Well, my Cambodia/Laos trip was not meant to be. I am writing from my home in Brockport, NY.
The evening when we were supposed to leave I noticed a boil on my leg. I also felt flushed. After some quick webmd.com research, I found out that a boil with a fever can be quite dangerous and that I should seek immediate medical attention. I called my parents who contacted my doctor at home.
After several dozen phone calls to various people, I left for the hospital in Anshun. Sara and Laura Leigh (foreign teachers) came with me. We met Miss Zhang, Charlie and Jack (University faculty) at the hospital. I was examined by the doctor, I had my blood drawn and tested, and was prescribed some antibiotics.
In the meantime, the rest of the group started their journey towards Laos. I decided not to go on the trip, but to go back to America, for the holiday. It was an easy decision at the time. Boils usually don't, but can get into the blood stream and cause blood poisoning, which can be fatal. It would have been unwise to be traveling in unknown areas with the symptoms I had.
My parents helped me purchase tickets home. It was 27 hours of traveling: 20 hours on planes and four flights before I got home. I'm here until February 9th. Then I'll travel back to Beijing, where I'll stay for four days for the ULS Winter Conference.
The Spring semester will start March 5th. I'm thoroughly enjoying America, but am looking forward to going back. My life is in Anshun and I like it.
P.S. "Meiguo" is Mandarin for America
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Friday, January 26, 2007
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Ugg...Sick
Well, I finally got sick.
Amazingly, I lived in China for three months without getting the usually stomach distress.
That all changed Sunday. I made a big dinner for Sara's birthday, and around 4 I started to feel just awful. I called to cancel dinner (I didn't want to get anyone else sick) and crawled into bed.
Well, I just now (Wednesday morning) crawled out. It was a really awful as-sick-as-my-G.-I.-track-can-get sick. Yuck.
I've been taking care of myself - lots of clear liquids to prevent dehydration. And I'm starting on some crackers. So far, so good!
Unfortunately we're supposed to go to Guiyang tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I certainly hope I'm well enough to go!!!!!!
Amazingly, I lived in China for three months without getting the usually stomach distress.
That all changed Sunday. I made a big dinner for Sara's birthday, and around 4 I started to feel just awful. I called to cancel dinner (I didn't want to get anyone else sick) and crawled into bed.
Well, I just now (Wednesday morning) crawled out. It was a really awful as-sick-as-my-G.-I.-track-can-get sick. Yuck.
I've been taking care of myself - lots of clear liquids to prevent dehydration. And I'm starting on some crackers. So far, so good!
Unfortunately we're supposed to go to Guiyang tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I certainly hope I'm well enough to go!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Oh the irony...
Before I tell you anything, you have to know of two stories I heard when I spent the week in Guiyang.
Kara told me that once she was going into her living room, and that she turned the light on and one of her lightbulbs burst. It showered the room in little glass slivers, which she spent a half hour picking up. She was really concerned, because her neighbors have kids who play in her living room. "What if they had been there?", she asked me. So I started to get concerned about exploding light bulbs.
A few days later Matthew said that he was replacing a light bulb in their stairwell. He said that he screwed it in and that it flickered twice and then exploded. Fortunately, he didn't get any of it lodged in him, but still!
Second, you have to know that I have spent nearly all of my life living with 8.5 foot ceilings. My 6'4" brother can scrape his knuckles when he stretches. I only need a dining room chair to reach the ceiling in my house.
So-
Monday was an ironic day for me. I went to bed Sunday night without picking the apartment up (which is unlike me). So Monday morning I was puttering around, getting things in order before my class at 10. I took care of my bedroom, the study, and I was headed into the living room.
I turned on the overhead light so I could see. One of my lightbulbs flickered and died. I looked up and it appeared to be swinging within the light fixture. I was a little worried about it exploding or falling or something. So I decided to take the lightbulb down before I had a problem with little bits of glass.
The ceilings here are high - maybe 11 feet. I can't reach the light fixture, even with a chair. But I decided to try to stand on my coffee table and give it a shot. I thought about bringing in a chair, but the coffee table seems pretty sturdy.
So I slid out of my slippers (I didn't want to be slippery) and stood on the coffee table. I moved my foot and leaned trying to reach the lightbulb (I was like three feet away - it was kind of silly to even try). And then - CRACK - a pane of glass in my coffee table broke. I was standing with bare feet in broken glass.
Oh the irony: I was worried about little pieces of glass, and here I am with huge daggers of broken glass. (Here is the glass in a bucket)
My coffee table has two sections: a wooden section and a glass section. The wooden section had this weird little compartment that had rocks under some glass. This is the glass that broke. Here is a photo of that part of the coffee table.
