In the morning, Badal da rang Mr. Trilok three times. He did not pick up the phone. He packed his bag and called the travel agent. Hired a cab and started for Ranchi.
On the way, he received a call from Mr. Trilok. He told him that he was going to Delhi and may not be available for next two to three days.
Mr. Trilok complained, "This is not good, Mr. Badal. You should proceed on leave after getting your leave sanctioned."
“Sir, I had to leave Jamshedpur in a hurry because there is a marriage proposal for my daughter. The boy will leave Delhi the day after tomorrow. I could not wait till Monday for leave approval. By the way, I also had to inform you that I have made up my mind to face the Medical Board," Badal da said in a flat tone.
“Ok-ok, there is no problem. You send me a leave application on my mail. I will sanction it. And we will talk about the Medical Board later,” Mr. Trilok hung up.
Often people don't behave in the manner you expected them to act, thought Badal da. Swati had rightly suggested him to cook up a story of the daughter's marriage proposal as an excuse for going suddenly on leave. The thought of Swati elevated his mood.
Today his stomach was not making its presence felt. Badal da was wondering why he was going to Delhi. He felt quite all right.
He was received in the Delhi Airport by Nivedita, Swati’s daughter. She had held a signage in her handwritten ‘Mr. Badal from Jamshedpur' on it at the Arrival Gate. She took her home by Delhi Metro.
On reaching Nivedita’s one-bedroom apartment, Swati’s son-in-law Naren welcomed him in. They had lunch together. Nivedita had prepared steamed rice and ‘aaloo-postu’ and Naren had cooked ‘maachhe’r jhole’ (Fish curry).
He relished the homemade food after about two years. After the sumptuous lunch, he stretched out on the sofa and slept.
At around five in the evening, Nivedita offered him a steaming hot cup of Darjeeling tea. Naren and Nivedita sat in front of him with their cups of tea, and they started talking.
Naren said, “Your daughter has made all the arrangements for an appointment with the best gastro specialist of the Medical Institute.”
“Who has made arrangements? Tumpa? But she has not yet seen my message?”
The couple looked at each other. Nivedita smiled and said, “Uncle, I am also like your daughter. Isn’t it?”
"Nivedita works in the U. S. embassy. She has many connections. Tomorrow at nine-thirty sharp Dr. Taneja is going to see you in his chamber," Naren informed him.
"Oh, that's good news…. So kindly book a hotel near the Institute so that I can go there without any difficulty."
"Oh, come on, uncle. You are not going anywhere. You are staying in our house,” Nivedita said.
Naren added. "If you stay in a hotel, then my mother-in-law will become angry at us. You will feel quite comfortable here. We will also feel happy. The fact is that Nivedita is glad that, for the first time, someone from her ‘maa-er-baadi' (mother's family) has come."
"But I will still say that you need not bother. I can very well stay for a night or two in a hotel. For the last two years or so, I have been living all alone. I am quite used to it. Moreover, it is such a small house. You will feel much inconvenience in my presence."
"Uncle, although the house is small, we have plenty of room in our hearts, especially for our own family," said Naren.
Badal da had not stayed so far with any other family. He made a last attempt. He called Swati. But she pronounced her final decision, "You stay in the house; otherwise, they will feel bad."
In the evening, he wanted to go and see his daughter. He told Nivedita the address. It was a very far off place from there. They decided that they will go and see Tumpa and have their dinner together in some restaurant.
They changed two different colors of Metro train routes to reach Tumpa's address. But Tumpa had left that PG long back.
“Why didn’t she inform me about this?” Badal da became worried. He tried her phone once more, but the phone was switched off. Maybe she was preparing for the exams. She had also not seen the WhatsApp message.
Naren asked people around and got some lead from the security guard.
"She has moved near the University," Naren said, "Let us WhatsApp our address so that when she is free, she can contact us."
They went inside a big Mall. Badal da bought a necktie for Naren and a Saree for Nivedita. They weakly objected but had to accept the gifts on ‘Badol uncle’s’ behest. They had dinner in a nice restaurant, and they reached home at around ten.
Except that Tumpa had moved into another PG Hostel without any information and she was not available on the phone, Badal da was pleased spending time with the family.
He slept comfortably at night in the drawing-room on the sofa-cum-bed.
In the morning, the relaxed environment of the house changed. Early in the morning, Nivedita woke up Badal da and served him a hot cup of tea. She got busy in the kitchen. He had hardly finished his tea when Naren came out of the bathroom and asked him to take a quick shower.
