A Renowned Laparoscopic And Bariatric Surgeon From India.
Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker There are good days and then there are the bad days. How much ever we wish for life to follow a logical course, every day the sun rises with new challenges. Some that can be tackled, some that are pushed …
By- Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker I am a Mumbai girl and nothing defines Mumbai better than its local trains. Over the last few months, I have gradually shifted to using local trains a lot more than my car, which to be honest is more of …
“THE GIRL IN THE HIJAB”
By- Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
It was midnight as I stepped out of Mumbai airport. I had had a busy week at work. This was a week that pulled me down in many ways. Certain incidents in the week kept me wondering about the lot of women in our country. How women not only fail to question certain norms, but feel compelled to conform to outdated traditional values even if it comes at a heavey price that they may have to pay.
It was midnight and I desperately wanted to get home at the earliest and get some rest. At the prepaid taxi counter I was informed that I will be getting a “woman driven cab”. As I stepped out to find the cab, I was pleasantly surprised to see this young girl in Jean’s and shirt and a hijab that covered her head. She greeted me with a warm smile and we started our journey together. “Mam, I am not very familiar with the roads of Mumbai, please do guide me”.
At 12.30 am in the night, I was being driven home by a girl in a hijab who was crazy about driving cars and was completely okay with driving around the city alone, in the dark hours of the night without a care. I asked her if her family was okay with her work and she just said that, it didn’t really matter… she just loved to drive.
Normally when I sit in a cab, first thing I do is to ask the cabby to switch off the music. But, yesterday, while I felt emotionally depleted, her energy was infectious and it changed something inside me. I needed a sign to tell me that all is not wrong with this world and there is a lot to be hopeful for. She loved Bollywood music. We kept the music on and chatted along the way. At the end of the journey, I told her that I was proud of her for being so brave and a million dollar smile lit up her face.
It lifted my spirits as I realized that women across the world are breaking barriers one step at a time. The journey is long and the destination very far, but it is heartening to meet such lovely women for whom breaking barriers comes naturally. They make us hope that all is not wrong with the world and it indeed is going to be a better place in future. May their tribe grow.
I guess inspiration is all around us, we just need to open our eyes and hearts to find it.
#HerStory #Priyadarshini #womendrivencabs #wethewomen #womenempowerment #motivation #inspiration #womenofindia
Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker Bariatric and Laparoscopic GI Surgeon, Global Hospital, Parel; Apollo group of hospitals, Currae hospital, Thane; Namaha and Suchak Hospitals, Kandivali and Malad It is widely believed that the cohort of children born in the year 2000 in the USA, may live …
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker Come December and its the season of weddings. Be it DeepVeer, Nickyanka or the Ambani extravaganza, this year it seems to be unending. Social media has gone into a frantic frenzy with hundreds of shared images of exquisite wedding locales, star …
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
As the year comes to an end, we finally wrapped up writing, editing, rediting and re-re- editing our book on doctor- patient relationships. Oh no…dont get me wrong! This is not a promotional post! Those will come later :), closer to the release, and there is still some time for that!
However, as we spent hours researching facts and hard data on doctor patient relationships, one fact that really struck me very deeply was that 92% of patients “trust” their doctors! For more than 25 years, medical professionals have topped the charts by being the most trusted profession of all. People trust their doctors more than they trust teachers, judges, engineers, professors and lawyers…… Need I say anything about media, government, politicians and advertising? I dare not…. I can just blame it on the data! Lol ?
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
In this era where negative news sells like hot cakes and probably rakes all the moolah, positive news tends to get buried under the weight of all the negativity. No one is interested in the positive. Positive ofcourse is boring. Which newspaper would like to publish that today 10,000 patients underwent successful medical treatment in the city of Mumbai! Is that even news? No way…But ofcourse they would jump on- “one patient had a complication” or “one doctor screwed up” or “xyz sues abc”. That is interesting and that makes people buy newspapers and watch news channels!
Coming back to the core issue of doctor patient relationships. Today a lot of patients think that doctors are predators. Infact some doctors also think that doctors are predators! Well……what can I say to that……….On the other hand, a lot of doctors view every new patient as a prospective litigant. No one can blame us for being defensive because afterall, tomorrow we may get sued for some rare test that we didnt order. ©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
However, the fact that more than 90% of the patients still trust their doctors places us at a very important “Y” junction. I think this is the time to initiate a conversation. Not every doctor is a predator and not every patient is a potential litigant. In day to day life, doctors and patients generally share a beautiful relationship. Most of us doctors, enjoy conversing with our patients, some of our patients become our best friends, we wake up to messages filled with heartfelt gratitude and most us have the talent to connect with others easily. As for patients, most of them have high regards for their doctors, they share their darkest secrets with us and trust us deeply. Afterall they place their lives in our hands. Having said that, even though this is a transactional relationship and there is a fee to service, no amount of money can ever be equated with the value of life and the weight of responsibility on the doctor’s shoulder.
