I tore the ACL in my left knee skiing 32 years ago. I lived with it for 24 years before my right knee crumbled underneath me, leaving me without a strong leg to stand on. I underwent bi lateral ACL reconstruction in 2000. I never healed from the surgery. I developed severe tendonitis from the patella graft that was taken to replace my torn ligaments and my knees have been mush ever since. After my divorce I was paying $550 a month for health insurance. Not only was this a tremendous drain on me financially but the process of filing a claim and getting the insurance to actually pay for medical care was excruciating. I made the decision to give it up. The whole system was actually making me sick. I had no money after paying the monthly premiums for wellness. I knew that once I gave it up I would never again be able to insure my knees. But I bluntly cut myself off from this broken system.
As the years ticked by my knees have continued to erode. I’m 54 now and I can no longer ski, hike, or play any of the outdoor games that entice us to stay active. I have talked with many others who like me have endured the loss of healthy joint tissue and function. Many have undergone the procedure of total knee replacement. Without fail everyone I’ve spoken with has felt that this was the best medical decision ever made. Knee and hip replacement is considered miracles of modern medicine. The success rate is in the high 90% category. But obviously because I don’t have health insurance this procedure is not available to me here.
In my internet surfing I discovered the world of “medical tourism.” I chanced upon an organization called Healthbase. They act as a liaison between patients and doctors from other countries. From the start I felt a sense of comfort and confidence working with Moe, the Healthbase representative in the US. He is from India and now lives in Boston. He became my source of information for doctors and procedures offered across the globe.
We discussed having surgery in Mexico, just across the border from San Diego, as well as in Thailand and India. Cost was definitely a factor in my decision, but of course more than that I wanted the best surgeon and technology available to me. The medical costs of TKR in Mexico / $13,000, Thailand / $9,000, and India /$7,000 per knee. This includes all medical costs including one week of care in the hospital. It does not include costs of travel. The average cost that I could ascertain for this procedure in the US was $38,000, with the average in-hospital stay of 48 hours.
Moe strongly recommended India as the best place for me. His Mother had undergone bilateral TKR there and was greatly improved with the results. Dr. Sanjai Pai who performed his Mother’s TKR was the world class surgeon available to me. His bio is most impressive having worked as an orthopedic surgeon for 20 plus years performing over 3000 joint replacement procedures. He’s also been a forerunner of minimally invasive joint replacements. With the use of a computer that allows pin point accuracy the incision is smaller with less muscle tissue traumatized. Recovery time as well as pain is reduced. All of this sounded convincing to me. My sister Ruth, in her caring and consistent way of supporting me, agreed to join me on this across the world venture into India and surgery.
She loves the adventure of travel. She’s always dreamed of traveling to India. This trip is hardly what she had in mind. But at our age we all have health issues. So being the practical person that she is, decided to use this opportunity to have a serious injury to her cervical spine examined, with the additional possibilities of Lasik surgery, dental work, and a complete physical. My surgery is pretty straight forward but hers is quite unique and specific, frought with alarming consequences. Moe sent us the name of the surgeon he would arrange to meet with Ruth, Dr. Rajakumar. He also has quite an impressive bio. He is renowned in India for his innovation, skill and interest in minimizing the trauma induced with surgery. We both feel confident and excited about what we are about to embark on. There is a sense of liberation and gratitude that there are other possibilities for our own health and welfare as we are so cut off from medical care in our own country.
Our flight is booked with British Airline. There is a direct flight between Denver and Heathrow London; and then a direct flight from London to Bangalore, India. To travel around the globe it just doesn’t get much easier than that. Since neither of us have ever been in London, we opted to spend two nights there for a whirl wind tour of this famous city. This will help to mitigate the extreme jet lag one would expect to encounter for such a lengthy flight. We’re also taking the first five days in India to experience the mystical sea coast of Goa and the palaces and city of Bangalore before mine and possibly Ruth’s daunting surgeries take place. Moe through Healthbase has arranged our entire itinerary. We have rooms at a hotel near Heathrow, a driver when we arrive in Bangalore from the airport to the hospital for the initial consultations, air travel to Goa, transportation to our arranged stay there, transportation back to the airport, with a driver there to take us back to the hospital. The hospitals in Bangalore have rooms large enough to bed the patient as well as a traveling companion. So if Ruth doesn’t become a patient she will stay in my room. They seem to be more than accommodating to those of us who arrive from other countries.
