Today is Wednesday March 6th and it is officially day 7 of being here at the hospital undergoing treatment for my vision. 12 more days to go but whose counting!? Haha

Another day, another heatwave!! I am in Kerala, which is the very south tip of India and my gosh it is extremely HOT here. It’s dry, humid and I’d have to say, pretty darn unbearable. The locals here said that this is not normal weather for them, what we’re experiencing now is usually April weather but this year they got hit with it early.

It is hovering over 36/37 degrees but feels like 44 at the best of times. Some people would love this weather and usually I don’t mind the heat, but this just hits different and unfortunately the extreme heat conditions outside are impacting and interfering with the treatment. In turn causing the patients to feel excessive fatigue and low energy.  Soooo, it’s not quite as fun or as luxurious as being in a hot destination lying on the beach somewhere! Lol (even though it looks and feels like that!! Haha see image below)

The first few days were an adjustment for sure. Secondary to what I shared in my previous blog post about being sick in Punjab, unfortunately that carried through with me on the airplane ride from Delhi to Kochi. At this point, I thought I was going to have to be hospitalized before going to the hospital. Let’s just say, I was basically convulsing as I was projectile vomiting for hours on end with no end in sight. Thank God I recovered from that!!!

Although I have been here twice before, it still took some time to get used to and get my bearings straight. One of the things I love about this hospital is that they have a separate villa area mostly catered to international patients and you basically have your own suite, with a sitting area, kitchen, master bedroom and then a treatment room. Its completely private and the nurses and doctors come to your room to consult, treat and provide you with updates on your care.

Its AMAZING! I didn’t get the exact room that I have stayed previously, but it is the one next door and its basically the same just mirrored the opposite way. I am happy with the room I received:)

The food here is not the greatest and I find that to be one of the biggest challenges of being here in a foreign place where the culture and food is different. For me personally, I just can’t get there. It’s hard for me to try new things especially when I don’t find them appealing and I have such a big gag reflex that I don’t even bother.

It’s not that the food isn’t good, I’m sure it is. They actually make the healthiest food here (lots and lots of veggies and stews) and all made with wholesome ingredients from scratch and fresh every meal. It’s just different from the part of India where I am from. There is a big difference in taste (South Indian food vs Northern India). They also use different spices or therefore lack of due to our treatment and in the culture of Ayurveda, they really stress on the importance of a healthy diet and within that there are a lot of restrictions and limitations.

I won’t get into them now but it’s definitely a change from the way we eat in the western culture (for good reason!). I will say though, you eventually do get used to the environment here and it does kinda become second nature, even the redundant meals.

My treatment started basically right away on the first day after they ran some tests and took images of my eye. Now this isn’t your average kind of hospital, Sreedhareeyam takes an HOLISTIC approach to treatment, using all natural sources with zero synthetics targeting your mind, body and soul.

I actually look forward to my treatments, well not all of them because some of them are discomforting and a little nauseating but majority of them are actually really relaxing and soothing. Both to the physical body and to the mental/emotional bodies.

I have to be honest; I was feeling pretty disconnected from myself and just felt this brain fog and almost like lack-lustre energy and I couldn’t shake it off but within a few days of treatment, I started to feel like myself again.

This is why I LOVE, and I am a big advocate for ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND HOLISTIC HEALTH. There are no side effects, so you’re not given 100 other pills for secondary causes or diseases. There also not putting a band-aid solution on our symptoms, rather getting to the root cause, and utilizing properties in their natural medicines that target the organs and cells directly. In turn, healing holistically.

I know y’all want to know specifics about my treatment and what it actually entails but I’m going to save that for another blog post, and I’ll break it down for you then.

I also just got asked to do something pretty cool, totally out of nowhere and I said yes, nerves and everything but it felt so aligned! (God and the Universe work in such magical ways) I feel like I fumbled my way through it but only time will tell. LOL I’m actually excited to see the end result. Haha Stay tuned<3

Other than that, things are actually going pretty well. There are moments when the grief hits or I’m feeling a little down but overall, I’m trekking along my days and can feel myself coming back into a state of harmony. Gosh, it feels good to be back<3

The extensive healing tools I brought with me are coming in handy big time!! I have created my own sanctuary here and I actually feel right at home. From books, to meditations, to vision boards, journals, coloring books, affirmation cards, prayer, EO’s and everything in between. It’s actually been incredible having so many resources at my fingertips knowing that I am supported and can reach out for them throughout my days.

Community & Connections: Shocker- You didn’t think I was going to end this story without talking about the importance of community and connections did you!? Once again, I have met the most incredible humans here who have just brought so much love, light, and positivity into my life and into my experience here at Sreedhareeyam. The hospital is at capacity, so there are a lot of people here from around the word and let me tell you, the conversations have just been so enlightening! I even met fellow Canadians!!

I had such a rich, life-giving conversation with another patient here while we were having lunch in the dining hall earlier today. By sharing his story so openly and vulnerably, he left me feeling so inspired and really had me in a deep state of love and gratitude for the vision I have.

I acknowledge that I am very blessed to have all the sight I do. Not everyone is as fortunate as me and when I think about how positive and forward thinking I am, I don’t even scratch the surface to what some of these other people experience.

In how boldly and courageously they navigate their own personal journeys. I am in such awe of the strength and resilience us beautiful humans carry.

Ooohhhh that actually got me emotional, hit me right in the feels sharing those heart reflections with y’all. Life is seriously such a beautiful wild ride, and the best part is….

We’re all just walking each other home<3

Thank you for being here. Thank you for being a part of my story. Thank you for taking the time and reading my long form blog posts. Just simply, THANK YOU!

My heart is SO full!

Now, time for my daily 6pm walk and temple prayers.

I’ll be back soon!

Love you all<3

Xo,

Sara J.