Ayurvedicadventure

I arrived in Delhi at about 5am, Saturday am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.  The modern airport felt welcoming and easy to navigate.  The airport is crisp, clean and huge and was built in 2010 for the Commonwealth Games.   I passed through customs and collected my bags with ease and prayed the promised hotel representative would be there to collect me.  I was remembering friend Lori Kleiman (the airline checking pal) had arrived at this airport a few years ago, only to have the hotel rep not show up for her in the middle of the night!

I was delighted to see my name in front of one of the many drivers waiting to pick up passengers.  In fact, two white uniformed men had come to pick me up.  The heat and smog were noticeable as we walked to the parking garage.  They had very cold water bottles for me and made me feel instantly comfortable as we chatted driving through the early morning streets in a beautiful black Range Rover with THE IMPERIAL HOTEL printed on the door.

The Hotel is lovely; it was built in 1931 in a classic colonial style.  There is so much staff, all in varied colorful uniforms.   Each one greets me with palms together, saying “Namaskar”.  Namaskar is a traditional form of greeting in India, connoting a complete absence of ego.

I was taken to a simple, lovely room on the far side of the hotel. I was amazed at how well I felt after the 20 hours of travel.   I unpacked and sent off some emails to let family and friends I had safely arrived.  I wondered how to best manage the day to get on the new time zone.  It was time for bed at home and the next day was starting here.  I understood for the first time how international travelers can go to work upon arriving in a distant city.

In time, I noticed an unpleasant smell, which was making me feel dizzy.  With some poking around, I saw a good part of the hotel was under renovation and my room was quite close to the work being done.  I asked at front desk about being moved to a room away from the construction.  The front desk clerk was so nice and offered to move us into a suite for the inconvenience.  He took me to see a few options on the second floor just above the lobby.  I delighted with the change of location and the upgrade!  Seems given the hot weather, there are not many tourists this time of year, mostly business travelers.

The breakfast is included with the room and probably one of the best breakfast buffets I have ever seen.  There are traditional American type breakfast items as well, as Indian selections.  I knew Alan would be delighted by the breakfast offering, as he loves the Indian cuisine.

Alan’s flight was scheduled to land at 3pm.  Upon checking into the hotel, the hotel staff told me they were monitoring his flight information and I was welcome to go with the driver to get him.  The said that the Air India website information was not always trustworthy and they would check on his arrival when they were at the airport for other passengers.

I checked on-line and saw that his flight had left 90 minutes late and would be arriving 4 hours late.  Strange and even more surprising, it also showed that the flight had stopped in Frankfort, Germany.  I rode out to the airport in the early evening with Brij, a different driver to get Alan.  Alan was in very good spirits and delighted to see us waiting for him.  It seems that Air India, a government run airline has been dealing with pilot’s strikes and had condensed two flights.  Alan learned that they would be stopping in Germany when he got on the plane.  I was concerned he would be upset, after so looking forward to his non-stop routing.  He responded, “I thought about it, but realized getting upset would make for a very long travel day, so I let it go.”

I was happy to have our travel party united for the adventure ahead!

It is Friday afternoon and I had my last treatment this morning. I leave Sunday afternoon and arrive back in the States early Monday morning. That means I now have a couple of days to relax and get ready for the trip home. It is amazing how quickly the time has gone…..from my perspective anyway. Ask Susan and you might get a completely different answer!  The good news is that with the help of a cushion I am able to sit with little pain so my travels should be fairly comfortable.  I am on a waiting list for an upgrade to business class which would make things even better.

It has been an interesting week. My focus has had to shift so that I was concentrating on both physical and spiritual healing. The wound from the surgery is still fresh so that meant a sittz bath and redressing multiple times a day. Also, given the surgery my treatments were modified to keep oil away from that area. For the most part I have been able to keep a good attitude about the whole ordeal and I realize how fortunate I was to have the four or five weeks beforehand to get myself grounded.

I had five days of eye treatments this week and you know what, my eyesight has improved. I am not sure if it has gotten progressively better over the time I have been here or if the eye treatments have given things a boost. On Tuesday I have an appointment with my ophthalmologist and I will get a better idea of how my retinas are healing at that point. But from looking, I am not seeing the blurry spots that I saw prior to coming here. I am definitely thankful for that!