In the next thirty minutes, he was dressed up and was having breakfast with Naren, while Nivedita occupied the washroom. She came out in no time, gobbled down her breakfast, gulped the glass of milk, gathered her things and her lunch box, and hurried away to her office.
Naren also got ready quickly, and both of them came out of the house. He drove Badal da in his second-hand car to the Medical Institute. He dropped him at the gate and apologized, "Sorry, uncle, I will have to rush to my office. You go straight to the reception and ask for Dr. Taneja. Someone will receive you there."
"No problem, son. You carry on. I will manage,” Badal da assured him.
"Uncle, when you are free, you have your lunch in the hospital canteen and wait there for me. I will pick you up at around one o'clock at my lunch break. And please do not move out on your own. You will get lost in this city."
Badal da smiled back at Naren. He was pleased with the way he looked concerned about him. Naren worked in an MNC and had to reach his office on time. Badal da waved him away and entered the gate of the hospital.
There was a long queue in front of the Reception. Badal da looked at his watch. Precisely at this hour, he was supposed to see Dr. Taneja. He walked towards the reception counter. Many people standing in the long queue started shouting in unison," Line se aao…. (Come in the queue. Come in the queue)
He stopped and said to the number of faces glaring at him, "Sir, I have an appointment with Dr. Taneja"
But people started resisting his advancement in a louder voice. A security guard blocked his way and said harshly, "Yahan sabko…. Here everyone has an appointment with some or the other doctor. You better stand in the queue."
“You cannot speak to me in this insulting manner,” Badal da got bewildered.
“Bhain…od, don’t try to teach me how to behave. Go and stand in the queue,” the security guard muttered something more in Haryaanwi language, which Badal da could not understand. But the crowd laughed heartily, and someone in the group passed a remark at Badal da in the same language.
Genuinely perplexed at the insult, Badal da decided not to see Dr. Taneja, and he was about to turn around and walk away when someone from the reception counter called out, "Yahan koi…Is there anyone named Badal Bhattacharjee here?....... Badal Bhattacharjee. ....... From Jamshedpur?"
“Ya-ya. I am here,” Badal da turned and walked to the reception counter. A side door was opened for him. Before he entered the door, he looked back at the security guard. He was now busy with the people, and the people in the crowd were looking at him with jealousy.
A ward boy greeted him and asked him to go to the canteen and look for Dr. Alok, who was the senior resident of Dr. Taneja’s unit.
The canteen was bustling with small groups of junior doctors gathered around small tables in a variety of different moods. Some were talking loudly, while others were enjoying snacks and tea silently. Some were discussing, and some were reading from the books in their hands. Badal da became puzzled, how to find Dr. Alok. He asked a waiter, who casually pointed to a doctor.
He walked to his table. Dr. Alok had been busy discussing some medical conditions with two of his friends. Badal da waited till he completed his argument. In the end, Dr. Alok realized that someone was standing at his side and wanted to talk to him. He turned his head and asked, "Yes, how can I help you?”
“I… I... I am …Badal Bhattacharjee from Jamshedpur,” Badal da said hesitatingly.
“Yes?” He was trying to figure out what this gentleman wanted.
Badal da got confused. Why is Dr. Alok behaving as if he was hearing my name for the first time? He might have forgotten my name, he thought and repeated, “Dr. Alok, I am Badal Bhattacharjee from Jamshedpur. Someone in the reception counter told me that you were waiting for me.”
“I was waiting for you? But why should I wait….?”
"I was told that you would take me to Dr. Taneja. ....." before Badal da could complete his sentence Dr. Alok and his friends started laughing. Badal da became perplexed.
Dr. Alok stood up and put his hand on his shoulder and said warmly, "Uncle, there are five Dr. Aloks on the campus. Probably you are looking for Dr. Alok Bhatnagar. He is the senior resident of Dr. Taneja. See, he is sitting there at the corner table alone.”
“Oh, I am so sorry,” Badal da apologized.
"Never mind. It happens," said Dr. Alok and got himself busy with his friends.
Badal da thanked him and went to Dr. Alok Bhatnagar. When he saw Badal da approaching him, he immediately understood who he was and greeted him warmly.
"It is a tea break. Dr. Taneja will see you in …say ten minutes from now. In the meanwhile, we can wait here, and if you like, I can order tea and some snacks for you."
