My Stroke of Luck by Vijay Santhanam

Author:Vijay Santhanam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Hay House
Published: 2013-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Returning to Work: I Propose, and the Doctor Disposes, Partly

Just as I made the final decision on when exactly to return home from the hospital, I had assumed that it was my call on when exactly to return to work once my neurologist had agreed in principle. I was wrong in that assumption; I needed other alignments. Blissfully unaware of this, in early December 2006 I decided that I would return to work, starting just after the New Year. My doctor was in agreement.

Accordingly, I started making all the necessary preparations for my return to work. I discussed with my therapists to make plans so that I could stop the sessions by 24 December and then take a week’s break in Singapore itself before I resumed work. Importantly, I doubly ensured myself that I would be ready to resume work – physically and mentally. Though my ability to drive was not going to impact my work in any way, the fact that I had started the process of getting the approval to drive again was a psychological boost. More important was the fact that I could make logical decisions based on correct mathematical and financial calculations. All this progress was very reassuring.

I had met my colleagues many times after my stroke – at the hospital and at home. But through the entire duration of my absence from my job, no one even mentioned one word on my return to work. They all wanted me to just focus on my health and my recovery. I was very grateful for that. Once I did broach the topic of my return around the New Year with my boss: she encouraged me to concentrate on my recovery and not to worry about work but if early January was when I would be ready, then that would be fine too.

In mid-December, I decided to attend the annual company Christmas party. I met many colleagues and updated them of my recovery status. They were all happy with my recovery so far and were very encouraged that I would resume on 2 January. I had a good chat with my boss on the plan. She was fine in principle but she told me that I needed formal approval from the company doctor and not just my neurologist. Ah, that is the one thing I had totally forgotten!

The fact is that there were three doctors involved in the decision. My neurologist had agreed with my plan. But the formal approval had to come from the BP company doctor only after he had consulted with the officially authorised external physician. The physician would meet me, examine me, consult with my neurologist and make his recommendation to the BP doctor. My boss would go only by his recommendation.

I knew the external physician. He had spoken with Kainaz soon after my stroke, and was privy to the treatment I was receiving. So, in late December, I met him for a check-up and to get his green signal to return to work.

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