/24-7PressRelease/ - MUMBAI, INDIA, January 31, 2007 - "Sometimes, I walk just to please her," chuckles Rosemarie Lyntzberger, pointing to Ritu Khemani, physiotherapist at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai. "She is a perfect combination of expertise and encouragement."
But it wasn't fun after Dr Kaushal Malhan performed hip resurfacing surgery on her on Ganesh Chaturthi day, September 6, the day she wanted to be operated. "Isn't it the most auspicious day for my operation?" she had asked.
"After the operation, I felt my foot was 10,000 kg. It was so swollen and painful," Rosemarie recalls. "With each passing day, it is getting normal."
Ms Lyntzberger, 62, looks younger than her age. Wockhardt's first German patient lived an active life, first in advertising, working as copywriter and creative director in agencies like J Walter Thompson and Young & Rubicam.
In 1991, she left Germany with her photographer husband to settle in an idyllic little village in a remote corner of Turkey. The couple operated a sailing yacht, catering to tourists flocking to Turkey.
Ten years ago, a villain appeared to play spoilsport in her happy life - arthritis. The Lyntzbergers were forced to sell their yacht. Arthritis began stepping up its painful assault on her active life and her personality.
"It is interesting to find out how much pain you can live with. A point comes when you say enough is enough," Rosemarie recalls. "Pain alters your character. You are no longer as tolerant as you used to be, you smile less and you become short-tempered. I knew I had to go for an operation before my character changed for the worse."
She decided to act - go for the best procedure to get rid of the pain. "Life is funny. Things don't happen by chance," Rosemarie philosophises. "Just as I was brooding over the question, I happened to read about an awake heart bypass surgery performed at an Indian hospital called Wockhardt in a German magazine. And I thought, why not discuss my problem with this hospital, among others?"
She did. Simultaneously, she checked with hospitals in Turkey and Germany as well. It would be a critical operation. At her age, she knew it has to be once-in-a-lifetime operation. She wanted to know all about her condition, what the doctors proposed to do and the science behind it all. Women from advertising are difficult taskmasters.
"We must have exchanged over 100 mails over a three-month period," says Pradeep Thukral of Wockhardt Hospitals, whose speed of response she praises. Dr Malhan explained to her about the latest technique called hip resurfacing that is superior to hip replacement. Some of the hospitals in Germany Rosemarie spoke to were not familiar with this technique. The Turkish hospitals were not too helpful either. "They wanted me to be a passive patient - not as a partner in solving my problem."
Then began a 13-hour journey, part of it by bus, from her village to Istanbul to get a visa. She flew into Mumbai on September 2 and was operated three days later.
What did she like about India? "We all want our doctors to be effective. But doctors here go beyond that - they are caring, and there is an emotional bond." She got to like Indian food. And the hospital gave her a net connection so she didn't feel cut off from her world.
Rosemarie checked out today to a city hotel. She will visit the hospital daily for a week for physiotherapy before flying back home on September 27.
"I feel at home here. I will always do it here again if required - but Dr Malhan assures me it won't be necessary," she says as she thanks all the doctors and nurses before departing.
Six months after returning back home Ms. Rosemarie wrote to the Wockhardt Hospitals
You cannot imagine how it is when after 10 years of pain you can walk again, normal, without pain, but with a lot of fun, discovering more and more the beauty of our wonderful mountains here. Nobody can believe that I had my operation just half a year ago. I am so happy.
All the very very best.
Maria.
About Wockhardt Hospitals Group
Wockhardt Hospitals Group has established a chain of super speciality hospitals at Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkatta and Nagpur. With latest technology, multi-disciplinary capability, state of the art facilities, world class infrastructure and excellent patient care ambience and processes, Wockhardt Hospitals is poised to become the most advanced and progressive healthcare institution in this part of the world.
Wockhardt Hospitals has associated with Harvard Medical International ,USA. As associate hospitals of HMI in India, Wockhardt Hospitals benefit from the extensive learning and experience of Harvard Medical School and its affiliated institutions world-wide and strive to bring to its patients the benefits of global standards in technology and clinical expertise.
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