During the eye treatment they make a well around each eye with the dough that I have been talking about. Then they fill the well with warm herb-infused ghee (clarified butter) and ask you to start blinking. Initially it creates a bit of stinging and quite a bit of eye watering but after a while things settle down. The first time they gave it to me, I felt like I was lying in a puddle looking up. It’s funny but my first instinct was to shorten my breath because my brain thought it was under water! Amazing how the sensory input makes the body react without even consciously thinking about it. For me, one of the goals of my meditation practice is to reduce the number of times each day that I have those “knee-jerk” reactions based on some stimuli. I feel like I am making some progress but the next few months, while living in the ‘real world’, will be the true test.

Susan, Jacob, and Sarah are leaving today for a spring-break ski vacation in Utah. I will pick them up from the airport on Wednesday. So when I arrive it will just be me, the dog, and the fish for the first couple of days. Overall it is probably a good thing as this will give me a few days to transition back to life in Chicago, but I miss my family and look forward to seeing them on Wednesday.

Today(Saturday) is the day they call Holi here in India. It is the full moon and I am sure that Holi has some religious underpinning but it is lost on me and probably most of the teenagers participating. I guess the best way to describe it is a combination of Halloween and a Blue Man Group performance. Kids of all ages are marauding around with big water guns, and balloons filled with brightly color die. They then have much fun blasting each other so that they are covered from head to foot with a rainbow of color and sparkles. Oh, and they add a little egg throwing in for good measure. I saw a couple of girls riding around on a scooter, completely covered in purple and pink “paint”, lobbing balloons and eggs as they rode along. Fortunately I escaped being hit as I walked back and forth to the business center today for treatment. In this neighborhood at least they seem to hold off on those that are not “playing Holi”. I am told that in other parts of town everybody is fair game!

I did go back to the hospital on Thursday for the procedure. I arrived around 10:00am and then waited in various offices, the general ward, and then finally the pre-op receiving area until about 4:30 before they wheeled me into the operating room. Luckily I had brought a couple of books along with me to keep me busy. They did their work under local anesthesia (LA), which was good in my opinion, with the whole process taking about one-half hour or so. Then I was off to the recovery room for a period and then back to the general ward until they released me at 8:00pm. Honestly it was a little unnerving being in the hospital, in a different country and culture, and took a bit of a leap of faith to go under the knife. Again, for the most part all of the nurses and doctors that I came into contact with were very caring and helpful. They were all concerned that I was there by myself, but I did not see it as problem given that it was all done under LA. They had the number of the clinic where I am staying and Susan’s number so I thought I was covered.

It wasn’t until Friday when the original dressing was taken off that I saw how big the abscess cavity was that they cleaned out. Somewhere between the size of a nickel and a quarter, although not so round, and they didn’t stitch it closed! I was shocked but after talking to a few people I guess it is not all that unusual. I just hope that the rate of healing is quick enough that I can sit down by the time I have to take the big plane ride home. My treatments have been modified so that I do not have to sit for an extended period of time and they are working on a concoction that I can use as a sittz bath in the evening. I will have the first one of those tonight.

I have been thinking about what the lesson is in this new challenge. I think it relates to something Susan said to me a few days back. That at some point I need to but the big M behind me and move on. As I am standing here (yes, actually standing and typing!) I am thinking of this as the proverbial kick in the butt. It is time to move on.

I am writing this while either sitting with my left butt cheek off of the chair or while standing up. Standing up is actually much more comfortable! Last Thursday I was bitten by some kind of a bug and it has turned into an abscess, about 3cm, that is really quite painful while sitting. Dr. Raju has been treating it for several days now in an effort to make it burst and it is close, but not quite there. So I took the auto-rickshaw to the local hospital and was really pleasantly surprised at the level of care and the price! Dr. Raju wrote a letter of introduction for me to take to the hospital. I went to the out-patient reception area, gave them the letter and they set me up with a consultation with a general practitioner, price Rs. 250 or about $6.00. After taking a look at the area he thought I should talk to the general surgeon. At that point it was back to the reception area for some new paperwork (but no extra fees) and then off to the general surgery office. There I was immediately greeted by a couple of interns that took all of my information and then took me back for an exam and then a quick visit by the doctor. He suggested that the abscess be lanced and allowed to drain and they could do the procedure tomorrow. They would require some blood work before they did the procedure and the interns thought I should have the blood samples taken today and then I could come back in the morning and they would lance the abscess.

