PLEASE JOIN MY CELEBRATION TODAY,
13th April 2020
2.00pm Sydney TimeGood Day Folks,
It is the 13th of April 2020 today. Most of you will be thinking it is another "Covid Lock Down Day" and Thank God it is not Friday.
For me 13th April 2020 is a Day I wanted to celebrate in a Big Way but Corona Killed my Party.
13th April 2020 is my 20th Anniversary Post Brain Stem Stroke that brought me down crashing on to my knees in Year 2000.
Remember the Neurologist at RPAH Emergency saying, "This is a Text Book Case that we see only in Autopsies. No One survives a massive Brain Stem Stroke like this." They even told Mithu (my Wife) Not to expect me home. Things were not looking good. I can have a chuckle now remembering I had double vision and saw two of every thing including doctors examining me
I was too Pig headed to just lie down and Die. Defied all the Odds and I am here 20 Long years later looking Fit as a Fiddle ( did not know all Fiddles are Fit and why ?)
I DEFINITELY CHEATED DEATH & LIVED ON
I remember I was fading in and out and going through a Noisy Tunnel of an MRI Machine. I remember seeing this "BRIGHT LIGHT" in the tunnel and was pleading with my God... No, NO, Not Yet. My wife and Son need me. You cannot take me now. No Way and then blacked out altogether.
I remember I was fading in and out and going through a Noisy Tunnel of an MRI Machine. I remember seeing this "BRIGHT LIGHT" in the tunnel and was pleading with my God... No, NO, Not Yet. My wife and Son need me. You cannot take me now. No Way and then blacked out altogether.
20 years later no one seems to remember this fateful day, not my wife not my son nor my siblings. This enforces my thoughts and belief that each one of us has to carry our own baggage at the end of the day and live with what destiny deals out and endure the suffering alone.
" Yeh Jeevan Hai, Is Jeevan Ka, Yahi hai, Yahi Hai, Yahi hai Rang Roop"
So Folks this is Virtually my Second Innings. Have not worked even one day to earn money yet destiny has provided me with what I need and more. Thank Mithu & God for that.
How I got here is a 20 year Long story stumbling and falling and getting up and starting all over again. Don't want to bore you all with it. Just feel Happy for me. That's all I want
There are a few factors that I owe my Life to.
First of all the support from Family and Friends which I always believed were My Only Assets in this Life. If you were one, even in a small way You will know.
The Second factor was Exercising Mind Over Body. I wanted to live and get well and believed I would and I was right. That I am still here is Proof that the Human MIND is KING.
Thirdly when they thinned my blood, first with Heparin and then Warfarin (Rat Poison) and further with Plavix, I think blood started flowing to nooks and crannies of the Brain like never before for the first time. Add to this Oxycodone and the dope me became Dopey Me and my mind was hyperactive. Late night prestroke was 11.00pm. Post Stroke it was 4.00am. I get max motivation past mid night and happy to sleep in as long as I want. That was part of Post Retirement Package.
The Fourth factor was the advent of personal Computers and Search engines. This kept me company 24/7. Albeit just an XT Computer with a 40MB Ram and a Floppy Disk and primitive search Engines like Yahoo, Magellan, Lycos, Infoseek, Copernic. (Dr Google appeared much later..). None of the doctors in my family or friends circle could tell me much about my stroke. Remember it was a Text Book Case :-).
I used the internet to Locate the Neuro Forum at Massachusett General Hospital.This I must say was my first LIFE LINE. It helped me link up with so many God sends who had all survived all kinds of Strokes and were supporting each other.They were fantastic but there was a limitation. No one had what I had, a VAD (vertebral artery dissection). So I started to drill deeper and found just one short discussion thread from a Lady named Sheila in USA who described all my symptoms and two others had Responded. John and Andrea. There were no further posts from Sheila, suggesting she might have had to bite the dust. I did Connect with John but he to disappeared soon. Andrea, a Speech Therapist in Florida became my Anchor. She survived the same mishap like me after she went on a Roller Coaster Ride. I decided to take the discussion outside MGH Forum and Created a Yahoo Group and the Vad Journey Began. Much Later I created a VAD Web site but lost the Domain Name which some moron grabbed and demanded a few thousand $$$. So I made it a Blog. https://vad-club.blogspot.com/.