In the recent years, morale in the medical community has been at its lowest. There have been increasing incidents of assaults on doctors, hospitals being vandalised and all kinds of violence pervading into our system. Politicians (including you know who!) and media have just added fuel to the fire. ©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
Doctors today have the highest rate of depression and suicide. Burn out rate amongst medical residents is one of the highest in the world. We probably are the only profession made to feel guilty about charging a fair fee and have to justify it every single time. Most doctors I know and that includes myself, do not want their next generation to be a doctor. ©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
So, where are we heading in 2019? Are there any solutions to these questions. In my mind the solution is evident. I agree that their are outliers amongst doctors and patients but more than 90% of doctors are good doctors, and more than 90% of patients, trust these good doctors.
Need of the hour is to generate more positivity from both the sides. Somewhere the tracks have to converge and a conversation needs to be initiated. Fear of laws can only help us temporarily but ultimately the behaviour of people is reflective of the society they live in. It is heartening to see such reports and it gives us hope that the present and the future are not as bad as they are made out to be. Just like patients are looking for doctors they can trust, doctors are also encouraged when patients trust them. I hope and pray that the new year brings a fresh wave of change and positivity. This shall not be a twain that will never meet!
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
Ref: IPSOS Mori veracity index 2018
#doctorpatientrelationship
Author- Mariam Lakdawala (Registered Dietician) Common questions I generally get from my patients suffering from obesity, “I don’t eat much, still why am I gaining weight?” “I eat less than one of my friend, but why is she so thin and I am not?” My …
Author- Mariam Lakdawala, Registered Dietician The most common observation made among diabetic patients is that they generally grab on sugar or sugary beverages when they get hypoglycaemic (a drop in the blood sugar levels). But are these sugar shots really helpful? Temporarily – yes, but …
Honeymoon period is basically the golden period in the first year post bariatric surgery wherein the patient experiences drastic weight loss. Obesity surgery leads to weight loss through a combination of various mechanisms such as restriction of food intake, a decrease in hunger sensation, mal-absorption of calories, action of gut microbes and hormonal activity in the gut.
An interesting fact about the “post-bariatric surgery honeymoon phase” is that it is relatively longer than the “post-marriage honeymoon phase”. However, like the other one, this too is a temporary phase which sadly comes to an end after 6-9 months of surgery. After about 6 months or so, weight loss starts slowing down, but continues to happen until 1 year-18 months. Most patients reach the nadir of weight loss between 18 to 24 months.
By the end of 12 to 18 months, there is a considerable increase in food intake and hunger. Bariatric surgery is a tool that must be used for pushing one into a lifestyle change. Patients who embrace a healthy diet and an exercise regime, tend to do better in the long term. Varying degrees of weight regain is seen after obesity surgery in the long term. Regular follow up is the key to maintenance of weight loss in the long term.
In the first 6 to 9 months after the surgery, the main focus must be on conditioning the mind to, adopt a low calorie well balanced diet:
Mindful eating
The story doesn’t end on what to eat, how to eat? how much to eat? When to eat? Is equally important. Given below is the cycle of mindful eating created to make you more mindful about your eating habits.
Mindful eating basically involves the practise of eating food slowly, in a relaxed environment by limiting other distractions so that you can focus well on your meals. As a result, you will be more conscious of portions and food intake.
Make exercise a way of life – Engage in any form of physical activity daily for at least 40-45 minutes. Make exercising fun by engaging in the activities you like so that you don’t leave it in between.
In addition to a focused exercise, increase the nonspecific exercise activities like usinga stairs instead of taking elevators or escalators, park your vehicle a little away from the intended destination, avoid using vehicle for short distances, etc
Stay away from lifestyle stressors like alcohol, smoking, erratic sleeping, sedentary lifestyle, work stress, etc.
Engage in meditation/ yoga/ breathing techniques or spend 30-40 minutes of your time daily in any activity that keeps you away from negative thoughts.
Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker is one of the best bariatric surgeons in India and is associated as a consultant bariatric surgeon in Mumbai with many renowned hospitals.
Author: Mariam Lakdawala RD Bariatric nutritionist and diabetic educator Hair loss is one of the most important concerns that patients have after weight-loss/bariatric surgery. In the first 6 months, more than normal amount of hair fall may be experienced depending upon the age, gender, genetic …