I was soon off to the receptionist/cashier to pay for the blood panel and test for hepatitis and HIV. I was told they require the latter two tests for all patients, which sounds like a good policy to me.  The blood work was a little more expensive at Rs. 1,225 ($29) but quite reasonable considering some of the bills I have seen come across my desk for blood work in the last year. Again I walked in, was waited on promptly and then sent off to the pharmacy for some antibiotics and something to help with the pain, Rs. 632 or about $15.

So now after only 2 hours, including my rickshaw taxi rides, I am back at the clinic resting. I am taking the new medicines as well as those that Dr. Raju gave me in the hopes that it will burst either today or tonight…..but if it doesn’t I will be back at the hospital tomorrow morning to help it along. I leave India in eleven days and I want it to have plenty of  time to heal before I have a 15 hour Delhi to Chicago plane ride!

I have to say, I was impressed with the care and service I experienced today. I wasn’t able to choose from a menu of doctors but the ones I saw were competent and spoke my language, which I appreciated. Except for a little jostling for position in lines, I moved around in the hospital with relative ease. One thing about India, whether you are in the grocery store or the hospital, you do have to be assertive about getting into and keeping your position in lines. Ah…the adventure continues.

I started a new routine recently. Rather than having my treatments start around 11:00 in the morning, they now start at 8:30 am. This is a blessing really, as mid-day is starting to be quite hot, mid to upper 90’s each day.  I still receive the head and full body massage, but now they are treating my liver. My liver was a bit compromised during the interferon treatments with the enzymes reaching over five times the normal range. I actually had to stop interferon treatment for a week in the middle of the first month to let the enzymes settle down. Again, for this treatment they form a well out of dough that is placed over the liver. Then they fill it with a warm herbed oil. The liver basti has been very powerful for me in that as soon as they start I go into a very deep dreamy sleep and when finished it takes a while to shake it off! They finish my morning treatments by pouring a heavy warm oil over my body and and rubbing it in. It feels great and believe me, it is a little tricky staying on the table while turning over.

Now during the mid-day I am mostly hanging around in my room. I read, blog, and/or snooze……usually in that order! I changed rooms on Sunday and I am now staying in the main clinic building. There are four floors in the building, the first is dedicated to the doctor’s office and the next three contain rooms for clients. Each floor has a common area and rooms around the perimeter. I am staying on the third floor. It is nice being closer to the clinic and the people on the floor usually meet for lunch and dinner which makes for interesting conversation.

In the late afternoon I go back to the treatment rooms for a shiro-basti. Now this is an odd treatment. They start out by taking a square piece of plastic and making it into a cylinder that they then stick to my head with the dough. They then wrap cheese cloth around the base of the cylinder, usually about at my forehead,  and tie it tightly.  After the cylinder is on my head they seal around the inside of the cylinder with a long string of the dough.  Finally they pour warm herb-infused oil into the cylinder and have me sit still for about forty minutes. When I first heard that I would have this contraption on my head for forty minutes I thought…. no way! But by mediating during the wait time it actually goes by very quickly and is quite relaxing.

