My ENcounTer with the ENT surgeon – a lil walk down ‘historical’ memory lane..

image courtesy: http://www.cartoonstock.com

I had been to an ENT surgeon recently for fixing an issue that I had to fix for a while now. Finally the day my product went live, that very evening, I went to the doc to fix up an appointment. It felt like I was suddenly given a time-machine. Or was it a scene from an old movie. The checkered light grey and white false ceiling, the wooden walls with distinct blackened out elliptical patches wherever the oily heads would rest, the mosaic flooring, a ceiling fan, and a khat khat khat khat…kreen..khat khat khat sound… guess of what.. a type-writer! Yes you heard it right!! The receptionist filled in my details and asked me to wait for my turn. And finally I was allowed in to meet the doctor.

The consultation room inside was another masterpiece! Of the master himself that spoke of skilled fingers that were seasoned over 55+ years. The doctor is 85 yrs old and going strong! The room inside too was distinct with pictures of a couple of God’s pics that dated some decades old, papers stacked up in cupboards, and I think this room had a checkered grey and black tile flooring.

The senior doc had a junior doc to assist him. The senior asked me about my problem. After I explained to him all that I could remember , he asked me when did the trauma happen? I was confused. In my head I was asking what ‘trauma’? Do you mean like now? Or do you mean my mental state (screw that!)? Then it occurred to me, he meant my nose’s first encounter with the floor. So I told him about my smart idea of skipping with my jacket as a kid of 7, when I really was a kid of 7 yrs! He heard me out for about 3 minutes, patiently listening to my account.

The senior doc then just gave notes as the junior doc wrote as instructed. The senior did not write anything!! He just spoke. He probably didn’t even move his hands! He asked me to take a seat a few steps away. The senior doctor sat facing me. The junior doctor placed a crown-like gear on the senior’s head. And suddenly the crown flashed its Kohinoor; the ‘headlight’ went on. The junior held some mini-golf stick like object with a reflecting surface, and put it inside my nostrils. The next thought in my head was god, how many noses does that go into?! But I had no choice but to ‘trust’ the doctor. The senior examined my nose. He said the known, and I pretended to be unknown! The words came like thunder, “Your left nostril is almost completely blocked!”

He then spoke a few words.. all of which I already knew… coz I knew what the issue was! I felt like a mini-ENT surgeon myself :P Anyways, so then he said I needed to undergo such n such minor surgery and such n such tests before that. I concurred with him.

And the whole meeting inside the consultation room would have lasted not more than 7 minutes. 15 seconds of me walking in, 3 minutes of my talking, 1 and a quarter minutes of checking up, 1 and a half minutes of the senior doc speaking, 7 seconds of him saying “the charges are 500 bucks and you need to pay it here”, 5 seconds of me giving him a wry smile (with massive questions running in my head about 7 minutes and 500 bucks.. WTF!!!), 20 seconds of me fishing out notes from here and there, 7 seconds of dishing out the treasured amount to him, 15 seconds of me walking out! Phew! Chuck the math! :D

image courtesy: http://www.cartoonstock.com

But I came back feeling like hah! I knew it, all he had to do was to confirm my thoughts! So much for it! But I was glad that I now knew for SURE! :)

So, that was my ENcounTer with the ENT surgeon! A phenomenal doctor, really! Why am I saying that.. I will keep that for another blog entry!