"He used to mistake me for his sister and call everyone by the same name. Today, even if he does so, he realises his mistake and corrects it," says Leena Mody, Nilesh's wife. Nilesh was discharged on Diwali day after 75 days of hospitalization. The 63-year-old resident of Nepean Sea Road had a heart attack while he was driving down Peddar Road on August 19.
"He was driving home after swimming at the CCI when he realised something was amiss," says Leena. "He rammed the brakes, but the car hit the divider and the tyre burst. Luckily, nobody else was hurt. A policeman called the ambulance and was trying to break the window of the car to get him out. Fortunately, a gynaecologist who was passing by saw the crowd and stepped in to help." She gave mouth-to-mouth CPR to the chartered accountant and revived him.
On his way to the hospital, Mody suffered another heart attack and had to be revived. He underwent an angioplasty but had continues seizures while he was recuperating.
"Timely CPR helped Mody, and his heart functioned well after the angioplasty," says Dr Nimit Shah, a consultant interventional cardiologist at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre. "His heart didn't need further support from machines or drugs, but he was put on a ventilator for two weeks and had continuous seizures."
Diagnostic tests couldn't confirm that he'd suffered a stroke and doctors were not sure how much of his brain was damaged, and how much of it was permanent. After two weeks, ventilator support was withdrawn and Mody had a tracheostomy.
"Gradually, the seizures stopped, and after one-and-a-half months, he opened his eyes and began whispering," say Dr Shah.
That's when the doctors realised that the seizures had lead to memory loss. Next came cognitive therapy. "The doctors found that his intelligence was intact," says Leena, "But he could not recognise the different members of his family. There was no specific time-gap in his memory. The Rehabilitation Medicine and Sports Medicine department at RFH used a lot of arithmetic to being back his brain function as he is a Chartered Accountant. This also helped him gain confidence as it was familiar turf, which in turn, led to better outcome."
About a month ago, Mody began recognising different members of his family. "The neuro-rehab team used movement therapy, speech, and language therapy, and neuropsychology to help Modi regain brain function," says Dr Aashish Contractor, head of the Rehabilitation Medicine and Sports Medicine department team, "Input from neurologists and cardiologists also made a difference."
Though he still needs a few more weeks of physiotherapy and neuro-psychotherapy, his return has made his family's Diwali brighter, and sweeter.
TWICE AS LUCKY
The chartered accountant suffered one heart attack while driving, and another one in the ambulance while he was being taken to the hospital. He then suffered a series of strokes while recuperating from an angioplasty.
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