I am reading a book called “A Life in Balance – Nourishing the four roots a true happiness”. The author, Dr. Kathleen Hall, had a mid-life crisis in the form of panic attacks which caused her to reassess her life/work balance. Her model is that in order to lead a balanced life, one must have and practice S.E.L.F. That is Serenity, Exercise, Love, and Food. Up until now I never really thought of my bout with melanoma last year as a mid-life crisis but I think, in a way, it was. It has forced me to look at the amount of stress in my life and find ways to counter it. While certainly my practice of the E.L.F. part of the equation above could have been better, I think overall I was doing OK there. The part that has really been brought to the forefront is the need for the S (Serenity). Finding ways to reduce stress and boost my immune system is a top priority for me now and bringing more serenity into my life is the most natural way to do this. I started with meditation and now make that a part of my daily routine. Taking this two-month sabbatical has made a huge difference in my stress level and has allowed me to get back on-track to health both physically and mentally. I am well into my fourth week of treatment here and starting to think again about life and my family on the other side of the world. I had a skype video-call with the kids and Susan this morning and it really made me realize how much I miss them! I look forward to when I will see them again and when I can integrate some of my newfound serenity into life and work at home.

*I updated my previous post with pictures. If you have not seen them, take a look! – Alan

I have been busy over the past week, both in terms of activities and healing. Regarding the latter I woke up on Monday sneezing. Then by Tuesday definitely had a head cold. It  feels like it is mostly cleared up at this point but I did spend a number of afternoons just hanging out listening to books-on-cd that Susan gave me before departure. I listened to The Hobbit, and Into the Wild. Both are great adventure stories and illustrate how during those adventures the people living them seem more “alive” than during their everyday existence. The stories made me realize that the more I bring that feeling of adventure into my daily life the more satisfied and at-ease I feel. I only have three weeks left in my current adventure (hard to believe I am half-way through my stay!) so I need to think about how to create more of a sense of adventure in my daily life back in the States.

On Monday, I did go see Amma, the hugging saint. This is a lady whose mission it seems is to reduce suffering however she can. She runs a large humanitarian organization that sends money and volunteers to places and people in crisis. She has several ashrams in India, one of which is here in the area of Hyderabad.

Seven of us set out at 6:00 a.m in the clinic minivan and after a few miscues on directions found ourselves in an almost rock- concert like atmosphere. Bus loads of people had already arrived and were sitting in seats in front of the stage. The first part of the day was spent doing the Rahu Pooja, or offering. It is an offering to the planet Rahu which supposed to be good for individuals with sudden loss or onset of illness.  When we sat down there was a large platter with incense, leaves, turmeric powder and some bowls.Someone on the stage then lead the group in performing the offering ceremony and then we all left the area and went up the steps to the temple they have on-site. There we circled the temple and offered the turmeric paste that we had created as part of the ceremony. After that there was a long period of chanting before we finally saw Amma! There was some singing and story-telling that went on for quite a while. They actually repeated the stories twice in different languages…..the two just did not happen to be english. But they did have the english versions displayed on a screens so it was not a total loss. Then people lined up for their hug based on some numbers on a ticket that we received earlier in the day. We had to wait a while and it was amazing how much stamina Amma had as she was probably doing a hug every 10 or 15 seconds. As each person approaches for their hug there are a number of people involved in the preparation. Two different people wiping the brow and neck, another taking off hats, bags, glasses, etc. and then finally one person maneuvering you in for a hug at just the right moment. For me she whispered in my ear…I love you, I love you, I love you! Overall, probably not the best experience of my trip to-date. Although I was feeling my cold coming on, so probably not completely present.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week was Maha Shivarathri. It is a celebration for the Lord Shiva, who is known as the destroyer in the Hindu mythology. My understanding, which is minimal at best, is that they have three deities that are responsible for the creation, sustainment, and destruction of the world. On its surface destruction might seem like a bad thing, but when looked at from the point of view of destroying disease or sins, then it’s not so bad. I won’t go into the details, but I will tell you it seemed like a combination of Yom Kippur and Pesach all rolled into one.  There was two days of fasting(which I didn’t do!), staying up all night(I slept), and a Pooja process that makes the Passover seder look simple.The Pundits ran the Pooja and I found it to be very therapeutic with the chanting and moments for meditation.

