you building up a chemical co-dependency to deal with common ailments that your body is designed to fight and throw out of its system. Yes one does feel weak when the body is battling a nasty intruder, but that’s an indicator that you need to rest, hydrate, consult a doctor and take a day off. It definitely does not mean pop a pill and head to work, that just makes it worse.

And finally with self medication one really only cures low hanging fruit, I mean a headache is not an ailment it’s a symptom of something deeper that’s not right, sometimes as simple as dehydration, or oncoming myopia but an Aspirin or a Disprin is not going to fix the dehydration of myopia, but it will make you ignore what your body is trying to tell you and maybe worsen the problem for another day.

Do yourself a favour, don’t self diagnose, don’t self medicate, reach out to a doctor if you’re unwell.

Today it’s as simple as logging on to a Zywee.com and locating a doctor, hospital, reading reviews and making an informed decision about who treats what ails you.

Experiences with Fertility Treatments in India - Part 2

My experiences with Fertility treatment started a year ago, in early 2014 and my doctor suggested to drop a few kilos( I am 5.9” and 80 kgs), reduce stress in my life (due to excessive travelling for work), and start the medication Metformin (insulin resisting drug), Meprate (period regulator), and Folic acid. The treatment plan according to the gynecologists across the world was the same.

I started with Yoga and running to lose a little weight. I was also on the medicines prescribed, I started menstruating regularly. But the insulin resisting drug, had some serious effects on my mood.

At work, I would often get frustrated and angry, and when I ate some food, I could feel the physical effect of my anger draining. When I met my doctor for a regular checkup, she informed me that the side effect was rather extreme. She suggested that I stop Metformin and continue with Meprate and Folic acid. I was getting a regular scan almost 1 a fortnight. My scan showed that while there were many eggs in my uterus, none of them were growing to the required size or fertilizing. This is when my gynecologist recommended that I start taking Gonadotropin injections starting with 75ml every day for 7 days. This cost me Rs.14000.

My eggs were scanned during the week and on the 7^th day and she suggested that I take it

for 3 more days. During this scan, my eggs had grown to a significant size . I was feeling a lot of pain in my uterus. I started bloating and I put on about 3kgs in 10 days. My stomach was the size of football, I started having all the symptoms of (what I thought) was pregnancy, back pain, irregular sleep, mood swings etc.  During the ovulation period, I found it physically difficult to have intercourse. 

I called my gynaecologist and asked to see her and after a scan she confirmed, that I developed ovarian over stimulation.

My eggs had grown even larger and fluid was leaking to the other parts of my body. This could also happen while you are pregnant due to the now balanced LSF:FSH. So we had to wait till my next cycle to find out if I was pregnant . As a home remedy, she asked me to drink up to 5 litres of water a day to ensure electrolyte balance, stop exercising and to call her if I felt any shortness of breath or nausea. I was distraught with the fact that my doctor had informed me this was rare and that she was monitoring my dosage closely. 2 days later, I had nausea and she suggested that I check in to emergency services at a hospital close by. Check out Zywee.com to locate a hospital nearest to you.

By the next day, I was given plenty of IV, my blood, weight and urine quantity constantly checked. I was also given an ultrasound to discover any complications  such as the fluid had moving to my lungs or spleen. After 1day at the hospital and Rs.35000 spent , I was discharged and told to wait for 2 weeks for the OHSS to resolve itself. In the next 2 weeks I lost 4 kgs and discovered that alas I was not pregnant. I was asked to stay off all medications for a month.

And for the next month, the treatments ceased, and having a gynaecologist I trust has what's made this journey bearable.

Find a gynaecologist you trust, because the road to having a baby, if one is reproductively challenged is long and arduous.  Log on to Zywee.com and find your trusted doctor.

Experiences with Fertility Treatments in India

I am a 37 year old married woman, eagerly aspiring to motherhood(being a mom), this is my first long  (1.5 years) exposure to the Indian Gynaecological Medical experience.

