Sick overseas is a sad story

No one likes to be sick.
But in America, if you’re a little under the weather, you can run down to your local pharmacy and pick up some over-the-counter medicine to help you deal with the symptoms.
If you’re a little more sick, you make an appointment to see your family doctor who knows all your history, your allergies, your habits, etc. That doctor will run his diagnostics and determine the best course of action to fight whatever infection or problem you may have. You go home; you take your medicine; you feel better. Not to mention you have no doubts about your doctor’s knowledge because you know that your doctor has attended years and years of university and medical training.
Overseas, it just doesn’t work the same way.
All the medicine you could want to buy here is over-the-counter. There are no prescriptions. You want antibiotics, anxiety medication, pain medication? Just find it on the shelf at the store and purchase it. The problem is, most of it is out of date or fake. Not to mention that I don’t know how many milligrams of any supposed medication my nine year old is supposed to take or the rest of us for that matter. I’ve always been told by doctors and pharmacists in-the-know that self-medicating is just asking for bigger problems.
So why not just ask a local doctor you say?
Well, there is one Australian doctor in this city of five million people who keeps an office for those sick and in need of his services. However, there’s not a whole lot he can do. He basically can tell you if what you have is serious enough to warrant a trip to Bangkok. His usual response to sicknesses our family has faced is, “Just take two Tylenol and let it run its course.” Good thing we have a stash of Tylenol sent to us from friends and family in the States cause it’s the one medicine you can’t buy here ironically.
There is an emergency clinic that has a couple of Western-trained doctors on staff. The key is getting to see the one that speaks English. I went there once when I was “near-death sick” and they at least gave me a shot and an IV drip before sending me home. (See ‘Sick and Saved’ from June 2012)
The closest and best doctors/clinic/hospital is in the next country over and it’s just not feasible to fly there to see a doctor when your sick, not to mention, who wants to deal with airports and fly on a plane when you’re feverish and in pain?
There is actually a new and nice hospital close to where we live. We went there once on a weekend when one of our kids was dealing with a high fever. The chief resident doctor came to help us because he spoke the best English, and although he seemed very smart and nice, he’s not Western-trained. (It’s amazing how some of the local superstitions work their way into medical treatments here.)
 
Because of this our family policy has become, “Just don’t get sick!” But the inevitable will happen, of course.
Little Mia had been feeling a little under the weather the last couple weeks. She was coming home from school with a headache everyday and then she developed a little cough. I assumed it was because of the weather we’ve been enduring lately with temperatures around 100 – 102 degrees everyday. Especially with frequent power outages leaving us with no air conditioning, it just takes the body a little while to adjust. And then since Mia is so small and thin, she always seems to be the one that gets sick. (Not to mention that she’s so active and touches everything she sees no matter how many times I tell her to keep her hands to herself. She just can’t help it.)
Then after she had been sick a couple days she had a really bad nosebleed that lasted around 45 minutes. It kinda scared me although I tried not to let her know it.
I tried to do everything I could think of to help her. I made sure she was drinking lots of water, eating well and getting all her vitamins. CJ got her some cough medicine and cough drops, but she just didn’t ever get better.
Then the vomiting started. Ugh.
 
In the past, my mom had been my go-to-resource for medical questions and just general advice. She worked in a hospital my whole life and she knows it all. So she’s the best one to ask when I don’t know what to do.
The problem is my mother is on the other side of the globe and when it’s morning here, it’s night there and vice versa.
I sent my mom a text message to ask her to log onto Skype so that I could ask her what she thought was wrong with Mia. But then our power went out, which meant no internet.
Naturally.
 
To make a long story shorter, ultimately I was able to get an appointment with the Australian doctor on Monday morning. As we drove to his office, I was so thankful that we had a car with air conditioning. I couldn’t imagine the hour-long ride to the doctor in the blazing sun with no air con, yet that’s what most people in this city endure.
The doctor said Mia was almost finished with a virus that had been going around. He gave her an antibiotic to wipe out the rest of it and she was all better in no time.
 
There are a couple revelations I discovered in this process. One is that even though the healthcare/insurance industry has been under scrutiny the last few years in America, we still have some of the best medical doctors and offices in the world.  Everytime you walk into your doctor’s office, say a prayer of thanksgiving. Everytime you get a prescription filled by your local pharmacist, say a prayer of thanksgiving. They are benefits that many people around the world never experience. I am so thankful that I was born in America.
 
The second revelation is no matter how far away I am, I still need my mom so much and I’m so thankful for the technology that allows me to stay in touch with her and my dad.  Aside from my spouse, they will always be the first people I want to talk to when I need help or advice or encouragement. I am so thankful for such amazing parents.
 
Being sick is no fun, but it definitely makes you thankful in so many ways.