100 per cent attendance: Jyotshna Malkan * Renuka Parekh * Shakuntlaben Rupani * Disha Kothari * Harsha Desai * Chetna Desai * Kashmira Desai * Vasu Vora * Illa Doshi

Cancer

I was born in Surat in 1944. I did my SSC from Jain Vidyalalya. At 18, I was sent to Mumbai to work with my "masa" who was a pearl broker. We lived in Zaveri Bazaar. My masa used to swallow silver coated tobacco pills. I started pinching "goli" and got hooked. I could not afford pills, so I settled for tambaku. Although I had a minimum SSC education, Ragini, a Home Science graduate agreed to marry me. We met once a week for a Sunday movie for 10 months and were married in 1971.

Finally I became a diamond broker and moved to a flat at the end of Napean Sea Road. My outdoor hours stretched from 9am to 9pm. I hardly saw my children except Sundays. The first puzzling system occurred when I was 37. My urine started trickling out slowly. My doctor gave me antibiotics, and I recovered within a couple of months. However, I ignored my doctor's advice to stop tambaku.

All was well till I touched 40, and found piece of white tissue popping out with urine. Surgeon Bhanubhai Shah performed a cystoscopy. Under local anesthesia, a flexible tube was propelled through the urethra into the kidneys and bladder to examine them. He also performed an intravenous Pyelogram in which a dye is injected through a vein in the hand to flow into the kidneys and bladder to check out their size, shape & growth if any. Both tests were negative.

After examining my urine and finding it bursting it with pus and red blood cells, he pronounced, "You have a bladder infection." And he prescribed antibiotics. Later on, I learnt that with a cystoscopy the urethra gets dilated so there is temporary relief.

After six months the problem recurred. I consult the Bombay Hospital surgeon Pratap Shroff. He did cytology (urine culture to check for cancer cell and TB). All they found were pus and red cells I swallowed more antibiotics. The problem recurred. I saw Dr. Pratap Shroff again. He told me to come next day with full bladder. he did a prostate massage while I passed urine. He told me to go home and bring samples of urine with tissue for 15 days daily.

He discussed my case with Dr. Anita Shah, histopathologist, Dr. J J Vyas, cancer surgeon, and Dr. H M Punjani, urologist. Dr. Shroff prepared me very gently, "Satishbhai, you have a very big disease. You are also losing blood. So it is better to admit you to Bacha's Nursing Home for more tests. He never used the word 'cancer'. After a battery of tests, I was told I have Carcinoma [cancer]. I was then taken to Nanavati Hospital for a CT Scan and Bone Scan to see if the disease has spread.

Dr. Shroff advised me to consult Dr. V Srinivas. He has just come to Bombay after specialising for two years in urological cancer at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at N.Y.

Dr. Srinivas advised me my bladder needs a cystectomy. He advised me to do it at Sloan Kettering under his guru Dr. Whitmore. The cost would tot up to Rs.800000. There are different types of blood cancer. Mine was a transitional blood cancer. Only a cystoscopy under general anesthesia on an empty bladder with a rigid cystoscope shows tumors that are fixed to the side walls.

A lymph angiogram found the nodes positive and I was graded as stage D. This is the last stage of cancer. I was operated on 28^th January 1986. The operation was finished in 11 1/2 hours. Dr. Whitmore made a clean sweep of my bladder, prostate and lymph nodes. The ureters were connected to a loop in the intestine, which opened out in to a stoma [artificial hole] on the right side of my abdomen.

In the future, for all the days of my life, my urine would come out automatically through stoma. I left America after 25 days. I was to have M-VAC chemotherapy. Dr. Whitmore recommended his student Dr. Asha Kapadia, oncologist at Harkisondas Hospital. It is expensive and makes you feel very ill. My hair dropped out in bunches. I vomited ceaselessly. My stomach convulsed into diarrhoea. I also had periodic chest X-rays, urine cytology and CT Scans.

Urostomy bag and flange [where urine is now collected] have become part of my body. Flange costs Rs.150 and lasts a week. The bag costs Rs.210 and lasts 15 to 20 days. I clean out the bag and wash it out with enzymes and water twice a day.

