Advance 2 months: Researched hospitals and doctors across Asia, primarily India and Thailand. Identified 3 doctors with specialty in hip joint replacement. Communicated with them through email and telephone. Decided to go with Dr. X in hospital Y. Found that doctor X was well-known for his expertise, had previously practiced at NIH, Baltimore, plus he was very patient in response to my inquiries. Had to get a complete physical done here in the states, send over my medical history as well as x-rays and diagnoses of my hip joint. Doctor X said everything looked in-line.

Scheduled a surgery time with the hospital and arranged to arrive in India 2 days before surgery. Hospital offered 2 post-surgical options: private room with round-the-clock nursingcare for the entire convalescing period, or checkout after 2 days. Hospital recommended a travel agent who could make arrangements in a private apartment or in a hotel with all nursing facilities and a private RN.

Decided to stay at the hospital – first time getting an operation performed abroad and little nervous about being away from the hospital. Being closer to the doctors make me less nervous. Inquired about the private room: comes with an attached bathroom, cable TV, choice of menu (!), wide windows (not much of a view though, the hospital said, but they’ll do their best, they said) and fresh flowers every day. Sounds good enough!

Asked the hospital if they could make arrangements for me in India before I check-in and hospital advised me to get in touch with their travel agent. Called a Mr. Ali and told him about my schedule. My primary requirement was to be picked up at the airport and taken to the hotel and then dropped off at the hospital at the pre-arranged time for surgery. I wanted the travel agent to do the hotel reservation, arrange the airport pick-up and the hospital drop-off. Found Ali to be very helpful. He also offered to arrange post-operative accommodation and nursing care but when I indicated that I preferred to stay at the hospital, he was very understanding. I faxed Ali my flight arrival timings and a day later he emailed me back a hotel booking confirmation and the name of my handler (person who would pick me up at the airport.) I faxed him my credit card details.

Interestingly, hospital Y only confirmed my operation schedule after I faxed them a copy of my air-ticket. They insisted on it; I was somewhat surprised but went along—I imagine they’ve had cases where patients don’t show up and the surgeon loses valuable operating time. Hospital also asked me for credit card details on their check-in form and said they would be charging me 20% of the cost of the operation as a booking amount. No problem, I thought. So far, they have been very straightforward and professional. I couldn’t help thinking that I could be buying groceries with more trouble!

1 week before departure, hospital sent me a checklist of medical and personal items. Due to my heart condition, I had been taking daily dosage of a blood thinning medicine. The hospital required me to stop taking that medicine 72 hours before surgery. As for personal items, they advised me on the kind of clothing I needed to bring.

Off we go.

1 am: Mumbai airport. Arrived after a 24 hour journey from Boston, with a stopover in Frankfurt. Tired and groggy from the jet-lag. In the reception area, my handler, Ajay was waiting for me with a prominent placard with my name. Ajay escorted me outside to the waiting taxi – a box-like van manufactured by Maruti. No complaints—it was still new and very comfortable. A 40-minute ride took us to the hotel where I was booked.

2:30 am: arrival at the Taj. I had heard that the Taj hotels are really good but this is better than I expected! The hotel’s fabulous. I’ve got a great room overlooking the sea. I’m going to spend two days at the hotel overcoming the jet lag and acclimatizing to Mumbai.

11 am: Ajay picks me up for an escorted drive-by tour of the city. Because of my hip discomfort, I’m not keen to get-off the car and walk around. While making arrangements in the US, I had asked Ali to arrange for a drive-by tour.

5 pm: Back at the hotel. Need a rest.

Next day 11 am: I’ve cancelled another car-borne expedition. Prefer to rest in the hotel till the afternoon appointment and check-in at the hospital. Tomorrow’s the big day! Got to admit – I feel a little jittery! Not because of anything bothering me here but because I’m so far from home and family.

4 pm: At the hospital, again escorted by Ajay. So here it is finally! The hospital recommended that I come in on the day before the surgery to meet with my surgeon, have a cup of tea with him (!) and have them brief me on the pre-operative checklist. The hospital is fantastic – it looks and feels just like any big multi-specialty hospital back home, but plusher. I’ve been treated like a VIP since I entered the door – personalized service, tea and coffee, plush waiting area, valet to take my luggage to my private room.