Badal da did not feel like taking anything at the moment. He politely refused. He sat in one of the chairs and put the thick file of papers on his lap. He suddenly became nervous to think that in the next ten minutes, he will be facing the best Gastro doctor in the country. He took out his list of complaints and ran through it once again.
Exactly after ten minutes, Dr. Alok entered Dr. Taneja’s chamber. Badal da was behind him. Dr. Taneja was a nicely dressed, clean-shaven senior doctor in his late fifties. He stood up and greeted him by shaking hands with him, "Hello, Mr. Badal Bhattacharya. I hope you did not have to wait for me for too long. Please take your seat.”
He sat down in his chair and asked if he wanted to have a cup of coffee. Badal da was so nervous that he could not speak a single word. He shook his head slightly to convey a NO in an extremely polite manner and placed his thick file on the table in front of him.
Dr. Taneja immediately took out the papers from the file and started glancing through them. In the end, he handed over the file to Dr. Alok and asked, "So Mr. Badal, I have gone through all your reports. Now tell me your real problem."
“Sir, can I tell you in full detail?” asked Badal da hesitatingly.
Dr. Taneja smiled and looked at Dr. Alok, “We must hear the complete detail from Mr. Badal’s mouth in his own words. ……. History taking is the most important aspect of a case workup. …Do you know Alok, we were encouraged by our teachers in the Medical College to rely on our clinical senses and take the help of pathology and other investigations only to substantiate our diagnosis. Now let us listen to Mr. Badal very intently. Yes, Mr. Badal, you can start telling your problems from the beginning,” he fixed his eyes on Badal da.
"I am facing a crisis in my job….,” and Badal da related everything about his boss and the VRS. He explained that Ms. Swati had consoled him and suggested him to see Dr. Taneja. He also told him how his final opinion would save him from a forced premature retirement. He got encouraged with the concern that Dr. Taneja showed on hearing his real problem. Then he took out his long list of complaints. As long as Badal da read out from his list of complaints, neither Dr. Taneja nor Dr. Alok interrupted him. When he finished, he looked at Dr. Taneja's face.
Dr. Taneja changed his posture and relaxed in his chair. He asked Dr. Alok, "So, did you see we got many clues from a detailed history of the complaints. Now, what would you like to ask from Mr. Badal?"
Badal da wondered if there was anything left for them to ask after listening to his problems in detail and going through the case history file. Dr. Alok asked, "Sir, did you have this peculiar stomach problem when your wife was alive?"
Before Badal da could answer, Dr. Taneja, praised him in a loud voice, "Good Dr. Alok, you are on the right track. Yes, Mr. Badal, tell us."
How could this question help them diagnose my case? This thought crossed Badal da's mind. But he said politely, that he had no problem for quite sometime after his wife's death.
“Now ask the second question,” Dr. Taneja instigated Dr. Alok.
“Sir, tell us something about your food habit. Do you take food in a restaurant very often?”
"After my daughter left home for her MBA, I arranged my meals very nicely. In the morning, I take my breakfast and lunch in my office-canteen. They serve hygienic food at a subsidized rate. In the evening, I get ‘home-cooked’ food from ‘Falcon kitchen Services’.”
“Did your stomach problem start after your daughter left home for her higher studies?”
"I can't say. But as far as I can remember while she was with me, I seldom ever visited our dispensary."
“Where is your son?”
“He has migrated to Australia. He is an IT professional. Last time he came to India two years back when her mother died,” Badal da said.
Dr. Alok looked at Dr. Taneja and smiled. Dr. Taneja asked Dr. Alok to present the case, “Now tell me the presenting complaints?”
Badal da looked at his list of complaints and was ready to cross-check if Dr. Alok missed out on a few complaints. Dr. Alok said, "Sir, Mr. Badal has ‘Multiple Complaints'."
What does he mean by summarizing my long list of complaints in just two words – multiple complaints? He is sure to get a scolding from his boss, Badal da thought.
But he saw a smile on Dr. Taneja’s face, “Good.”
Good! Badal da couldn't believe his ears. It is an insult to me. I am so critically ill, and these doctors are making fun of me by saying I have multiple problems. How does this explain my medical condition? He said to himself.
He was agitated and could not stop himself from saying, "I beg your pardon, sir, but I am suffering a lot because of my stomach problems. You can't just ignore all those health issues by saying that I am having multiple problems."
Dr. Alok placed his hand on Badal da’s shoulder and tried to calm him down, “Sir, please do not get upset. It is our medical terminology, and it means everything that you said you are suffering from. This is how we summarize your presenting complaints in short."