On Thursday afternoon when I saw the Dr. he said that he thought I should shave my head. He wants me to do a treatment called a head basti where they put that dough I have been writing about around the perimeter of the head. They then use the dough to secure a plastic cylinder to the head which they then fill up with warm oil. I am supposed to start the treatment tomorrow (Sunday) so I will have some more details later…….and yes, I did have my head shaved. I sent a picture to Susan and she didn’t think it was a style I should be sporting back home! I don’t think it looks too bad from the front. People here have said that it makes me look younger, which I am not sure I agree with. It does however, from the back and side, show off my battle scars from the surgeries this past summer. It is amazing what a little hair can cover up. At first I was wearing a hat everywhere….even indoors. But now I don’t think it looks so bad.

Hairless in Hyderabad,

Alan

Earlier in the week I was feeling a little out of sorts. I was impatient and I was allowing myself to get upset much more easily than usual. By Wednesday I felt that I really needed to do something different in my daily routine, I needed break. It’s funny, I am so accustomed to being busy and  more reading, meditating, going to treatments etc., just wasn’t going to cut it …… so I…….walked. Not just the walk from my flat to the business center. That only takes ten minutes or so and is down the main street in our little oasis here in the Sahara States neighborhood. For this walk I went out through the gates and walked the short distance to Mosoorabad Road and turned left. Immediately I was right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of life in Hyderabad.

Horns blaring, many people walking, some with loads of laundry and other household items on their heads. All of the people are a little overwhelming, especially with the onslaught of traffic that is constantly moving up and down the roads. Scooters and motorbikes jockeying for position along with cars, buffalo, and big wildly-decorated trucks.

I usually like to have the traffic coming towards me as I walk so that means I am on the right side of the road in the direction of travel. But some of those carrying the heavy loads didn’t seem to mind which way they were oriented and just stepped on and off the road to the shoulder and back as need be paying little attention to the traffic. Oh, one more thing about the use of motorcycles. Here it seems that a little 125cc motorbike can be the equivalent of a family car. It is not unusual to see a small baby in the front close to the gas tank, with dad driving and cradling the baby between his legs, another child behind the father and then finally mom riding side-saddle on the very back. And no-one wearing a helmet!

The streets are lined with little shops that have roll-down doors like a garage. More seem to be closed than open and the assortment of shops is far reaching. Butchers, chicken shops, welders, bakeries, housewares, beds, electronics, general stores, and lots of motorbike repair shops with signs reading “will throw a wheel”…..I assume this means they change tires, probably something that you need fairly often given the condition of the roads. I walked for about one-half hour, then turned around and headed back. Finally stopping at the local grocery store before heading back to the flat. The hour or so of walking was just what I needed to clear my head and the exercise felt great.

Each Thursday night they have what they call a Yagiya on the roof of the clinic. A Yagiya is a blessings ceremony used for special occasions. This particular Yagiya is a blessing for healing and it is led by the Pundits that I wrote about a post or two ago. We sit around a small square-shaped alter with a fire-pit in the middle of it. The Pundits start out by asking everyone their name and their spouse’s name, then they chant a blessing for each person. After that, rhythmic chanting continues for thirty minutes or so while one of the Pundits uses a wooden spoon to drip clarified butter (ghee) into fire while the participants make offerings of small wood chips.For a while I just close my eyes and listen….feeling totally embraced by the sound of the chanting and the smell of the fire. Finally the Pundits pick one person to make the final offering which is a small coconut with marigolds on top of it. We all then stand up and take turns pouring small amounts of ghee onto the coconut which, as you might imagine, causes it to burst into flames. The ceremony ends with the Pundits throwing rice around on each of our heads and taking a bit of the ash from the pit and marking our foreheads.

Late this week I also started playing chess with one of the people visiting the clinic. We now have a regular game after the afternoon appointments in a park that is between the clinic and treatment rooms in the business center. The guy, his name is Chris, is from Alaska and fishes for Salmon from May until September but apparently doesn’t work much during the rest of the year. The last three years he as spent several months in India traveling and visiting ashrams. We have played a few games so far and I am still waiting for my first win!

On Monday a group of us are going to see Mātā Amritanandamayī Devī, also known as the “The Hugging Saint” or Amma. She runs a humanitarian organization that donates large sums of money for the poor and those in crisis. Apparently she travels the world and has been to the states a number of times. I will know, and write, more about it on Monday. That’s all for now……