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Dysentery?

5/18/2010

6 Comments

 
We got up the next day, absolutely exhausted but happy to be in what are becoming familiar surroundings.


I spoke to the hostel manager, who speaks a little English about seeing a doctor and he told me the only place I'd find one who spoke any English was at the Kunming Medical College Hospital. Our travel Insurance then advised us that this was the only place they recommended in Kunming, so we headed off to the hospital.


Out the front and we walk into a swarm of people, cuing (pushing each other and trying to get an advantage on the person next to them- believe me, if you've been to China you'll know what I mean...) in all manner of places. 


Where do we go I wondered out loud. We both had no idea what to do so we stood there, dazed, looking around and wondering. Deciding we had to do something we attempted to cue at a counter, but no-one would talk to us and when it came to our turn, others pushed in front. 


But luckily, after some wrangling we managed to find a nurse (I think?) who took us up three flights of stairs through the masses to a big hall were people were swarming to get there blood tested en masse. After some pushing and shoving to hold our place in one of many queues, it was finally my turn, but it seemed there was some sort of problem and the nurse was no-where to be found.


They pointed to the paper's I had given them and yelled something in Chinese, whilst pointing that I go someplace else. Where or why I didn't know. The nurse had already taken us to the payments desk were we had forked out money for the privilege to get jabbed. Everyone was looking at me and after seeing me hesitate decided I was fair game. One person pushed up to the side of me, jabbed his arm out on the desk in front of me in preparation for a little blood letting. In amazement at the audacity of these people I hesitantly got up and left, figuring my only chance was to find the nurse that had abandoned us.


After only a couple of minutes we got lucky, bumping into our nurse lady. Not understanding what had happened she took us back to the blood letters where we were told (in Chinese) to go back down stairs and pay more money. 


Half an hour later my arm was seized and within seconds (so fast I didn't realise they'd done it) a vial full of blood was taken. As the needle was removed I looked down and saw old bloodied, large cotton buds used to mop up excess blood from freshly opened veins scattered all over the floor, and a cockroach looking bug clambering over them.


The blood was analysed almost on the spot, very efficient, then I was told I had to give a stool sample (I know you all wanted to hear that, haha). This was bizarre, walking into the bathroom was like walking into a public train station toilet (ala Ringwood station), it looked, and smelt as though it hadn't been cleaned for days... 


I'll save you any more detail and skip to the part where we were ushered past the masses to see a doctor who spoke a little English (think Chinglish). I was told to come back the next morning for another blood test, and then four days after that for the results.


In the next week we ended up visiting the hospital four times seeing and communicating (with varying degrees of success) with six different doctors, taking four different types of medications- so far none of which have worked. and learning that the hospital treats over 6,000 patients per day! The results showed that there was blood and a high level of white blood cells in the sample (the best word I could think of for poop) and I was told on the last visit that I should go back home to Australia.


So we're headed to Beijing in a couple of days via a 40HR train journey, and then we'll fly straight to Turkey. We have decided that leaving Asia is the best plan, and instead we'll change our route through Europe to cycle through Switzerland and the Alps with our friends Severine and Francois and then ride up to Norway to sail with Rune to Scotland.


We'll chuck up another couple of posts over the next few days about our adventures in and around the city of Kunming, most notably our visit to the Zoo where we saw some major animal rights abuses (particularly of bears and monkeys). And I'll tell you how I had a spac attack at the people responsible.


Cheers. 



 
6 Comments
KiM EVANS
5/18/2010 09:08:11 am

Hopefully in Europe you can get some better medical attention if not better by then. Had a good visit with Kimby she is managing to keep her food down mostly. Hope you are feeling alot better soon, I would love to see Europe sounds beautiful - riding around the alps, very hilly.. Look out for the Tour de france.

Reply
kory
5/18/2010 01:11:28 pm

hey man sorry to hear about the dysentry. that sucks. r u gonna be able to treat it in china or will u have to go overseas to fix it? hopefully ur over it by the time u have read this message.

Reply
Trevor Evans
5/18/2010 11:21:15 pm

Wow! That beats my poopy experience by a long way. On Saturday night I came home after a very very long hard day and as per usual felt Boston's wet puppy nose on my hand as I opened the gate in the dark - busting to go for a run as he always is. I then took one step forward into a large pile of something soft and smelly ... not happy! .. and then took my next step with my other foot into a second pile just as bad as the first. "hzbzvxhsvsbhssg!", I said and took my shoes off on the spot. So after carefully turning on a light switch I made a B line for the garden hose. Boston ran quickly into the garage where he sleeps.

So sorry that you have been so unwell Sam. Hopefully the dysentery will clear very quickly and the rest of the tour will bring good health.

Love from Mum and Dad

Reply
Anne Clough
5/19/2010 09:44:28 am

Sorry to hear about Sam's illness.
Hope he feels better soon.
A wise decision to head for Europe. Take care.
Love you guys
Mum

Reply
Angela Fordham
5/21/2010 04:11:06 pm

Sam hope you get the medical attention you need FAST!!!!! Don't know how you do it. We just got back a week ago from Phuket (had an amazing time) and just wanted to let you know how much I admire you both for cycling through the disgusting heat and humidity there! We commented several times while we were there that we admired you for cycling in the heat and didn't know how you kept going. I have just caught up on the rest of your entries and hope you get well soon.
Love Ange

Reply
Francois et Sev link
5/21/2010 09:07:35 pm

Gdaymet !

We are now in a beautiful town in the mountain of Yunan. It coal Lijiang. We are a leatlebit tired but we have found energy to go in the city, try to found somme comics. The road whas realy nice ! With a lot of up and down ! We hope that you have found your biks and you found quicly a plane to go to Istambul !

Have you undersend everything ? It's my firs text in English !

Francois and Sev, but (if you have not see) writ by Francois...

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    Sam and Shanna Evans are from Melbourne, Australia

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