“Don’t you think this is too short a term?” Badal da commented.
"Please calm down, sir. Both of us have listened to you in detail. When Dr. Alok said multiple complaints, I completely understood," Dr. Taneja had to intervene, "Now let us proceed with our discussion. Yes, Dr. Alok, tell me what is your provisional diagnosis?”
"Sir, after going through all the reports, my first differential diagnosis would be CAPS.”
But unfortunately, Badal da heard crap. He was taken aback but kept his cool. He looked very pathetic. He watched the faces of both the doctors who were making a mockery of him in their so-called medical terminology. My disease is nothing but a Crap! How can they use such an offensive term for me?
He felt a strong urge just to collect his papers and walk out of the room.
Quite ignorant of his emotional turmoil, both the doctors continued discussing his case. When he concentrated on their discussion, he realized that they were considering his condition very seriously. Then he thought that CRAP must be an abbreviation of some medical condition. Now he started thinking If I search this terminology in the Google it will show something like ‘Colonel Ross Adams Public....wait a minute, did I hear them correctly? They were probably saying FAPS and not CRAP.
Immediately he felt relieved and was excited to correct their diagnosis. He interrupted them, “Sir-sir-sir…. The diagnosis made by Dr. Varghese was not CRAP but FAPS…FAPS.”
He gave them a witty smile. Both the doctors smiled back at him.
"You are right, Mr. Badal. FAPS and CAPS are two different names of the same disease," said Dr. Taneja.
"Oh, you said CAPS……sorry sir…. I am extremely sorry. I thought you said CRAP. That's what I was wondering how come you can call my ailment a crap…. sorry sir. Now I will not say anything. I promise. You can please continue," Badal da felt quite ashamed.
Dr. Alok resumed the case discussion, "Sir, but I would like to rule out H. pylori and IBS at the same time."
“OK, but don’t you think that the symptoms do not suggest H. pylori and CECT Abdomen has already ruled out IBS?" asked Dr. Taneja.
Now, what are these new terms called IBS and H something…. oh god, how fluently they use these medical terms? Badal da was thinking. But he refrained from asking anything at this moment. He made a mental note of the name IBS and decided that he would ask about it later, or maybe he will search it in Google.
"Sir, after all, we reached to this diagnosis of CAPS only through the method of exclusion. So I would like to exclude IBS. At times H. pylori can also have a presentation different from the classic one," said Dr. Alok
Again they are talking of ‘Diagnosis through the method of exclusion' Badal da had a strong urge to vent his irritation about this term. But he decided to listen to them.
“So what more investigations would you like to do? Please remember we have his stool examination reports, which his hospital has done several times."
“Sir, please do not rely on our dispensary reports. They are all misleading. You can do it again if you like,” suddenly Badal da spoke out.
The doctors didn't pay any attention to him. Dr. Alok continued, "Sir, I was thinking of ‘Capsule Endoscopy'."
“Dr. Alok, please don’t talk about high sounding medical advancements.”
“No-no sir, let Dr. Alok do the test. I am ready,” Badal da interrupted.
“No, I don't approve. It is a very costly test. You can get better results with UGIE, colonoscopy and barium studies,” Dr. Taneja rejected the idea.
Badal da insisted, “Please do not mind about the cost of the tests. If they are needed, then I will get the tests done. No issue with money.”
Dr. Taneja looked at Badal da and said firmly, “Why do you want to go for the tests and spend around thirty to thirty-five thousand rupees when we can rule out IBS by simpler and much cheaper tests?”
Thirty-five thousand rupees for a test? Badal da’s head started spinning.
"So we have finally decided that we will do UGIE, Barium studies and Colonoscopy. Dr. Alok, please arrange for an early appointment for these tests. We will discuss after the results are available," Dr. Taneja got up from his chair, marking the end of the discussion. He had to go somewhere. So he took leave and walked out of his chamber.
Dr. Alok, in next half an hour, was able to fix his appointments for all the tests for tomorrow. He prescribed him some medicines for ‘Bowel Preparation'. He asked him to take a light meal early in the evening, take the medication for bowel preparation and report an empty stomach the next morning at eight in the department.
Next day Badal da was very excited about the new set of tests. He felt happy that he decided to come to Delhi. After all, the premier medical institution had a broad vision of the disease and the sufferings of humankind. If he did not come to Delhi, probably his diagnosis would have been missed.
