Doing the Necessary

Yesterday, while driving along on my motor bike, my back wheel slipped on something and while trying to compensate I squeezed the left brake and (mistakenly) the right throttle at the same time - running into a wall, which, as an aside, had a large swasticka on it. Fortunately the monkey bars on the front of my motor bike hit the wall and bent inward taking the first force, I then went over and my knee, and ankle hit the wall. My hands were still gripping the handle bars which jammed back with the impact into the fleshy part between the thumb and the index finger. After sitting a while and speaking with several people - two of whom insulted my driving as I sat on the ground stunned and two of whom helped me to stand up and see if I could walk etc. I determined that I had not broken anything. My right brake was jammed and my clutch did not work. I went home very slowly - stopping at the southern star to rest for a while and then again at Coffee Day. On the way I ran out of petrol - but had some petrol in the reserve tank. My bike has no petrol gage - this adds to the excitement of having a motor bike I guess. This morning Saraswati had me try to do some practice. I did two sun salutations and then went to finishing. My wrists feel like they will be more damaged by down dog and chaturunga. I am however very lucky because I do not think that any of this will be a chronic problem if I am careful now. It seems that my first trip to Mysore was not to be about the physical practice. I can use my fingers but grabbing things hurts. My opposable thumbs aren't very opposable. Fortunately the right is better than the left and I am right handed. If injuries are an anology of an unaddressed concern, then perhaps I cannot grasp something important or I cannot hold on to something important... or both.

I have to admit to feeling rather sad, lonely and disappointed amoung other things. Since Ken the Rolfer wants me to notice the feelings that I am having I guess this is good because I can come up with a nice list of adverbs for him. But, in the spirit of finding the best in the situtation, I will move on to another somewhat related but happier subject. The price of medical care in the India is substantially lower than in the United States. Because I am self-employed, my insurance requires that I pay for the first $3000 USD of medical care each year. This means a yearly check-up, routine dental care, eye exams, pap tests, mammograms in a year are my responsibility. I have to admit that I have not kept up with this at all at the rate that the American Medical Association recommends. While here I have had an eye exam and gotten glasses, a year's supply of disposable contacts and prescription sun glasses together for less than it cost to buy one pair of glasses in the U.S. I have gotten my teeth cleaned for approximately $7 - by a dentist using sterile instruments. I had a mammogram and was given the films for $12. The picture above is the waiting room at Bharath Hospital where I got the mammogram. The Dermatologist who examined my skin for $3, gave me a prescription for a cream that costs $100 in the US. It cost $5 here. He also gave me a prescription to go to the local blood drawing lab and have a pap test. On the requisition form he circled pap test and then wrote at the bottom, "Dear Ravi, Please do the necessary - Dr. S.S." So I went around to the lab to see if I wanted Ravi to do the necessary on me and decided that I would prefer to go to Appollo hospital and have the nice woman Gynecologist do it instead. However, while at the lab I had a blood test (checking to make sure that the needles came from sealed packages and sterilizing my own arm with purell). This test checked my thyroid and cholesterol levels - with both I have hereditary issues that I am working on controlling through diet and yoga. These tests cost less than $10. Now I don't have to see a doctor for years! (unless I have another accident...).