Thailand Hospital Adventure Chronicles

Episode I: Saturday

Arrival: 8:30am

One problem that I have been pretty consistently having here is a strong increase in asthma symptoms, especially when running. Since running inside is not really a very good option here, running outside has to suffice. I had been planning to go to the hospital and visit an allergist, but I never did that until Saturday. This is because I had also developed a dorsal ganglion cyst on my wrist. Again, this would not have been enough, but it began to hurt when putting pressure on my wrist (like doing push-ups) so I decided it was a good time to go ahead and brave the hospital.

About the hospital. This hospital is huge for Isaan (Northeast Thailand). In fact when there is an emergency that needs special treatment for anyone in this province or any of the neighboring provinces, they come to this hospital. It is known for being crowded and having long wait times.

To understand what it feels like to go into a crowded public Thai hospital that is the main one for the region in one of the poorest areas of Thailand, you need only look at this picture to understand:

(Stolen from my brother)

But on Saturday it was not THAT crowded--thankfully. So I went to the area where you get an ID card (I knew where THAT was). I had to wait in a line, fill out a form, and repeatedly and emphatically say that I don't speak Thai. Then I received it. I have no scanner, for just showing it to you would be more funny. My name both on the card and in their system is and forever will be "Andres Hurn." No joke.

Then I went to internal medicine and tried to look lost for a while. When no one came to my rescue I gave a nurse my information and she pointed me in another direction, I guess to the surgery specialist for diagnostic or something. Waited there for about...2 and a half hours or so. I don't think the doctor even got in until 10am. I read a book I got from a friend. It was a good book so I was pretty content. At one point someone came through selling food so I bought a good old-fashioned waffle with corn.

Doctors in Thailand can speak more English than almost anyone else around, so this doctor was very good. He told me to come in for surgery (!) on Monday. (Don't worry, I'll get to that. It's not as scary as you think.) I asked to be pointed in the direction of the asthma specialist and they helped me--with some language struggles. But they escorted me there so it was okay.

Another hour of waiting or so. At first I ended up with a young doctor(?) who didn't know ANY English (never happened to me before). But the next doctor was spectacular. She prescribed me an inhaled steroid. It was at this point I left. I probably could have gotten a cheaper price on the medication if I had bought it at the hospital pharmacy, but I was afraid of more waiting. I got home at about 12:30pm.

Cost
Hospital Fee: 50Baht ($1.70)
Inhaled steroid 1 month: 1200Baht ($37)


Episode II: Monday, The Surgery Tease

Needless to say I was not way too keen on getting surgery in a poor region of a 3rd World Country no matter how awesome it is, but I know many people and many stories of people who got surgery here and were totally fine. Arrived at about 8:30am again. It was VERY crowded today.

I went to the information desk, they said to go upstairs. I checked with another person to see where to go just to make sure. They said to go to a place on the first floor. I went there and they said to go to the second floor. I went there. I found a helpful soul who spoke just enough English. (I would probably not be living here right now if I did not have so many helpful souls here who speak just enough English.) She translated for a nurse and took me back downstairs to where I was immediately before. They told us again that I needed to go upstairs. My helpful stranger asked two more people to help. One of them almost tried to take us to the asthma section because she remembered me from before. Finally both the nurse and my helpful stranger took us downstairs again to orthopedics where I said my emphatic thank you's and goodbye's.

I waited a short time for the orthopedist who decided not to treat and to just wait for a while (so no push-ups for me I guess). He said check back in a month.

Cost
0 Baht ($0)