Jan
29
A Visit to the E.R
January 29, 2008 |
Ever since I was in La-La land, I have been struggling with a re-occurring eye infection. Basically what the doc told me back there was that my tear canal clogs up, and gets infected. It was “cured” back there by medication and some eye drops. But since it has come back twice here in Thailand. Nothing serious really, just red, irritated eyelids.
But over the last few days it came back with a vengeance in my left eye. The lower half of the ye lid ballooned out. Covering the entire outer corner of my eye. So this morning Nan took one look at me and ordered me to go see the local doctor in Putthaisong. So off we motored on the Honda Click.
The doctors office is on main street, and the waiting room is quite public, just an open space in the wall, where everyone passing by in the street can have a peek at who’s visiting the doc. So now I guess everyone for miles around knows the farang visited the doctor today.
Anyway it was just a short wait. The doctor took a look at my eye, and informed me…uh…rather informed Nan, since he did not speak English that we had to go to the hospital and have my eyelid drained. Yup, they were going to cut me up!
I tried a feeble protest. The hospital was far away I argued. But Nan just planted her fists securely on her hips, and glared at me. Ordering me back on the bike, and directed me to the Putthaisong hospital. I did not even know there was one right in town. Thinking we had to go to Satuek or something.
At the hospital I was duly registered. I did get my hopes up that I would be denied treatment, when the lady in the window could not find Norway on the computer, and needed help with spelling my parents name in Thai script.
But that hope was short lived. And I soon found myself sitting next to a young doctor, who this time spoke excellent English. He shortly pronounced that yup, they where going to cut me up. I was thinking, okay, they are going to give me another appointment, and then I will be well recovered before I have to come back.
My hopes where cut short though. As I was sent straight to the emergency room. Well, I had to wait a while. And while doing that I was silently praying for a serious accident to happen somewhere, so they would not have time for me. But me prayers went unanswered. And soon fond myself laying on an operating table, while cursing the effectiveness of Thai health services. The cutter did not speak English at all, so she opted to speak trough Nan.
They would simply apply some local anesthetic and then lance the swelling to drain out the fluids trapped within. And then Nan bolted for the door, while giving me an assuring thumbs up! She deserted me in my hour of need!
Well well, they did what was described above. And there really was no pain at all. And over in less than the 30 seconds it took to cut me up, drain the fluid, and apply a band-aid.
Then it was out of there, get the prescribed medication. Some pills the size of a small house, that I have to take twice a day for a week to clear the infection.
Anyway, the local hospital here is quite new and modern. And quite efficient from what I could see. So good to know where it is.
And my eye, Nan says it looks better already, and it feels better too. We’ll see tomorrow morning when the swelling should have gone down if that is really so.
That’s it!
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Comments
5 Comments so far
Sure you had an infection….. You just dont want us to know you were on the recieving end of Nans Thai elbow.
You really disappointed me here. If ever there were a blog entry that needed an accompanying picture this was it….
ps hope you feel better…
Hey, I am quite okay. Just a little sore now.
Dago, if Nan ever throw a punch at me, hitting my eye…she’ll probably break my neck. That little lady is strong i tell ya!
Hey Rune. Great to hear you are better. I have only good things to say about the Thai medical system.
I have unfortunatley been in hospital a few times. I had to have my gall bladder removed and the doctor and nurses were top class. Much better than the service back in Australia.
Can you have the problem that causes the tear canal to block up fixed so it won’t happen again?
Take it easy mate.
Take good care of yourself!