So Folks this is Virtually my Second Innings. Have not worked even one day to earn money yet destiny has provided me with what I need and more. Thank Mithu & God for that.
How I got here is a 20 year Long story stumbling and falling and getting up and starting all over again. Don't want to bore you all with it. Just feel Happy for me. That's all I want
There are a few factors that I owe my Life to.
First of all the support from Family and Friends which I always believed were My Only Assets in this Life. If you were one, even in a small way You will know.
The Second factor was Exercising Mind Over Body. I wanted to live and get well and believed I would and I was right. That I am still here is Proof that the Human MIND is KING.
Thirdly when they thinned my blood, first with Heparin and then Warfarin (Rat Poison) and further with Plavix, I think blood started flowing to nooks and crannies of the Brain like never before for the first time. Add to this Oxycodone and the dope me became Dopey Me and my mind was hyperactive. Late night prestroke was 11.00pm. Post Stroke it was 4.00am. I get max motivation past mid night and happy to sleep in as long as I want. That was part of Post Retirement Package.
The Fourth factor was the advent of personal Computers and Search engines. This kept me company 24/7. Albeit just an XT Computer with a 40MB Ram and a Floppy Disk and primitive search Engines like Yahoo, Magellan, Lycos, Infoseek, Copernic. (Dr Google appeared much later..). None of the doctors in my family or friends circle could tell me much about my stroke. Remember it was a Text Book Case :-).
I used the internet to Locate the Neuro Forum at Massachusett General Hospital.This I must say was my first LIFE LINE. It helped me link up with so many God sends who had all survived all kinds of Strokes and were supporting each other.They were fantastic but there was a limitation. No one had what I had, a VAD (vertebral artery dissection). So I started to drill deeper and found just one short discussion thread from a Lady named Sheila in USA who described all my symptoms and two others had Responded. John and Andrea. There were no further posts from Sheila, suggesting she might have had to bite the dust. I did Connect with John but he to disappeared soon. Andrea, a Speech Therapist in Florida became my Anchor. She survived the same mishap like me after she went on a Roller Coaster Ride. I decided to take the discussion outside MGH Forum and Created a Yahoo Group and the Vad Journey Began. Much Later I created a VAD Web site but lost the Domain Name which some moron grabbed and demanded a few thousand $$$. So I made it a Blog. https://vad-club.blogspot.com/.
I want to take this Opportunity to Thank my two special friends Andrea Conway and Jill Green, I wouldn't be here today but for their unconditional support that lasted two decades.
The 5th and Most Important Factor for me being alive today is NOT Trusting any Medical Doctor Blindly. Just like every profession say like a motor Mechanic or Plumber you have the extremely Good, the Baaad and the real Ugly Doctors who are there for mega bucks.
Believe it or not in the last 20 years I have consulted over 25 Neurologist in Australia, Singapore, USA, UK and India. Most of them had no clue about the Brain and one neuro did not even know how to read an MRI Image. He mounted the film upside down and was trying to convince me I did not have a Blocked Artery.
My first Neurology Registrar Dr Steve Vucic, May his Tribe Increase kept me alive at RPAH and in 2012 Destiny connected me with another truly Brilliant Neurologist Dr Penelope Spring at Concord Hospital. It was my Plan to visit them both today and surprise them with some Champagne and say THANK YOU. Was not meant to be Thanks to Corona... But I will one day soon when the dust clears and life gets back to normal..
As for the Other neurologists, they used symptom sorters and did an Inky Pinky Ponky what Can I give this donkey on Me. One Doctor put me on a Drug called Sibelium that sent me spiralling into depression despite, my pig headedness and it took another genius Psychiatrist who phoned me at home at 9.00pm one night and said Ram Your Depression is Caused not by your stroke but by Sibelieum you have to wean yourself of it slowly. Weaning my Foot, I thought to myself and stopped it that very night totally, going cold turkey.