I first met my gynaecologist; she came highly recommended from trusted friends who are mothers themselves, in mid 2013. She is young and talented doctor, approachable and a typical South Indian family doctor educated in England. Her husband is a Heart Surgeon, so all in all a trusted doctor. So it was very easy decision in placing my ovaries and body in her hand.

My first appointment was easy enough, she asked for my age, previous pregnancy attempts, lifestyle habits, etc. She also wanted to know how long we had been trying to get pregnant. I have not been pregnant before and nor have had any complications. I had found when I was 26 that I have PCOD. The doctor then told me that I would need to start with treatments only if I wanted to get pregnant, which I did not at that point in time, so I continued to live my life. My work took me travelling around the country and the world, which meant I had a hectic life and a very social lifestyle. After my marriage at the age of 33 yrs, I wanted to give some time to our relationship and 3 years down the line started to think on the lines of being a mother. We had not specifically used any contraceptives for the last 1 year. So the lack of pregnancy clearly showed me there was something amiss.

Based on the doctor’s recommendation we took a few tests including hormone’s test (LSH: FSH ratio), insulin level, blood tests to negate any sexual diseases and my husband took a hormone test and fertility test including sperm count and motility. The results were as follows: My FSH (Follicle Stimulating hormone) count was very low and I had an insulin resistance. My husband results were fine.

 

Based on the results, the gynaecologist confirmed that I had PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disorder)

By this time more than 6 months had flown by and I had invested Rs.13000 on the hormone test for us. Our appointments and scan were each Rs.500 .I was aware that my age and my lifestyle were an impediment, so I asked the doctor that question that every woman hoping to be a mother asks. “Am I too old to be a mother? Can I become a mother biologically, do I have a defect? Do I have to try IVF?” My doctor very calmly told me that I can be a mother and that PCOD is common enough, with 1 out of every 4 women suffering from this condition, and that this can be fixed. She also assured me, that I will be a mother in a year or so at least by the time I am 38 years old. I left the gynaecologist feeling very confident of her and my abilities.

The journey is far from over, this is just the start, if you or any one you know are in the same situation as me, I'd recommend that you start research early on and get yourself tested and be prepared for an arduous journey.

Empower yourself with information of the best resources available to you, website like Zywee.com provide information about doctors & tests that one can get done, should one find themselves in this situation.

Part 1

Health Check-Ups

When was the last time you got a complete Health Check-Up that wasn’t mandated by a job that you were interviewing for?

Job stress, fast food, alcohol, cigarettes, too many cups of coffee, irregular food and sleeping habits, you name it and the urban population is going about it in not their best interest.

People in their 30’s, basically people in the same decade of age as me are now suffering from Lifestyle diseases such as  High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Diabetes, Hyperacidity, Migraines and the worst of them all, Heart Attacks. I recently heard of a 28 year old who suffered a heart attack (unrelated to a genetic defect), thankfully not fatal, but I’m sure an earth shattering wakeup call.

Come January 1^st and most set bright shiny resolutions to get healthier, and quit excessive the chais & ciggys, exercise regularly etc etc.

The first two months are spent with the best of intentions trying really hard, to be the change we want to be.  Alas, the realities of life, the aggressive deadlines, the late nights, socialising all get in the way of our best intentions, and we’re back to sedentary jobs, and too much sitting around, eating unhealthy, pushing ourselves physically and mentally and not enough recharge.

What I consider a great resolution each year is a complete health check up, it’s probably easier than following through than the ones listed above; of course not a license to continue with unhealthy life styles, most definitely need to lead a healthier life.

I reckon keeping track of how your lipids are doing and what level your haemoglobin lies at and how high or low your blood pressure registers, is a good idea from a preventative point of view, or a stitch in time point of view.

Maybe all you need if warned early is a dose of more fibre or some vitamins or more beetroot and greens for an extra measure of iron.  Or maybe something stronger, but wont catching whatever it is early a great thing for your health.

On the flip side a clean bill of health, makes it all the easier to maintain the aforementioned health, and smile your way through the year, resolutions and all.

Do yourself a favour and book yourself a complete Health Check-Up, for peace of mind.

Check out Zywee.com for health packages available at a hospital nearest to you.