It's been a year since this honour ! 💙💙
Time flies ....
I was felicitated by the honorable President of India ,Smt Draupadi Murmu ji, for my work in cancer care and palliative care.
A memory I cherish and am proud of! Jai Hind!
I hd Covid n was admitted for 6 days. This picture will stay with me. For the ones reading this tweet- they are humans too! As a mental health professional I couldn't help but be there for them. Follow the thread ..
#COVIDSecondWave
#COVID19
#COVID
Lemme tell you - it is not the God at
#KumbhMela2021
or the politicians at
#election
rallies that is protecting the Covid patients , it is the
#HCW
. How can any Covid protocols be followed in such places.
The trauma women experience when they go for a consultation to a gynecologist in India?
A young lady , accompanied by her mom, went to a gynaecologist. After the initial discussion, the dr asked " are u sexually active?" . The young woman replied , " Yes!".
@SonaliVaid
+
I asked a nurse on duty - how long have you been doing this?
She said Since Covid hit. I hv a son who stays with my parents. For the first few months of Covid I stayed in the hostel. I didnt go home. Now he has exams, so I finish my duty..go home teach
him.....My husband works in the gulf. He is coming home after 4 years. I want to go to the airport to receive him but can't. She is a mother , a wife n a daughter.
There is a mausi who gets a glass of water for me. I thank her and she says -no one has said that to me ever.
And then she narrated the story of her life. How she has a family , how tough its been for her!
10 minutes later , we have formed a bond.
A male nurse comes up to chk my vitals. I strike a conversation with him.I I asked " heard you perform CPR yesterday night.
Him- the patient died. We tried our best n we speak for some more time
I thank him for being there. He wanted to express his anguish at losing a pt.
A sister told me that their biological clock has been disrupted. They have stomach problems, ulcers in their mouth and if one of them is menstruating , changing a sanitary pad is a humanly impossible task.
For the ones who don't know -once the HCP wear their PPE's they cant even go pass urine. They don't eat or drink for hours so that they dont have the urge to use the Loo. If its urgent, they go in a loo reserved for them and then they have to get into new PPE's
I saw the hospital staff bearing the load of the damn virus! I made conversations with the sisters and brothers....With the housekeeping staff...With the young doctors on duty there, with my consultant who came in too see me and support me.
In front of a huge crowd, this young woman had to tell the USG department that since the dr has advised a TVS, it has to be done. Imagine how this young lady must have felt. Isn't this abuse?? What is this fixation with marriage and being sexually active? And who gives+
the people at the reception the right to ask if a woman is married or not?? Where is her right to privacy? If the gynecologist had written in the prescription that a TVS was needed, then why put the young woman through such scrutiny!! +
This happened at a very renowned corporate hospital in Delhi! The young lady is now so upset that she refuses to go to that hospital!
Can such corporate hospitals conduct sensitisation classes for their employees? Can they be taught to put their personal views n biases away +
And respect the pt's right to privacy.
This is one such horror story I am sharing, there are thousands more where women instead of feeling supported get traumatized!
This is the blood that runs through my veins! My father fought two wars -65 n 71. My husband ,a proud infantry soldier. Am so bloody proud :) of the Indian Defence Forces. Always n forever India first! We stay indebted to each one of them !
#jaihind
#jaihindkisena
#COVID19India
Delhi govt requests urgent deployment of the Indian Army. When all else fails, we always turn to the ONE institution that never disappoints, never lets us down; always fighting for us till their last breath.
Eternally grateful. Eternally.
Thank you
@ShivAroor
for this ! We , the army wives, live such moments innumerable times! Praying with every breath for our soldiers safety - nothing else matters! We can take care of everything if we know he is safe. It doesn't matter if we don't see him for months +
Today is 13 yrs since I was diagnosed with cancer. It's my
#cancerversary
:)
I am very vocal and keep raising my voice for the cause of
#Cancer
. One of the main reasons is that cancer continues to be a disease that has many Stigmas/ myths associated with it.