I also have to thank my GP Dr Weinman who always maintained I was his most Complex Patient. It was my Good Fortune that a stranger whom I met at a pathology lab told me, "You have to see Dr Weinman". I asked why? and he said Dr.Weinman was a Neurologist in Sri Lanka but now Practicing as a GP in Burwood Sydney. If this was not a Blessing in Disguise what is ?. Dr Weinman is No More. May his soul rest in Peace.
It is also my Good fortune that I ended up one night with chest pain and shortness of breath at Victoria medical Centre in Burwood. Couple of visits later I had a good feel about this Young Lady Doctor Dr. Vasudha Sridharan. I laid all my cards on her table and gave her a list of all my health problems and asked her if she really wanted a headache patient like me and she said "Don't worry I will look after you like My Dad". ( strongly believe it was Dr Weinman who led me to this fab GP.)
What was my greatest achievement in my second innings : - I can write a Book on it but one thing that stands out is I saved a lady in USA from Suffering a similar Brain Stem Stroke. She had all the symptoms I had prestroke and went to emergency and they did an MRI and the neurologist told her MRI shows nothing and that she was imagining everything. I explained to her that MRI would not show anything as she had not had a stroke yet to show an infarct as a white patch in the Brain. I told her to go back straight to emergency and insist they do a doppler of the neck (Ultrasound). I did not hear from her for two days and that got me worried. On a Saturday morning I received an email that contained a whole Page of Thank You's and nothing else. this was followed by a second email with explanations. She got a doppler done and she had a 95% blockage in her Carotid Artery in the neck so they did an angio immediately and inserted a stent that prevented her from a Brainstem stroke. Her Name was Carol Barclay.
From year 2000 to year 2010 I created and hosted a Yahoo group for Stroke survivors called VAD Club ( Vertebral Artery Dissection)
https://vad-club.blogspot.com/
My life lessons - (I penned this around 2012, I think)
A few things I learnt after the fateful event on 13th April 2000, a "Brain Stem Stroke", I call the Millennium Gift.
1. My life will never be the same again. A damaged brain is a damaged brain even though I look 100% and even sexy. One day I am a ball of energy bouncing around and the next day I feel like a deflated tyre. This is something that family & friends cannot understand. Neither can I, nor my doctors.
2. Friends who hang around when the going gets rough are true friends and many are God sends or Angels whom you get to know after you fall into a heap.
3. Life is all about making choices and following one's dreams. I have had to make a lot of tough choices and face the music for many many years, yet have no regrets in life.
4. Nothing in life is permanent except Death. So cherish all that destiny has on offer on a daily basis.
5. Pain ... "Yesterday's pain is just a bad memory so be content tackling today's misery. Pop a pain killer if it is unbearable".
6. The human body is the most fascinating piece of engineering design that man blatantly copies, again and again.
7. Mind over body is something I have truly practiced and succeeded. You have to be pig headed in life to succeed in this.
8. When you are down never ask “Why Me?”. Instead bargain for strength to face whatever has been doled out. Look around you and see people who are less fortunate than you and console yourself for being better off.
9. God… Love is God, Truth is God... Your inner voice is in fact your God guiding you every minute of your life. (Religion is man made to control the masses through Blind Faith.)
10. Truth... There can be only one truth and truth will always prevail. As for lies they can be spun around like cobwebs.