Unfortunately my paan habit is still with me, but has already lessened. My children are comfortably settled. Dharmesh at 26, is a diamond merchant in Tokyo. Sukeshi at 23, is a school teacher.

	PROCEDURE	TWIN RS	SINGLE RS	PACKAGE CHARGES AT THE LILAVATI HOSPITAL AT BANDRA, BOMBAY. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO FIND OUT WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED AND THE CHARGES FOR THAT ITEM SUPPLY AND SERVICE. TEL 643-8281 & 645-5891 FAX 91-22-640 7655 e-mail lilavati@bom3.vsnl.net.in Web-site www.lilavatihospital.com One person travelling with the patient can be accommodated at the hospital free of cost. DELUXE RS.
1	Cardiac Surgery	258,000	336,000	414,000
2	Coronary Angiography	26,000	35,000	39,000
3	Coronary Angioplasty	138,000	168,000	192,000
4	Uretero Reno Scopy	37,000	53,000	68,000
5	Trans Urethral Resection of Prostate TURP	39,000	55,000	72,000
6	Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy	48,000	72,000	96,000
7	Nephretomy	62,000	91,000	114,000
8	Cataract with IOL	18,000	26,400	36,000
9	Total Joint Replacement	132,000	168,000	210,000
10	Gynaecology Grade III	38,000	56,000	70,000
11	Gynaecology IV	51,000	84,000	108,000

"Mummy, our cat gave birth to 2 boy kittens and 2 girl kittens."

How did you know?"

"Daddy lifted each kitten and looked underneath. I think there was a label he was reading!"

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· Ketki Bhadresh Shah to India.

· Bharti & Satish Kothari with family returned from India.

· Hematlal Shavadia to India.

· Manju Shavadia to UK.

· Jai Vora returned after visiting India and Thailand.

· Harsha & Ashwin Doshi returned from India.

· Shobhna and Nanalal Kamdar on a visit from the UK. He is younger brother of Chandulal Kamdar.

· Jayshree and Kumarpal Doshi to India.

· Vaibhavi, daughter of Bhadresh Shah, back to the USA to resume studies.

· Mrs. Sushilaben Labhshankar Doshi (mother of Pravin-Galaxy) back to Mombasa.

· Neelam and Lalitrai Doshi back from India.

· Bharti, wife of Dr. Dinesh Shavadia, Malindi returned to the UK after a visit of 2 weeks. The children Minal and Aarti are studying Computer Information Technology. The family has a new house in Thorton Heath, Surrey. Lonely Dinesh in Malindi felt a need for companionship in Malindi. Someone to warm the home. Gave an advert: "Lonely man in the house needs light and warmth." Next day, a technician from the power company knocked at his door. We do not know how Dinesh reacted.

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Recently Saturday Club organized Ladies Nite at the Sapphire Hotel. One of the events was a fancy dress competition. Needless to say the community's one of the active couples, Bhagvati and Prakash Modi participated. We are not surprised that they bagged the first prize. If technically possible, the photograph

will be on the next page.

INTER-COMMUNITY BOOGIE WOOGIE COMPETITION

Visha Oswal community is organizing the competition during February. Following groups represents Navnat.

· Vinay Kamdar & Pratik Kamdar.

· Chandni Doshi & Darshna Doshi.

· Brothers, Punit & Pujan Shah.

· Jayni Mehul Doshi. [Solo]

·

WE WISH ALL THE BEST OF LUCK.

Those who would like to e-mail the coloured edition of this bulletin, please give e-mail address to

mgalani@net2000ke.com

Your friends overseas could access the bulletin at www.twins-ke.com

Choose the Navnat Link at the bottom left of the screen.

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MERCEDES S-CLASS

TECH TOUR DE FOURCE

The new Mercedes S-Class features unparalleled luxury and technology. The suspension system dispenses with springs and uses compressed air to adjust stability. At high speed, the chassis lowers automatically to reduce a drag. Grill-mounted radar sounds an alarm and automatically brakes the vehicle if it detects another car or an obstacle ahead. During collision, airbags deploy according to the severity of the impact. And a voice-activated GPS navigation system makes sure you get to your destination.

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Compiled by

Secretary Anil Kamdar

and Mansukh Galani.