Detour by the hospital

Chiang Mai

Overview : in the bus to Thailand. The passenger next to me tells me Chiang Mai's hospital is clean and offers good health care.

Three days later. Ayutthaya, Thailand : talking about that same hospital with another traveler and making a joke saying maybe we should visit it if it is that fantastic... Or maybe not...

Next time : ZIP IT!

Everything started with sort of a blister on my hand. Nothing to write a story about.

Then comes a second one. Not gonna go crazy over that.

Then I was leaving for a three days expedition in the thai forest, in Chiang Mai... with the same traveler I met in Ayutthaya.

The second day, i find my hand swollen, with half a dozen blisters. And a couple of wounds that won't heal because of heath and humidity. In the wood, I was sleeping on wet mattresses. And without a real shower, it was hard to think of cleaning that all. I even kept myself from bathing in the river to avoid infection. A physiotherapist in our group tells me I should see a doctor when I get back in the city.

But there was one day left on the trek. On the third morning, pain and swelling were getting more important. Maybe I had a little fever too. There was an infection.

I had to insist for our guide, who didn't have a first aid kit, to evacuate me as fast as possible so I could see a doctor. If he refused at first, he finally accepted if I paid for the driver.

I had to follow my companions for a one hour walk to reach the rafting camp. I wasn't expecting less. While the others would hop on the raft, I was getting in a pick-up that would bring me to the next camp. The traveler from Ayutthaya decided to come with me for moral support.

Half way to the next camp, believe it or not, the car breaks down. No gaz.

The guide ran to the left, to the right, ended up finding gaz. But the car wouldn't start. That's when the guide announced : push!

I started laughing (really!) because I thought it was absurd. My new friend was pushing with both her arms, I was with one hand. And the rain started falling...

After the effort, they brought us to the camp where the driver would pick us for a trip of 1,5 hours to the hospital.

Ironically, the two persons who joked about visiting Chiang Mai hospital had to go there. And I confirm : it is clean and efficient.

After registering, and after they looked at my hand, I ended up in the infection specialist's office. I must say the secretary surprised me when she called the nurse.

"She will see if you need a surgery..."

WHAT?

In the end, the doctor looked at my hand for 8,2 secondes and reached a diagnosis : infection.

That was all. I just needed to pay and get my medication which I hope will give me back my mobility.

The other great news is because of the measures they were taking, I found out I lost around 10 % of my body weight.

This adventure forces me to slow down and give up on the idea of visiting Kanchanaburi to see the river Kwai. I will stay in Chiang Mai for one more day before heading back to Bangkok, where I'll see a doctor again.

For the remaining of my trip, nothing has changed. Saturday, I fly to Jordan. I'm getting closer to home.