11. If one is truly passionate about achieving something, nothing can stop that person, except himself.
12. People will clap hands when you achieve something but the clapping does not last long, people move on and life continues. The very same clapping hands will throw brickbats when you are down. Think Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, Lalit Modi and now Rajat Gupta
13. We come into this world empty handed and leave empty handed and all we leave behind are memories to be cherished by family and friends. Keep the memories sweet
14. Live life to the fullest, yet maximise the benefits by doing everything in moderation
15. When the end comes I’d love to get into the Box for the final journey, with dark chocolate in one hand and Whiskey in the other and say “Oh, What a ride”
16. If I ever write another book, What you read here will be the epilogue...that is if I write one more...
What was my greatest achievement in my second innings : - I can write a Book on it but one thing that stands out is I saved a lady in USA from Suffering a similar Brain Stem Stroke. She had all the symptoms I had prestroke and went to emergency and they did an MRI and the neurologist told her MRI shows nothing and that she was imagining everything. I explained to her that MRI would not show anything as she had not had a stroke yet to show an infarct as a white patch in the Brain. I told her to go back straight to emergency and insist they do a doppler of the neck (Ultrasound). I did not hear from her for two days and that got me worried. On a Saturday morning I received an email that contained a whole Page of Thank You's and nothing else. this was followed by a second email with explanations. She got a doppler done and she had a 95% blockage in her Carotid Artery in the neck so they did an angio immediately and inserted a stent that prevented her from a Brainstem stroke. Her Name was Carol Barclay.
From year 2000 to year 2010 I created and hosted a Yahoo group for Stroke survivors called VAD Club ( Vertebral Artery Dissection)
https://vad-club.blogspot.com/
My life lessons - (I penned this around 2012, I think)
A few things I learnt after the fateful event on 13th April 2000, a "Brain Stem Stroke", I call the Millennium Gift.
1. My life will never be the same again. A damaged brain is a damaged brain even though I look 100% and even sexy. One day I am a ball of energy bouncing around and the next day I feel like a deflated tyre. This is something that family & friends cannot understand. Neither can I, nor my doctors.
2. Friends who hang around when the going gets rough are true friends and many are God sends or Angels whom you get to know after you fall into a heap.
3. Life is all about making choices and following one's dreams. I have had to make a lot of tough choices and face the music for many many years, yet have no regrets in life.
4. Nothing in life is permanent except Death. So cherish all that destiny has on offer on a daily basis.
5. Pain ... "Yesterday's pain is just a bad memory so be content tackling today's misery. Pop a pain killer if it is unbearable".
6. The human body is the most fascinating piece of engineering design that man blatantly copies, again and again.
7. Mind over body is something I have truly practiced and succeeded. You have to be pig headed in life to succeed in this.
8. When you are down never ask “Why Me?”. Instead bargain for strength to face whatever has been doled out. Look around you and see people who are less fortunate than you and console yourself for being better off.
9. God… Love is God, Truth is God... Your inner voice is in fact your God guiding you every minute of your life. (Religion is man made to control the masses through Blind Faith.)
10. Truth... There can be only one truth and truth will always prevail. As for lies they can be spun around like cobwebs.
11. If one is truly passionate about achieving something, nothing can stop that person, except himself.
12. People will clap hands when you achieve something but the clapping does not last long, people move on and life continues. The very same clapping hands will throw brickbats when you are down. Think Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, Lalit Modi and now Rajat Gupta
13. We come into this world empty handed and leave empty handed and all we leave behind are memories to be cherished by family and friends. Keep the memories sweet
14. Live life to the fullest, yet maximise the benefits by doing everything in moderation
15. When the end comes I’d love to get into the Box for the final journey, with dark chocolate in one hand and Whiskey in the other and say “Oh, What a ride”
16. If I ever write another book, What you read here will be the epilogue...that is if I write one more...
Thank you for being part of my journey.
Cheers
Dad / Daddu / Chander / Babu / Ramchander / Ram / Ramboaus / Rambo / Uncle Ram / Ram Uncle / Dope / Mottai / Chief / Master Chef / Mama/ Mama Thatha ...whatever.
Cheers
Dad / Daddu / Chander / Babu / Ramchander / Ram / Ramboaus / Rambo / Uncle Ram / Ram Uncle / Dope / Mottai / Chief / Master Chef / Mama/ Mama Thatha ...whatever.
