Lucille Iacovelli
iLanders who have read my earliest posts may recall my negative experience with cosmetic facial surgery. I was left with serious functional disorders which have progressed to a life threatening degree. I will not reiterate the details here which can be found on my website Losing Face. Put simply, I was blacklisted as a patient by the most competent surgeons here in US after going public with my story. There were a few truly compassionate doctors who tried their best to help me, but not being plastic surgeons, their hands were tied to a great extent.
One of these doctors is my primary care physician. She is from India, and I could not hope for a more highly skilled, kind, compassionate doctor. I had the good fortune to become her patient when she first arrived on Cape Cod, as patients gravitated to her like bees to blossoms. My situation has been deeply frustrating to her, as she does everything within her realm of speciality in seeing that I receive every possible diagnostic that might convince a surgeon I am in need of corrective surgery. However, the politics involved in the medical profession in this country, particularly in the realm of plastic surgery where surgeons’ egos tend to expand to phenomenal proportions and the brethren of this specialty tend to “protect their own”, even when that means allowing patients injured by negligent colleagues to remain untreated for serious conditions.
As my condition has essentially disabled me to the point where surviving every 24 hours has become a toss of fate, and I struggle to accomplish the most needful things to maintain Independency, I literally begged a surgeon I know to be highly skillful and good hearted to agree to examine me. This required months of e-mail communication, and I am certain he agreed to help me against the judgement of his colleagues, who warned him against any involvement with my situation.
After an appointment date was made, I had to see my primary care physician and told her about this long awaited breakthrough. I felt very hopeful that day, and my heart felt lighter than it had for years. This was the first glimmer of hope in an otherwise gloomy state of being. I am rarely able to leave my flat these days, and my monthly visit to my doctor is understandably frustrating for us both. I am acutely aware that my condition has made her feel helpless and my heart aches for her because she is so sensitive to her patients’ distress. On this day, however, I knew our visit would be brighter than she could know. I decided to wear a lovely muted gray-green sari to mark the occasion. I usually dress very simply and plainly these days, as adornment becomes the last of ones’ concerns when all one’s energy is necessary to manage the needful.
As I draped my sari that morning, I worried, just for a moment, that it would not be done perfectly to her eyes! But I am used to wearing a sari, which I believe is the perfect garment for every woman, versatile as well as beautiful. One can wear a sari for every occasion. Dr. Gour’s eyes lit up when I walked into her examining room in my sari. When I told her about the appointment with the surgeon, the room felt full of hope.. my hope of possibly being restored enough to live a normal life, and her hope for me.
She then began the practical part of her exemplary doctoring and gently but firmly reminded me of the possibility that things might get worse if I have surgery and asked if I was prepared for that. We discussed the status of my health, and again expressed her happiness about the appointment.
Then she said something that will stay with me forever.. just recalling that moment fills my eyes with tears of great emotion. She pressed her hands together in namaste and said “I will pray for you”. I do not know if this beautiful ex-pression of faith and hope is often spoken by Indian doctors to their patients, but this is the first time a doctor ever said they would pray for me. I was overwhelmed with her heartfelt ex-pression of caring. Her words and compassion went from her heart to mine will remain with me always. I have had doctors who expressed true compassion and a deep desire for my well being, but never have these words been said, and hearing them expressed with such openness and sincerity, one heart to the other, is truly the most special medicine my exceptional doctor could have provided. Prayer…a treatment to last a lifetime. On my way out of her office she turned to me and said “Thank you for wearing the sari”. I left there with my heart so full! May your life be rich in blessings, Dr. Gour.
Lucille Iacovelli
Posted in Life.
By lucille iacovelli
– July 5, 2008
Ya… Indian hospitality can sometimes warm the cockles of your heart. Sometimes it is a tad trifling too, albeit, not here!
Truly a special medicine:)
hi.nice postings. keep writing. also visit my blogs..
byy….
a doctor without compassion for his/her patient ceases to be a doctor ……i am so glad u have a doctor with u in mrs gour all others ,most of them are technicians ,not doctors. i communicated with u earlier also , and if u can send me the details of ur case along with photos at vivvaek@rediffmail.com, and if u r willing to come to india , i can [may be] help u with a team of highly skilled plastic surgeons .
and yes i wish u all the very best for ur surgery and u know what helps most in any case? it is the prayers of the well wishers and the treating doctors. i believe, without the grace of GOD , most treatments remain incomplete as prayer is the most powerful medicine in this world.
Our prayers too are with you Lucille. Isn”t it wonderful the way people known and unknown to us, touches our lives…through you we have come to know of Dr.Gour and are warmed by the person she is.
I will send you what “namastay” means…one blogger has just posted blog on it. In fact he has left a GB entry in my GB….I will send you link to his blog.
Namastay
oops! sorry for the spelling error, take it as lucille.
licelle, read and understood your plight. I am pained that a noble profession like medicine is also stymied with personality clashes, egos and politics. This is supposed to be above board, but that seems to be the order of the day. I am indeed happy that some doctor has invited you and my sincere prayers will always be there for you to get cured, and I do believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel, waiting to brighten your life. Be rest assured that prayers never go unanswered.
Dear Lucille, God be with you. God bless dear Dr.Gour who has the pure heart of a healer.In Ayurveda, the doctor is enjoined to do all possible for the patient,treating her as one would treat their dear child.The patient should even reciprocate this love and trust that physician more than even his family.
It is kindness that can heal the world. Please let positive thoughts be with you. Swami Vivekananda says thta where there is only positive thoughts, all will be well.
All the best Lucille! I pray to the almighty for the success of the surgery you are going to undergo. Looking forward to pleasant posts as this one, I remain.
a wonderful experience Lucille ji . May be you have been in India for many births..this love for Indians and all things Indian, specially ”’’saree””, is worth appreciating. We too pray God to bless you and provide you mental peace and spiritual solace…
very nice………