#cancerawareness
+
Done and dusted 😃 Got the first jab of
#Covishield
yesterday. For ppl who are skeptical - I m a cancer survivor, a Covid survivor , hv uncontrolled asthma, tachycardia and a few other health challenges. If I can take it then why can't u!
#vaccination
@aparanjape
The receptionist said , ' the USG dept says that u cannot undergo a TVS'. The young woman's mother interjected n said , " if the dr has advised then where is the problem." But that didn't satisfy the PPL at the USG department. They Insisted on speaking to the young lady on ph +
The dr advised TVS ! The woman went to the reception for the billing. There were many people sitting in the waiting area. The receptionist called the USG department and asked the young lady ' are u married?" . The woman said , "No!"
"I was diagnosed with cancer. So I took ayurvedic immunotherapy. I was feeling well but the tumors in my lungs were growing" says a 25yr old female patient , with metastatic lung carcinoma with a poor prognosis. What is Ayurvedic immunotherapy? 😡(1)
#ayurveda
What you say to someone going through
#cancer
can effect them deeply. Choose your words wisely! Your words can help build them up or break them down. This is me talking about what was told to me during and after cancer happened to me.
#cancerwarrior
#cancerstruggles
#words
I met Savitri on the beach in Mumbai. She earns a living by applying Mehendi on the palms of those who visit the beach. She kept following me and insisted I should get mehendi too. I wasn't keen. But her enthusiasm and smile prompted me to stop and speak to her. She told me +
Can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you Sonali. Cancer, of any kind, is devastating. Thank God u r in remission now. But u know what there r many cancer centres in India who do Incredible work in saving lives. 1/5
Five years ago, I chose
@MSKCancerCenter
in New York for lifesaving care from a team of oncologists and surgeons. In 2022, I was honoured to cut the ribbon with distinguished guests at MSK’s India centre in Chennai. Today, MSK serves India via a remote
#secondopinion
program, and
Can I have Sex during n after cancer?
During counseling of cancer patients I hv been asked this question very often - Can I be intimate with my spouse.
The Answer to this is YES!
#Cancer
#cancerandsex
#intimacy
(1)
As per my understanding ( am I wrong) if someone tests + for
#Covid
n has mild symptoms they need isolation, rest n pcm sos. I tested + 3 days back n this is the prescription I got. A bucket full of medicines. I had to reach out to the pulmonologist under whose care I am +
I was at the emergency/ casualty at
@TataMemorial
to counsel a wife n daughter whose husband/dad was taking his last breaths. The casualty was full! And still more pts kept coming in. The staff on duty put in extra beds, stretchers even wheelchairs
@cspramesh
1/3
It's OK FOR MEN TO CRY !!
I was talking to a fine gentleman who has been diag with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. During counseling he broke down very often. He asked me if he shd tell his boss abt the diag . I said he most certainly shd. He replied ' I will wait till I am +
Can we normalise talking about BREASTS! I was talking to a father who lost his 38yr old daughter to
#breastCancer
. She was diagnosed late! He has started a movement to raise awareness about
#Cancer
n early detection. Tagging fr better reach
@AnantBhan
@cspramesh
@SirohiBhawna
A person dying of cancer shd be either at home or in a hospice , not in an ICU! This person deserves to be in the company of family n loved ones ; not surrounded by unknown PPL,monitors, venti n other medical equipment . ICU denies them of love, care n dignity +
#PalliativeCare
🧵When elderly parents want to talk about their death, most children are either evasive or avoid listening to them. They respond by saying ' why r u talking like this ' ! Can we as children face the truth? No one will live forever. If our parents want to talk about dying +
My husband is an infantry officer. Out of 23 yrs of service he put in, he served majority of his tenures in the militant infested areas. So many times the bullet missed him, there were days when I didn't hear from him for days
@cspramesh
1/7
Let us respect, and express the deep gratitude that we have for our armed forces. "I'll lay down my life to protect you" are not mere words for them. They live it, every single day. Respect. 🙏
So I survived
#CANCER
! It was an early detection ! Early detection saves lives- this is what I know and hear and believe in. But have the non- C people ever wondered what it is like to be a survivor! Let me share a chapter from my diary !