4:30 pm: I meet with my surgeon, Dr. X. We greet each other like long-lost friends, despite meeting each other for the first time. We’ve already communicated so much through email and telephone, it seems me to me that I already know him very well. Dr. X asks me the standard pleasantries before getting into an explanation of the procedure he will perform tomorrow. He’s very thorough and patient, despite the fact that we’ve been through these details before. He also makes sure that as per previous instructions, I have stopped taking any blood-thinning medicines (due to my heart condition) 72 hrs before surgery. I imagine he knows, better than I, that this face-to-face meeting and discussion is going a long way in removing any lingering anxiety that I have.

5:15 pm: I’m out. As I’m escorted out through the waiting area, I’m somewhat surprised, although I shouldn’t be, to see two more white, foreign males like me. We acknowledge each other and as I realize that they too are here for surgery, I feel a camaraderie with them. After a day and a half of dining with Ajay or by myself, I ask them if they would like to eat dinner together. One of them declines, he is with his family, but the other one readily consents. We decide to meet at 8 pm, in my room.

5:45 pm: I’m in my room, being fussed over by a RN who remarks I’m her 3rd patient in 3 weeks from Boston! The room’s spotless and extremely comfortable.

8 pm: Ralf, a British ski instructor is here for a knee replacement. It strikes me that each of us arrived here through a very similar route. I am here because the cost of my surgery is 1/5th what it costs at home and Ralf is here because while it also costs less, he saves a lot of time by getting it done here. He says that he waited to get this surgery done back home, it would have taken 7 months more. Instead, both of us surgery dates in India are within 6 weeks of the time that we initially started researching this option!

9:30 pm: Resident on night-duty checks-in on me. We banter about for a few minutes about this and that. Very friendly doctor – in fact, everybody here is really friendly. RN comes in again to find out if I need anything before going to bed.

9 am: A light breakfast and a walk around the hospital’s garden. RN comes in to dab my hip area with an antiseptic solution for the 3rd time since my check-in.

10 am: Pre-operative check-up by the anaesthetist. He’s slightly concerned about my blood sugar but he says it’s still within range. Nothing to worry about. He decides nevertheless to give me an injection of insulin.

11:30 am: Anaesthetist and surgeon come in together for last-minute check-up and preparatory talk before the operation. RN again dabs my hip area with antiseptic solution. Soon after, I’m wheeled out and into the OR in preparation for a 12:00 pm start.

4 pm: I come back to my senses but feel really groggy. Rest of the evening I drop in and out of sleep intermittently.

9 am Next day: Surgeon comes in to check me. I feel pretty good. There’s no pain. He tells me that a physiotherapist will come in 3 times/day for the next 6 days to exercise my hip for 20 minutes each time.

9 am next day: I am put on a Zimmer frame and advised to start walking around my room and corridor, slowly. Physiotherapy is going well. I’m also eating well and enjoying the fresh flowers, changed every 2nd day, magazines and cable TV. The RN on duty also comes by every hour or so to chat and inquire – she’s a nice lady and I have the distinct impression that her job does not require her to be so good to the patients.
 
4th day after surgery: I am put on crutches. The transition is a bit difficult and my arm-pits hurt from the pressure of the crutches. Nonetheless I am able to put a put a bit more pressure on the bad leg. I am advised by the physiotherapist and doctor to bear the slight pain and keep walking. It’s sort of like breaking-in a new engine, they advise me.

5th and 6th days: More walking, more TV, Indian magazines and newspaper in English, more of my favorite RN, drop-in visits of the surgeon to check on my progress and from another American, here for a hip-replacement surgery. My spirits are high and everything is going well. I miss my family a lot, but it has nothing to do with the treatment here. I couldn’t have gotten better treatment back home.

On 7th day: discharged; still on crutches but already able to put some weight on my bad leg. Able to take care of myself quite well. Surgeon comes to see me off with a box of chocolates. They’re good! I distribute some among the RN’s and lobby staff and keep the last few for myself.  It feels somewhat surreal. The surgery went off without a hitch and I had an excellent experience at the hospital. I felt really comfortable here from day 1. Two months ago, I couldn’t have imagined that it would go off so smoothly.

11 am: Ajay is here to pick me up and take me back to the Taj hotel. I’ve arranged to stay there for another 3 days and hired a physiotherapist through the hospital to come 3 times/day. Thereafter, I’m off to the beaches of Goa for a 4-day holiday, also arranged by Mr. Ali/Ajay.