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Published: March 2nd 2009
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As most of you know, I like to check out the medical facilities of the countries that I visit and so I decided I should check out the medical facilities here in China. I know, I know, Sophie tried them out not long after we got here, but I wanted to see for myself! As part of our medical insurance with school, we are allowed a full check up (from the neck up, as us Thurstons would say!), so during the Chinese New Year Holidays, I went and had one of these. I had been told not to eat before I went as I was having a fasting glucose test. First off, I had a general check with a grilling about my medical history. I then went to the children's section for a blood test, onto ECG room, ENT room, chest x-ray, ultrasound and eye test. I have been feeling ok, but a bit hormonal (nothing new there as Ian says!)......so in addition to the normal check up, I had a pelvic ultrasound. After all this, I was taken to a "cafe" which was totally deserted and told to wait for my breakfast. I was subsequently brought a glass of warm
milk, 2 pieces of cold soggy toast, a fried egg and a couple of rather dubious cocktail sausages! Now, I think this was the Western version so I dread to think what the Chinese version is! After the delicious breakfast, I went back to see the doctor who told me there was a rather dubious looking thing on my right ovary.
I have been saving this story as I wanted to make sure I knew all the facts before I reported.....so the next installment was when I went back for the results and they confirmed what the first doctor had said to me, that I had a mass on my right ovary. So, I was expecting to be back at work by 10am, but it was not to be as I was whisked off for a CT scan. Now, I say whisked off, but it took several hours for the insurance company to approve it, and then the fun began. I had to go and drink a litre of luke warm water with iodine in it, then wander around and go for the scan. Sadly, it seems I had not drunk enough, so I had to drink another litre-
YUK! Even after this, the doctor and the radiologist decided that the results were inconclusive, but they were pretty sure it wasn't anything horrible, which was rather reassuring. They advised me to go for an MRI, but that their scanner was not properly licensed so I had to go to another hospital.
At this point, I have to say something about this "Hospital". It is called Sun-Tec Medical Center and is like a luxury hotel. Clearly I had some time waiting for the luke warm water to progress through my system so I got chatting with the 2 doctors who stayed with me the whole time. They told me it had been designed by a guy who designs luxury hotels which is why it looked like it. Some things just didn't work at a hospital, for example the lift isn't big enough for a trolley!! This place is not open after 6pm or at weekends and closed for a whole week at Chinese New Year! Whenever we go there for a sore throat or whatever with the kids, there is never any more than one other person waiting, if that! There are so many nurses around it is amazing
that they make any money! I have put some pics on, but I am going to try and get one of the outside next time we go!!
I went back to school hoping to ring a different hospital and arrange the appointment, but I was forgetting that this is China......things that normally take 10 mins, take ages! In the end, it took 2 days to find somewhere which was covered by by insurance and on last Tuesday morning, I headed to the Shanghai Guangci Memorial Hospital to meet my friend Amanda who was to be my translator and hand holder for the day! In actual fact, I had found out that the gynaecologist spoke English but in the end, she was't so good at it and I was relieved to have Amanda there. She seemed none too worried but sent me for another ultrasound before she would discuss it further. I meant to mention, that as I left Sun-Tec, I was given all my records, ultrasound pictures and CT scan pictures to carry around and take to the new hospital with me. A very strange phenomenon to us NHS-people! This time, the hospital was much more of a normal
hospital, but we went to the VIP wing as we were Western and paying! However, we were then taken to the main building for the scan. The place was huge and absolutely packed with sick people! As VIPs we get rushed to the front of any queue, so I was sent to the front of the ultrasound line. This is where our cultures differ though. The people waiting are only separated from the person having the scan by a single curtain! No privacy here! Interestingly though, as it was my turn, the nurse accompanying me had brought a sheet with her which she put down as all the Chinese people just got on the same sheet one after another....enough said. The Chinese are nothing if not efficient and I was back seeing the doctor within minutes, with good news. She was quite happy it was nothing too horrid, but a cyst which indicates Endometriosis. She told me there is nothing much they can do for now, but I have to go back for ultrasounds every month if I have time...which of course I will make time for.....to check on how it goes.
Since this, I have obviously looked this up and found that all sorts of bits and pieces that I have been suffering for the last couple of years are related to this. It's nice to know what it is finally, but I also know that all that can be done is control the pain and keep an eye on the cyst. So, that is what we will do. So, there is my medical story. I have to say I have been very impressed by the medical services and I am being well cared for.
On other. lighter matters, we have been experiencing extroadinary amounts of rain here in Shanghai, which has resulted in too many days of indoor play at school. 4 out of 5 days last week and it will probably be the same again this week. The students are therefore pretty hyper but we are trying our best to control them! Luckily there was a break in the weather at the weekend and we managed to take Sophie and William out for a run around and roller blading. Other than that we are having a reasonably quiet time as we are trying deserately to save our pennies. We celebrated pancake day at our friends Kevin and Victoria's house last week, where William and Sophie were able to flip pancakes eat more than they could cook! We went out for a yummy dinner at a Japanese barbecue restaurant with Ms Karen and Ms Phillippa last night which was very reasonable, and the children ate really well. The beauty of that kind of food is that it doesn't come smothered in sauces! William's favourite was the asparagus wrapped in bacon and Sophie loved the dumplings and pork cutlet. School is very busy and Ian is out learning his Chinese again, he is trying to learn characters now and is totally in his element. I have a huge pile of marking ahead again, so I will leave you with the fun reading and try to upload some pics!
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