#cancersurvivor
#stories
#Cancers
1/5
Husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 cholingiocarcinoma. The wife has consulted many Oncologists n alll concur that prognosis is v poor. The wife seeks ayurveda treatment (she is desperate n I empathise with her) where she is told that +
#Cancer
#alternatetreatment
#quackery
A lot of ppl are reaching out wanting to know - How much do I charge for cancer Counseling ?? Ans - ZILCH ! 😀 Irrespective of your background. Why ? - my conscience doesn't permit!
Just grateful to play my part !
#palliativecare
#counseling
.
Cancer is not a ' rich man's' disease ! Every day at work is a reminder how poverty shuts the doors to not only treatment options but also the right to live ! Will India ever have equity in health care or will it forever be an inaccessible dream!
Like a well oiled machinery kept at it! Casualty at
#TMH
sees many critical pt's. It's a tough place to be in - emotionally n professionally ! Sometimes it's tough on the treating team ! They do their best , let's appreciate them! Thank you! 3/3
Proton beam therapy will be offered at TMH,Actrec centre at Kharghar, Mumbai.The facility,the first in public set up in India,will provide the cutting edge proton beam treatment for free to 60% of the pts n remaining 40% can avail at subsidised rates! ❤️
To all the health care professionals - treat a patient as you would like to be treated if you were to ever go through an illness- with respect, kindness, dignity, compassion, understanding, courtesy and honesty. Remember they are as human as you are +
#patientadvocate
Can we normalise talking about BREASTS!
Breast Ca some years back was more prevalent in menopausal women but now younger women, some in their 20's,r also being detected. The first step to early detection is to break the taboo associated with Breasts +
#BreastCancerAwarenessMonth
I celebrate my
#cancerversary
today :)14 yrs since! Every day has been a challenge, it hasn't been easy but I am lucky to be alive. I am grateful for the gift called LIFE! It reminds me everyday how fortunate I am for my friends,my family my work n the LOVE which keeps me going!
Got a call from a daughter whose mother is dying of Bile duct
#Cancer
!
The mother is on supportive care n in severe pain. They live in Pune. The daughter still doesn't know that the mother is dying. I gently broke the news to her and urged them to reach out to +
🧵LOVE STORY ❣️
I met him on the day he was diag with stage 4 lung ca! He was angry n crying. "Why me? I am a non smoker, never had alcohol, I am just 27 yrs of age..." We spoke for almost an hour. It's been 4 yrs since. He has progressed with brain mets n now is on 2nd line of+
Her husband can be cured. It's so sad that the helpless keep falling prey to such quackery and false claims. They r misled n go thru more trauma. When will the govt realise that this needs regulations and should be stopped.
Do not confuse sex that is biological to gender which is social...great advocacy Dr
@ARanganathan72
sir! Thank you.
Hope the CJI will take cognizance of this. CGI sir , India's
#LGBTQI
community deserve the same human rights as the other citizens of this great country!
For the Chief Justice to confuse gender with sex and claim there is no such thing as an absolute concept of a biological man, is not only anti-science, it is dangerous if applied to the fields of medicine and forensics. He/She/It must come clean and apologise.
My views:
To confirm if I needed all that's advised. He said ' Vandana stop all that n stick to your regular inhalers n if needed start steroids incase of asthma exacerbation '. I am lucky that I am under his care, there r so many who will hv the cocktail of drugs advised to me !
Majority of the Indian population DOES not hv the monetary capabilities to seek treatment from abroad or centres like MSK. They go to centres like
@TataMemorial
, Adyar cancer institute,
@CCHRC_Silchar
, Mahavir cancer hospital,
@aiims_newdelhi
n more where they get treated 2/5
A 38yr old diag with lung CA called me now . Ma'am I am scared , he said . He asked,"Will I get alright?". Most difficult ques to ans. I replied - cancer won't go away but the treatment will allow u to lead a good qol ".
