Untouched Panchangam

It was 13th April. My brother-in-law, sister's husband aged 87, who has never stepped into any doctor's clinic for any illness, stepped
out of the house to buy panchangam( Srirangam koil Vakya Panchangam ) in Mylapore.
After walking an hour he got the panchangam , and was walking towards his single bed room flat in Abhiramapuram.
Some swirl! He tried not to care.Yet overpowered by it, he fell down on the road.
Some people rarely walking on the road, helped him.He could not get up. Was brought home through some auto.
My sister aged 80 with severe spine problem peeped through balcony.
Liftless construction!Second floor flat. Living there for 40 long years.Inmates helped to make him sit on a chair and lifted him to the flat.
Reeling with pain! Through ambulance he was taken to two or three nursing homes.But was denied admission as he had 100.6degrees temperature.My sister says he had no fever at all.
Thereafter the same ambulance carried him to General Hospital,x rays taken. Hip fracture confirmed and also a small fracture near ankle. GH doctors placed small sticks and placed plaster of paris bandage in the ankle and advised to contact after May 3rd for surgery in the hip.
Brought home again.Many people including me advised my sister to do the operation immediately and to postpone it may lead to many problems.

Due to corona, nobody could go with her except a friend from her flat.
On New years Day, with the panchangam remaining still on the table, he was shifted to St.Isabel's Hospital in Mylapore. After preliminary exams etc etc he was operated upon for his hip surgery on 15th April with spinal anaesthesia.
His recovery was really fast for his age.On the third day he was made to stand and take a few steps by the physiotherapist.After post operative care he was shifted to the room. My sister was staying in the hospital.
She was planning to buy air bed and a special cot.
On the 5th day, his haemoglobin showed a decline to 8.2.They started blood tranfusion.
He was taking food as usual.
On the sixth day he complained of some breathing problem. He was administered oxygen.As the intake of oxygen was poor, he was given nebulizer.
He seemed to improve.As no transport was available, no one else could go except our cousin who was staying in a walking distance from the hospital.
On the seventh day, doctors tried to give enema for making him relieve after 4 days.
There was a hit.
As the enema was being given his BP and pulse literally fell down to the minimum.
Taking some signature from my sister doctors shifted him to ICU with ventilator and gave 48 hrs time for recovery.
Huge expenditure! Heavy drugs! Eyes closed! No movement at all!
There was gripping fear.
How long can a ventilator lend support to a dying person? I had phone after phone.
After 72 hrs of ventilation, and kidney failure we decided to take him out of ventilator and wanted him to have a natural death after 45 mts.
The hospital authorities didn't permit to take him out.There were so many arguments/counter arguments. Ultimately asked my sister to give it in writing that she is not for dialysis.Yet they didn't care to detach the ventilator.
There was a threatening that they will shift the patient to Royapettah if she was unable to pay the charges.
At last she agreed to pay ventilator charges for the next 48 hrs.
On the 11th day he was stated to have had cardiac arrest again( God only knows what happened ) and was declared dead.

I had been in touch with a Sastrigal in Mambalam for the past two days for arrangement for cremation of a person who was yet to die.
Around 11 o'clock they gave death cert, we contacted Sastri to fix slot in the evening at Besant Nagar crematorium.
Hospital authorities were helpful in keeping the body in the mortuary managed by Fenn and Co in Thousand Lights for three hrs .
Time was up for my sister to pack off and go home. Body was taken to mortuary. Around 2.30 Fenn and Co took the body by a van, kept the body inside the compound of my sister's residence for 20 mts and proceeded to Besant nagar.
No religious ceremony was performed at home, no coconut sheaths and no pot of fire.
His brother's son came in time . Only he and no one else accompanied the van to crematorium.
At this corona season Gnana vapi and other organizations are closed and only cremation is the ritual that is done,which cannot be postponed.All other customary ceremonies from 9 to 13 days have to be performed only after 6 months, when corona may recide.Sastri said that those ceremonies can be performed within three years.

I got ride in a car offered by our relative.We got pass ,on line, producing the death record and my own Aadhar.
Only the flat in mates,around 15, all in mask were standing out of the flat to pay respects .
It is unfortunate that the sickness and death coincided with corona curfew during which travel was totally banned.
It was such a horrible experience to arrange everything through phone , not visiting the hospital, not consoling my sister.At least I am thankful to Sastri who arranged for booking in the crematorium.
A great lesson learnt! we can only pray that no one should experience such tension during curfew!
jayasala42

 

She has no issues. Her husband's brother,his wife are in Bombay.Though we are in Chennai, I can;t move leaving my ailing husband .i had to help her with vadysr, mortuary etc through phone only. On the day of death I just visited her for two hrs. It is so horrible in travelling on roads even in cars. We have to crease the palms of security in thousands in many areas.
jayasala 42

 

Thank you Viji. A rare corona experience!
jayasala42

 

We have also prepared a living Will. But is it legal? and do hospitals act on living will if it is not legalized? I heard that in Tamilnadu there are certain problems in enforcing Living Will. Can you please guide as to how it can be legalized.

jayasala42