I carefully got down and went to get a towel to stop the bleeding in my foot. I had some deep scratches in by big toe and the sole of my foot. But I had a small gash in my baby toe that was really bleeding. There was a little trail of blood spots around my apartment where I had walked.
The first thing I did was to look online to see what constituted a bad cut, versus just a cut. They said that if the cut was so deep/big that the sides of the wound wouldn't close, that you needed stitches. Well, even though it was bleeding, it was holding itself together. This is good, since I have found out that they don't use anesthetic for stitches here - eek!.
So I called Sara to come over (Kris was in class) and she helped me clean up my foot and put bandaids on. She also helped me clean my floor.
I didn't go to class - Kris put a movie in for the class (it's a listening class, so it's not really a stretch for them to watch movies). I just sat with my foot up and watched a movie.
It actually isn't that bad at all. It was more alarming than anything. I've been favoring my baby toe when I walk and wearing sneakers everywhere. The other cuts are almost healed, and I'm keeping my eye out for any signs of infection. But bactine and neosporin are helping me out a lot.
So that was my first, minor medical emergency in China.
Kara told me that once she was going into her living room, and that she turned the light on and one of her lightbulbs burst. It showered the room in little glass slivers, which she spent a half hour picking up. She was really concerned, because her neighbors have kids who play in her living room. "What if they had been there?", she asked me. So I started to get concerned about exploding light bulbs.
A few days later Matthew said that he was replacing a light bulb in their stairwell. He said that he screwed it in and that it flickered twice and then exploded. Fortunately, he didn't get any of it lodged in him, but still!
Second, you have to know that I have spent nearly all of my life living with 8.5 foot ceilings. My 6'4" brother can scrape his knuckles when he stretches. I only need a dining room chair to reach the ceiling in my house.
So-
Monday was an ironic day for me. I went to bed Sunday night without picking the apartment up (which is unlike me). So Monday morning I was puttering around, getting things in order before my class at 10. I took care of my bedroom, the study, and I was headed into the living room.
I turned on the overhead light so I could see. One of my lightbulbs flickered and died. I looked up and it appeared to be swinging within the light fixture. I was a little worried about it exploding or falling or something. So I decided to take the lightbulb down before I had a problem with little bits of glass.
The ceilings here are high - maybe 11 feet. I can't reach the light fixture, even with a chair. But I decided to try to stand on my coffee table and give it a shot. I thought about bringing in a chair, but the coffee table seems pretty sturdy.
So I slid out of my slippers (I didn't want to be slippery) and stood on the coffee table. I moved my foot and leaned trying to reach the lightbulb (I was like three feet away - it was kind of silly to even try). And then - CRACK - a pane of glass in my coffee table broke. I was standing with bare feet in broken glass.
Oh the irony: I was worried about little pieces of glass, and here I am with huge daggers of broken glass. (Here is the glass in a bucket)
My coffee table has two sections: a wooden section and a glass section. The wooden section had this weird little compartment that had rocks under some glass. This is the glass that broke. Here is a photo of that part of the coffee table.
I carefully got down and went to get a towel to stop the bleeding in my foot. I had some deep scratches in by big toe and the sole of my foot. But I had a small gash in my baby toe that was really bleeding. There was a little trail of blood spots around my apartment where I had walked.
The first thing I did was to look online to see what constituted a bad cut, versus just a cut. They said that if the cut was so deep/big that the sides of the wound wouldn't close, that you needed stitches. Well, even though it was bleeding, it was holding itself together. This is good, since I have found out that they don't use anesthetic for stitches here - eek!.
So I called Sara to come over (Kris was in class) and she helped me clean up my foot and put bandaids on. She also helped me clean my floor.
I didn't go to class - Kris put a movie in for the class (it's a listening class, so it's not really a stretch for them to watch movies). I just sat with my foot up and watched a movie.
It actually isn't that bad at all. It was more alarming than anything. I've been favoring my baby toe when I walk and wearing sneakers everywhere. The other cuts are almost healed, and I'm keeping my eye out for any signs of infection. But bactine and neosporin are helping me out a lot.
So that was my first, minor medical emergency in China.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The testing of the blood
Well, I'm off to get my blood tested for HIV. It's the last step to getting medically cleared to go to China.
Unfortunately there's not much news on the China front right now: I'm still trying to learn Chinese, I'm going to start writing prayer & support letters, I'm getting my blood drawn. I think that's it.
But as soon as something else happens, you will be the first to know!
Elizabeth
Unfortunately there's not much news on the China front right now: I'm still trying to learn Chinese, I'm going to start writing prayer & support letters, I'm getting my blood drawn. I think that's it.
But as soon as something else happens, you will be the first to know!
Elizabeth
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