#palliativecare
#counseling
1/4
Is there a regulatory body in India that looks into such falsely claimed cures? How many more lives will be left at the mercy of these unverified treatment methods. (3)
#oncologists
#cancer
#alternative
#medicine
A 10-bed cancer hospital operating under a thatched hut in Hardoi district, UP, was found with expired registration.
The hospital charged Rs 30,000 per month for cancer treatment. Read more🔗
Shd come up n support the Indian Cancer centres. I in no way mean that ur suffering was less but ur tweet gives out the msg that people with more money have better access to treatment options. It also is a brazen display of the glaring inequity in healthcare in rural India 4/5
Where the poor are sentenced to death cuz they hv no money to seek expensive treatment.
Thru ur experience please instill confidence in the Cancer institutions in India that provide 'world - class' treatment at affordable prices. Wishing u good health n happiness 5/5
@iamrijoy
More power to you guys! It youngsters like you who will change the narrative of the naysayers! Bring it on haters, the next gen are out to bring the much needed change! ❤️❤️ And keep dancing !
@ShivAroor
Heart broken 💔. How many more lives will be lost, how many more families will be destroyed, how many more children will lose their parents !
@narendramodi
@drharshvardhan
@PMOIndia
she died because of delay in getting an ICU! Any answer u can give to the toddler ?
#COVID19
I got my first dose a month back. If I can ...why can't you! To answer few queries I hv got ..
I hv :
1. Uncontrolled asthma
2. Arrhythmia
3. I live with a rare condition in which if I don't take my meds today I will die within 24/48 hrs
@AnantBhan
@cspramesh
When you meet the father of Palliative care in India , you can't stop gushing with happiness.
@mrraj47
sir hearing you speak in person and interacting with you has been an absolute delight.
@palliumindia
This needs to be emphasized more Dr
@cspramesh
. We need more voices from India to talk about the efficiency and competence of our oncologists and our cancer centres. The best is available in India!
Extremely happy that your cancer is under control,
@iamsonalibendre
but why do you want to create the impression that you need treatment outside India to be able to get the best chances of cure from cancer? Many cancer centres in India are as good if not better
@CancerGridIndia
Losing a loved one to
#Covid
is trauma which many around us r struggling with. In these difficult times Mindtemple-Madat Trust has started a much needed initiative for bereavement support. Read on fr details
@AnantBhan
@cspramesh
@SonaliVaid
#COVID19India
@maryashakil
I am not against her being interviewed. I also feel one is innocent till proven guilty. But before that you should have had your facts in place. How is maligning dead people justified. Can they also come on you channel and say there side of the story.
The wife choked on her tears. So Ketto tells her "your video is not appropriate hence we will not start a campaign for you". As per the lady they even took 18K from her!
#ketto
, is this how you behave with patients and their families???? This is harrasment !
S is only 33yrs old. 3 yrs back when she was in the 6th month of her pregnancy, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. The parents-to-be were told that their baby may not be born 'normal'. The baby born was healthy ( God bless the child). S was on TKI's
#PalliativeCare
#cancer
1/5
@cspramesh
@TataMemorial
15 days back I took a friend of mine n her daughter to TMH as they wanted to donate. While we were filling up the form , there was a toddler who needed platelets. My friends daughter donated immediately. It costs nothing.Ur blood/platelets will save lives. It's safe to go to TMH
At the time of diagnosis , had this girl followed the accepted , approved and effective treatment , the intent would have been curative not palliative as it is now. (2)
to adjust them n provide the medical care req! There was no place to move around but the staff scurried around, pushing through small spaces to ensure that every pt was attended to! Each1 - Dr, nurses, mausis, the ward boys, the ones putting the stretchers- 2/3
@ARanganathan72
sir thank you for saying what you have. Which person is willing to die saving someone whom they don't know which person sacrifices one's life to get an award posthumously . As someone who has seen armed forces both as a daughter n +
There are no ‘Two Indias’ today. From the hills of Coonoor where we lined up to the valley of Galwan where our coffins did, we are one. From the general for who we cry Yatraham Vijayastatra to the Colonel for who we ask Keta 9GR Ko, we are one.
