A 24 hour trip... to the hospital?!

From the desk of Chris...

This weekend we sent somewhere I hoped we'd never have to go to while in China-- to the hospital. Don't worry, I'll go ahead and tell you that everything is fine! For about a week or two I've been having rib pain and noticed that there was a bumb on one of my ribs. That, plus the 15 pound weight loss I've had in the last few months, made me decide to call SOS-- an "internaitonal travel clinic" that we can call and get medical consultation. Late Friday afternoon they recommended that I go to Changsha, the closest big city, to see one of their doctors. We headed out around 5:30 to catch a fast train to Changsha. The fast trains here are pretty amazing-- the one we were on was traveleing over 200 mph!

The next morning we headed to the hospital with one of our friends in Changsha. He speaks Chinese fluently and was an amazing blesssing to us. The trip to the hospital was unlike anything I've ever experienced in America! I was a little worried when I realized that the hospital was sponsored by a candy company, but what choice did I have??

The doctor had given me his cell phone number so I called him when I got the the lobby. He told us to go ahead and register then "come to room 207" to see him.  He was great-- he had worked at Vanderbuilt for 5 years and spoke English very well. He was one of the best internal medicine doctors in the hospital and it only cost me 13 quay (less than $2) to see him! There's no such thing as "HIPPA" or appointment times here... another patient can walk into the exam room while you're talking to the doctor, no big deal. I guess for us its ok because not too many people speak English very well!

All in all, the morning was pretty busy. I got X-rays, a CT scan, blood work, a urinalysis, an abdominal ultrasound, and talked to 3 doctors: my internal medicine doctor, the radiologist, and the thoracic surgeon. The system is a little different in China-- you pay cash for each test before they do it. If you have insurance, its then your responsibility to get your money back from the insurance company. I've got to admit, I like this system better!

Just getting a little bloodwork done!

Trip to the CT scanner

Finally.. something familiar to read!

All in all, I've got to admit that I was pleasantly suprised and pleased with our trip to the hospital. Aside from the fact that it was a full 24 hours from when we left home until we returned (all for a trip to see a good doctor), I don't really have much to complain about. I'd like to give a special "thank you" to all our friends in Changsha who helped make this trip go smoothly!! You guys are the best!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, it turns out that the area where the cartilage meets the rib is "offset" a little, probably due to a recent sports injury. There's some inflammation around the area, and I was given some medicine to help it go away. Nothing to worry about!