But soon, his delight withered away with the series of events that followed after the tests started on the following morning.
First, he was asked to swallow a thick tube. He could not believe his ears. How could anyone swallow a tube? But the attending doctor and the technicians insisted and assured him time and again that it will go smoothly. There is nothing to worry about. Somehow they pushed the tube inside. With the tube inside his throat, he was unable to speak and could only produce a grunting sound. Out of pain and discomfort, tears welled up into Badal da's eyes. He got irritated because he had agreed for this test.
Before he could recover from the pain, he was again subjected to a series of humiliations. They stripped him off and put tubes and whatnot in his rear end. He was lying on his side, writhing with pain on every movement of the machine inside his body. For a long time, they fiddled with his rear end. Badal da was shedding tears, panting and moaning more because of the embarrassment and shame than the real pain.
He was repenting for his decision to have given his consent for the test. He immediately decided that in the future, he will first listen to the whole procedure before deciding to go for any test if at all they suggested any more tests.
Later he quietly asked Dr. Alok about the costly test he was suggesting the other day. He was told that it was quite a simple procedure. He just had to swallow a capsule fitted with a miniature camera, which would take a series of photographs of his food pipe as the capsule passed through different parts of the food canal. At the end of three to four days, they would have a complete picture of every inch of his food pipe without Badal da having to subject him for this ignominy. He repented a lot for being so mean. Only to save a few bucks, I have made fun of me.
He was asked to take rest on a bed, while his reports were being prepared. Badal da thought about the whole misadventure, which left him battered and wounded.
At the same time, he was filled with praise for Dr. Alok for suggesting such a gentleman’s procedure.
These young doctors are smart and value the dignity of a man more than the old rusted doctors like Dr. Taneja, who believed more in arriving at a diagnosis without giving it a damn to inhuman handling of their patients, he thought.
But soon he had to change his opinion. A group of medical students and internees came to see him. Dr. Alok asked them to take his case history and examine him. He said, “The one who diagnoses this case will get a treat from me in the evening.”
They quickly flocked around him and started asking questions. They poked fingers and drummed his abdomen one by one. Badal da suffered this assault silently till one internee asked permission to do a PR examination.
He was cautious this time. He had decided to get the details of the procedure before subjecting him for any test. When he was told the details of the process, he got infuriated. He registered his objection very strongly. I will not allow anyone again to put his finger inside me, he said to himself. Now he was more annoyed with Dr. Alok for challenging the internees to diagnose his case.
Dr. Taneja informed Badal da that the tests revealed that there was nothing wrong. He was a case of CAPS, and he need not worry. Dr. Taneja prescribed him some medicines. He was also asked to take home-cooked food, maintain personal hygiene and stay relaxed. His biopsy results would take some time to be available, so he was told if he wanted, he could go back to Jamshedpur. They would send his reports along with Dr. Taneja's comments by email later.
Badal da had been given some tranquilizer at the beginning of the procedure. He was not feeling well and could not concentrate on the things that Dr. Taneja told him. He was, in fact, a little dazed.
It was almost the time when Nivedita returned from her office. He switched on his cell phone, called Naren and told him that he would take a cab for going home. Messages were pending in his inbox. He did not feel like reading them. In the cab, he closed his eyes and tried to forget all the humiliations he had faced today.
The cab dropped him in front of the Flat complex. Nivedita and Naren had not come back from their work. He wanted to sit down for a while. He looked around and found a narrow green patch with two benches. It was surrounded and protected by an iron fence of about knee height. He could not locate the entrance gate and hence jumped inside.
He threw his file on the bench and stretched out. He took out his cell phone and saw that there were messages from his daughter Tumpa.
He read them one after another. She had complained that she called him many times, but his phone was switched off. She had been busy with her final exams and hence did not see his messages earlier. She had scolded him for visiting Delhi when she had her final exams going. She had written she was coming to see him at around six for a brief period as she had an important paper day after tomorrow. Badal da made a bad face and burped. He was not at all feeling well.
Suddenly he felt very lonely and became sad. He hung his head over his shoulder and tried to relax a bit. But Tumpa’s words kept coming to him. He sent her a message – Please don’t bother to come. I am fine and going back by tomorrow morning flight.
Suddenly he felt a surge of abominable sensation rising in his belly. He switched off the mobile phone and stretched out little more on the uncomfortable bench. He closed his eyes.
Soon the tranquilizer numbed his senses and he dozed off.