My tribute:
In India, so many affected by cancer die in pain.They don't have access to
#morphine
. They plead for pain relief which they don't get!
Hope this can change someday; pain relief can drastically improve the QOL and no one should have to beg for it
#terminalcancer
#palliativecare
“For terminal
#cancer
patients like me
#morphine
is a wonderful medication. I take time-release morphine twice a day&will continue to do so until I die. It doesn’t kill the pain from my bone metastases completely, but it dampens it down like nothing else.”
You are human , you are scared - you can cry. Tears are not a sign of weakness. It's ok to be vulnerable. Crying is not gender specific.....all humans hurt . ". It was as if a burden was off his shoulders.....! He sent me a message ' I am happy today. Thank you'. +
To understand
#palliativecare
read 'walk with the weary' by Dr
@mrraj47
. Each chapter is a life lesson, not only to the likes of us in pall care but also for every human being. Thank you sir for sharing ur journey n experience through this book.
@palliumindia
+
Be it Mumbai or Delhi, Be it a small village in WB or in Jharkhand palliative care continues to be inaccessible to those who have terminal cancer. Thousands I hv known hv died most horrific painful death. Hv received so many ph calls/ messages requesting for pain relief+
By some of the best and most competent oncologists ever. Yes, there r many pts who die of cancer but there r many whose lives are saved by the oncologists working in these centres. Celebrities like urself who hv experienced the loss due to cancer 3/5
'can u plz convince my 70yr old dad to take chemo for stage 4 NSCLC . He is adamant about not taking it. Plz motivate him', said a family member to me.
I replied ' the role of a cancer counselor is NOT to motivate or convince anyone about what to choose. +
#palliativecare
Hold the space for them,Listen to them, pay attention to what they are saying, help them with
#advancecareplanning
and reassure them that they have been heard and their wishes will be fulfilled. Remember , they want to talk about it because they know the inevitability of death+
#Cancer
treatment is tough for all. While the ones who live to tell their tale need to be applauded,why do we forget the ones on
#Palliative
treatment or the ones who r now living with a progressive disease try as hard to survive. Why do we not celebrate them? Wrote the poem 👇+
#diaryofacancersurvivor
🧵
#Cancer
How I start my day :
6am -Thyronom tablets
9am- a PPI, 1 CCM, 1 Rocaltrol, 1 thiazide,Tapal (mild opioid for bone pains)
10 pm -2 CCM, 2 Rocaltrol, Pruvict, MGD3, 2 tab Tapal
10:30 pm - liq paraffin( a laxative since am on Tapal tab) 1/n
Emotionally stable. I don't want to break down in front of him and the rest of the team. Being the CEO everyone looks up to me , If I cry they will judge me. I don't want that. No one likes a CEO who cries. I gently told him ' what u r dealing with is a life altering disease+
Leaving people in pain when effective medicines are available for pain management, especially in the context of end-of-life care, should be a cause of serious concern for policy-makers,” says Dr Yukiko Nakatani
Today is Chai for Cancer Day. As someone with lived experience of cancer I raise this cuppa to salute all families that deal with a cancer diagnosis!
#Chaifie
for solidarity ! Thank you Amma for all that you do! Love and big hugs
@vijivenkatesh
🤗❤️
@chaiforcancer
@ARanganathan72
This is the blood that runs through my veins! My father fought two wars -65 n 71. My husband ,a proud infantry soldier. Am so bloody proud :) of the Indian Defence Forces. Always n forever India first! We stay indebted to each one of them !
#jaihind
#jaihindkisena
#COVID19