Hospitals and Xmas Lights
Well, the Christmas lights in Hong Kong sure looked great this week! Dancing elves and snowmen lit against the sides of 30-40 story buildings.Only, I had not intended to see the lights of Hong Kong this week! No, that was not at all in my plans. It worked out that way though. …………… I’ll try to keep this story short and simple and leave out pictures:
I cut my leg. A nasty, deep cut. Ended up in two emergency rooms and took nine sutures to repair. It wasn’t all that serious, but under the circumstances of my medical history, I took some extra precaution and care.
It was part dumb mistake, and part bad luck that caused the days events to spin into an emergency. I had been walking through the plant after lunch on Monday, when I brushed up against a large metal mold. I thought I had just bumped it too hard. But my leg really felt wet. I couldn’t understand why until I pulled up my trousers and saw the cut?
It wasn’t pretty. I don’t like blood. This was a lot of blood. I had ripped open a deep, long gash. Ms. Vicky was with me, and with one look she told me to stop, and she rushed off for the cavalry. Soon I had several Decca associates hovering around me to wash my wound and put me in a seat (the latter being pretty important since I was beginning to feel a little woozy).
Soon, a group of workers fashioned a cart using a chair on a pallet pulled by a hand jack, and soon I was whisked through the plant, down an elevator, to a van awaiting in the basement of the plant. Xia Bao, Eric, and Vicky jumped in with me and off we headed to the Dongguan Hospital, about 30 minutes away.
I was feeling better now that the blood had stopped gushing. But they were more than a little concerned about me. As we wheeled into the lobby of the hospital, Eric and Vicky went running for aid. A kind nurse rolled a wheelchair out to the van and raced me into an emergency room.
And there she left me! Not only left me, but left me right at the foot of a table where a poor guy was getting attention to some major head injuries. A nurse and doctor were dabbing gauze around his head. This wasn’t what I needed to see. And why had I been wheeled up next to him in a relatively large room?
Fortunately before I passed out from watching the emergency care of this poor guy, someone pulled me to another corner and had me get on a table. By then Eric and Vicky had showed up and tried explaining my medical documents with explanations of hemachromatosis, hematomy, and other terms that no one seemed to understand. A doctor looked at the wound, and through translation explained that it was not too severe and could be easily managed. But we concluded that since he didn’t understand the other terms of my conditions that it was best I get care in Hong Kong. So he just cleaned and wrapped it.
Off we went again to go back to the plant for passport and another driver to the border. Fearing I would not be able to walk through Customs, my caring associates found me crutches. I took tried one out, and it came only to my elbow. Now how was I supposed to use this? In their continued concern and caring way, they wanted to lengthen it to my height, but as I showed them it only expanded another two inches, when six were needed.
I made it through Customs without a crutch. We arrived into Hong Kong, and after calling my personal doctor, Dr. Simon, he recommended we go to the Adventist Hospital. The view was spectacular. The hospital sat atop the Peak area, where I have previously been and shown pictures of the spectacular views of the city. It was even more spectacular here at night.
Inside, we called Dr. Simon, and he said he would be there in 15 minutes. He would be there! Can you believe it? Wow! My personal doctor coming directly over! And he proceeded to handled all my care personally. I wasn’t so sure about his capability at times. Like when he was preparing to cauterize an artery, he asked the nurse which button to push. Of course, he turned to me to ease my fears by telling me he just didn’t know this machine. He had been in the British Army for four years, so I knew he could handle cuts and wounds.
Nine sutures later I was tied up sufficiently. He had done it all. He did confide that he did not do a “plastic surgery” job. As he put it, he didn’t figure I needed a “pretty leg”. I guess he was right. I really didn’t care at the time. I was not bleeding!
Vicky stayed with me throughout the ordeal. She has become a great confidant and friend. I’m glad she was there. Of course, I had to refund her for paying the bill at the first hospital. It had cost 5.5 RMB. That is less than $1 US. Can you believe that I visited an emergency room, had a doctor check my wound, and had the wound cleaned and wrapped for less than a dollar?!?!
Now the Adventist care costs a little more. But still not too bad. Medical care here is lower cost, primarily since lawsuits are limited. So insurance costs remain low, keeping medical costs low. It was still many multiples over the cost of the China hospital!
I’m okay now. The medical care was interesting. And I know that I am in good hands between the folks here at Decca and with available medical care in Hong Kong. I’ll save everyone from any pictures of my leg for now.
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 11:27 PM
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