I open this with the statement that I am not seriously sick. However, I am exhausted, and being sick in Asia is a who new level difficulty than at home. There has been quite the cold that has been whipping through the group since Shanghai four weeks ago. Approximate 8 out of 11 students have had it and some of the staff is getting it. It's a really intense fever and aches the first day or two, then a persistent runny nose, cough, and exhaustion for many days after.
Today I went to the Chinese hospital, which was a complete adventure. I was feeling simply exhausted and seeing as it was about day 5 or so of this nonsense I figured it would be best to go to the hospital and try to figure out what this is. I was in and then out in about 25 minutes, and the total cost of seeing a doctor and blood work was $6.04USD. Eric (deputy director of The Pottery Workshop?) was kind enough to drive me.
We walked in the large concrete fecal smelling building and registered at the front desk, then walked immediately to the doctors office. As we entered the room the doctor finished his cigarette, blew the smoke out the window, and sat down at his desk. I joined him sitting on a little white wobbly stool, and he had me put an old fashion glass thermometer in my armpit for 5 minutes. Eric and the doctor chatted in Chinese about my symptoms and other members of the group that had/have this illness. After a few minutes my temperature was 36.9C, which is totally fine, a fever is 38C or so. I said I wanted blood work done anyways to try to identify this.
We went to another room full of nurses and chairs with fixtures to hold IV's, this is really popular way of administering medicine in China, usually it's just saline solution. I sat at the reception counter layed my arm across the table had blood taken out immediately. Then we went to what looked like a counter at a pharmacy, handed my vile of blood to a guy wearing a graphic t-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops and was handed back this paper 30 seconds later with results:
Today I went to the Chinese hospital, which was a complete adventure. I was feeling simply exhausted and seeing as it was about day 5 or so of this nonsense I figured it would be best to go to the hospital and try to figure out what this is. I was in and then out in about 25 minutes, and the total cost of seeing a doctor and blood work was $6.04USD. Eric (deputy director of The Pottery Workshop?) was kind enough to drive me.
We walked in the large concrete fecal smelling building and registered at the front desk, then walked immediately to the doctors office. As we entered the room the doctor finished his cigarette, blew the smoke out the window, and sat down at his desk. I joined him sitting on a little white wobbly stool, and he had me put an old fashion glass thermometer in my armpit for 5 minutes. Eric and the doctor chatted in Chinese about my symptoms and other members of the group that had/have this illness. After a few minutes my temperature was 36.9C, which is totally fine, a fever is 38C or so. I said I wanted blood work done anyways to try to identify this.
We went to another room full of nurses and chairs with fixtures to hold IV's, this is really popular way of administering medicine in China, usually it's just saline solution. I sat at the reception counter layed my arm across the table had blood taken out immediately. Then we went to what looked like a counter at a pharmacy, handed my vile of blood to a guy wearing a graphic t-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops and was handed back this paper 30 seconds later with results:
It was explained to me that the first number listed as WBC (white blood cell count?) was normal so it was probably a virus, if higher than normal probably an infection. He said I could have chinese medicine that taste awful or equally effective: go home and rest. I didn't hang out to ask question because the people in line behind me held a baby with a bloody face and x-rays of his head waiting to be read. The baby seemed in good spirits though.
