My First Ever Trip to the Hospital: Part 2

What’s that thing that they stick in your hand to control your fever and give you shots of medication called? I’ve never gotten one in the U.S., so I don’t know the name in English. Dude, that thing HURTS!!! And then if you accidentally rip it out, it’s a real bloody mess, and it hurts all over again. So, I don’t recommend doing that…ever.

When I got to the hospital, I gratefully sank onto the emergency stretcher, which I sincerely never suspected would be that hard. Even in the height of my fever, I could tell that it could have been a lot more comfortable. I was immediately surrounded by doctors. I guess I came in a bit of a star. You see, accompanying me was Pak Muharam’s brother-in-law. As previously stated, he is a doctor, also married to a doctor, and are well known in the community of Bandung doctors. (Yes, I used the word doctor three times in that sentence.) To put it in clearer terms, when I showed up, I didn’t have to sign anything, I didn’t have to put down any money or show them a credit card. They never asked me for my insurance card the entire time I was there, and they even released me with my entire $700.00 bill outstanding, without even getting the desired letter of promisary money from the U.S. embassy.

The doctors looked at my tongue, looked at the bumps all over my body, and immediately announced that I had the measles. I was like, “Dudes, that’s impossible. I’ve been vaccinated since I was a kid.” And then, they were like, “Dude, nothing is impossible. This is Indonesia.” So, at the point, I just started laughing. I mean, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, gastric ulcers, and now the measles, all in the span of two months? I really got the full experience this time around coming here. At this point, the doctors must have thought I was crazy so they told me to go to sleep and left me. I was wheeled up to a private VIP room with air conditioning and a television, and I lay in bed, unable to get up for the next three days. This meant that nurses helped me bathe myself, lifting the water to my mouth cuz I couldn’t drink it alone, etc, etc. Normally I’m a pretty independent person, not to mention shy at strange people taking off my clothes. That’s actually probably a pretty normal feeling though, right? Let me tell you that I did not mind in the least bit; I was just thankful to be lying there.

After I got some of my strength back, I started paying attention to what the doctors were saying and asking questions. This is where the confusion started. Apparently, the Dokter Kulit said that I had an allergic reaction to one of my antibiotics, sulfa. The Dokter Penyakit Dalam, whose name was Eddy, said that I had a virus, either Measles or Rubella. Dr. Eddy also said that he had never diagnosed me with typhoid fever OR Hepatitis, and why in the world was I telling people that I had? After I showed him the laboratory results that he himself had given me and signed over a month ago, he changed his tune and suddenly remembered. He told me to go to the Chapel and pray. I thought that was nice advice, especially considering that I wasn’t able to get out of bed.

Now I’ve been home for two days. I think it will take a while to heal. I’m still not up for walking around without supervision. The rash hasn’t totally faded. It’s mostly on my stomach, arms, and legs now. I don’t think it will affect my dating career though, after a young man followed me home yesterday trying to get my phone number. Boys! Ethan is coming to Bandung on the night train, and we are going to go to a clinic in Jakarta tomorrow morning to see if I can get a real diagnosis.