r2i forum

Brief Background:

Came to US in 2000. Proud holder of 7 H1B visas in my passport.
Wife : Only one (sigh...). SAHM (Status H4).
Kid : 6 year old (USC)

Why R2I?.

Because I am in this forum and would like to put to use all the advise given here sometime:). Also, RRS mentioned that Annachi has soft corner for folks who R2I :) and would like to be in his good books :).

Primary Reason:

Our original plan was 2011 but had to accelerate this a bit due to the following.

We got the recent allergy report for our kid during end of August and we found that all his allergies had gone from bad to worse. We were under the impression that he would've outgrown a few of them but everything seemed to have flared up. Winters are usually miserable for him, so we don't know if it would improve in India but can't get any worse. It usually ends up in Oral Steroids for him (external steroids don't work for him in winter). We plan to try Ayurveda/Homeopathy treatment in India. Of course, the reasons like our kid getting to know his grandparents better (and get pampered, of course) are always there.

Usually, I am full of contradictions but when I stand by my words, I make it a point to quote it :). In laks's style( I mean Rajini's style), seiyrathan soluven..solarathan seivan ( I do what I say and I say what I do). Here's what I had posted earlier.

farfromhome;210169

6) Do you have plans of R2I now, in near future or for retirement? Maybe in a year or two. My son is allergic and we are hoping that he'll outgrow his allergies between 5 and 7. Also, we want to try Ayurvedic treatment for his allergies in India but don't know how the schools in India will care about his allergies. It's a catch 22 situation. This is the prime concern for r2i. $$$ amount is secondary.

Contributing factors:

R2I now or later doesn't make any difference from a career standpoint. GC mess had been killing my career and as I don't see any difference between now and next year (my firm told me that they don't expect any decision on my I-140 till Feb.2011 or later).

Bit concerned about kids development and social skills and need speech therapy for him. Have been looking a good Pediatric Neurologist, but unable to find one (note to self: Need to respond back to one of Sumachechi's post). Will write in detail in the next post about them.

Permanent/Temporary R2I?:

My wife would have liked to have this R2I earlier, but we had to wait for our flat in Chennai to be completed (got finished in August). We would have ideally wanted this to happen during a school year. At this point, all that takes a back seat. She thinks that it's going to be a permanent R2I and hoping that Ayurveda/Homeopathy will cure kids allergies (as you can see she doesn't read Desi's posts in this forum :) ). I am on mn_op scale regarding this R2I. If things don't improve and stay the same for him, I am not averse to R2A for a few years and then R2I when he's around 9 or 10. Folks in US are more sensitive and aware of allergies . It would be easier for him in USA than in India, till he is mature enough to know what suits him and what to eat and what not to eat. My wife thinks that everything will go fine and our son would be cured of all his allergies and we'll permanently stay back in India. Have no qualms on getting proven wrong on this one :).

Probably my lengthiest post in this forum and my 2,000th useless one :). Will continue in the next post as I need to report now in the H&B thread. If I am absent for a long time there, Chieftain might not like it.

Glossary:
RI : returning_indian
mn_op scale : 50/50 chance
Annachi : RRK
laks : laks0
Chieftain : PG (PeterGriffin)

I am your big fan. A smart even minded person like u cannot really take a wrong decision. I am sure u will do well. If you ever need peds neuro help in hyd email me. wish u and the child all the best.

rk

How to name it? - farfromhome is not so far now!
Keep it coming...

farfromhome - Wish you all the best and good luck.

rajradio;336559I am your big fan. A smart even minded person like u cannot really take a wrong decision. I am sure u will do well. If you ever need peds neuro help in hyd email me. wish u and the child all the best.

rk

Thanks a lot Doc. Good luck and very best wishes for your hospital. Will definitely reach out to you in case I need pediatric neuro's help in India

gurusw;336560How to name it? - farfromhome is not so far now!
Keep it coming...

Thanks gurusw. Good luck with your r2i too.

Not sure if you are a Illayaraja (IR) fan. IR fans would know why I named it that way :).

[video=youtube;7PvSfPsGXcs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PvSfPsGXcs&p=50E656FC44491D49&playnext=1&index=29[/video]

farfromhome;336573

Not sure if you are a Illayaraja (IR) fan. IR fans would know why I named it that way :).

I know it too :)


FFH - wish you the very best on your r2i and hope your kid gets rid of those allergies

Good luck with your move, FFH. Hope everything works out fine for you and your family.:thup:

sumachechi;330253THe wait sounds frustrating ,Iam sure. But there are definitely ways by which an emergency is not missed- when a referral is amde there are screens at referrinf person level and the other end where 'red flad' signs etc will ensure immediate referral. its usually when the situation is unlikely to be worsened with the time that longer referral appointmenents are made. I understand the frustration, but its not only a clerk who decides these slots, there are protocols which also enter the equation.
Yes, in India, you can see a neurologist pretty quickly, get a scan pretty quickly etc. But there are many issues between teh cup and the lip. But that does not necessarily translate into the best care for many other reasons. The main one being that we have no standards in India and no level playing field. Not everyone networks or knows their limits and when/whom to refer on to. The patient has to do a lot of homework in an unfamiliar field. iam constantly exasperated by the number of children with arthritis who are treated by othopaedic surgeons who have no training or clue towards managing them and dont think of sending them elsewhere .I end up seeing them much later after they have already got joint destruction.
patients shouldnt have to shop for the right doctor for their condition- neurologist/ neurosurgeon/rheumatologist? There needs to be more user friendly guidance in this role and this is where we slip up. So yes, the specialists might be there, and accessible, but that isnt necessarily everything.

It takes a Pediatrician to know one :). You are absolutely right about the above. I had raised this issue with my son Pediatrician quite a few times for the past 2 years. Unfortunately or fortunately both my kid and the Ped. are big Disney World fans :). My kid talks to him for 15 minutes about Disney World during his doctor visits (or it's about trains) and it's a never ending conversation . We end up with a verdict that he's fine, you just have to wait it out as he has had lot of complications (allergies / asthma). He finally agreed to write a referral when my kid's focus kept on changing from his questions (the topic wasn't Disney or Trains). If my kid had answered all the questions that day, most likely I would got a referral and would've ended up meeting Doc Sumeet from this forum in Bangalore for other reasons than a R2I meet :).

Finally got an appointment with one of the Pediatric Neuro (not the one we were looking for. Our Ped. would rate him only 4 on a scale of 10, but asked us to go there saying you don't lose anything). Ped. Neuro's evaluation was that he was fine but had a weak muscle tone and that would explain his clumsiness. Also, asked us to do a EEG and go for Speech Therapy for him. We are hoping that r2i would provide automatic speech therapy for him :). At this point this is not a worry but definitely a concern for us. He goes to a regular public school. Apart from the need for improvement in social skills, we have never got any complaints. Hopefully, we are able to do our homework as suggested by sumachechi and able to get a good Ped. Neuro for him in Chennai.

Good Luck FFH.

May you receive blessings aplenty, just like the thanks you give to people's post.