I had my first “See the Doctor” experience here in China. It was like many other surprising experiences here that have turned out way better than I had feared. So far, the apples are crunchy – every time. The watermelons are always sweet, and never soggy. The celery is sweet and crisp. Dish rags don’t get stinky, and going to the Doctor was fast, efficient, and cheep – not pricy. Let me tell you about it.
I found my doctor by word of mouth. Some of our friends, the Thelins, who are from Provo, told us about her. They had met her previously, and she had expressed to them, a desire to meet any of the rest of us (American, English Teachers) who might be in need of some medical care. Well, today, I found myself in the need of some medical care.
I brought a whole pharmacy worth of medications, pills and syrups, just in case of a cold, or illness of almost any sort. As it turns out though, I didn’t bring anything for the female condition called a yeast infection. This is a malady that I’ve had to deal with in the past, and you’d think that I’d have come prepared. But somehow, I must not have had “the itch” when I was putting together all my drugs, because I didn’t have anything that would do the job.
There are a lot of ailments that you might just resign yourself to, and let it works its way out, but not this one. This itch makes you want to take a crochet hook to it to alleviate the agony. But rather than cause myself bodily harm, I picked up the phone and called Dana Thelin, asking her the phone number for the Doctor she was telling me about.
Dr. Trisha, as it turns out, can speak English quite well. She called me on the phone, and told me who she was. She asked when I’d like to come over to the hospital where she works. I wanted to say “NOW!” But I politely asked when it would be good for her. She said three o’clock, and I was so relieved to hear that it was today, and not tomorrow or next week. I just had to endure the next three hours. I could continue to work on next week’s lesson plans, until I could get checked, and get the medicine and relief I needed.
I turned to my keyboard, and started working on my lesson plan, when it dawned on me that there was a Security Meeting for all foreign students and teachers at 2:00 PM. I didn’t think that I’d be finished with the meeting in time to make my 3:00 PM appointment with Trisha. So I called her back, and explained my predicament. She asked if I thought I could come at 1:30 PM. In my confusion with 2:00’s and 3:00’s, I said, “yes” that would be fine, and I’d call my supervisor to tell him that I had a doctor’s appointment, that I’d hurry as fast as I could, and would possibly get there a little late. One thirty, the time for my new appointment, and greatly anticipated relief, was sooner than 3:00 PM, so I was really glad. The itching was already starting to subside.
Dr. Trisha said for me to meet her at the big Dove statue, just outside the entrance to the hospital. She was right on time! How many times have you seen a doctor be right on time!???? I was amazed! I explained again that I had this meeting to go to, so she said that she’d help me, and we’d get through it as fast as possible. First, we went to the registration desk. They gave me a little card with my I.D. number on it. It cost 4 RMB, a little over 50 cents. Then we went to the cashier to pay. I paid the 4 RMB, and also had to pay 6 RMB, (just under a dollar) in order to see the Gynecologist, and have a pelvic exam.
So, for about $1.50, I saw the leading Gynecologist in the province, and had her exam. Dr. Trisha new that I was in a hurry, and guided me into a crowded office. There must have been at least ten ladies standing around a table, waiting to be seen. Trisha pulled me in, up to the table, in front of all the other ladies – some with big pregnant tummies – and explained that I was in a hurry because I had a meeting to attend, and they put me at the front of the line. Can you believe it?! I felt like apologizing to the other ladies. I guess that tall, blond, foreigners get privileged treatment here. No one grumbled, or cleared their throat in an objectionable manner. I was in awe.
Okay, here’s the good part. I was taken into the exam room. I walked past a pant-less girl on an exam chair with her feet in stirrups. They took me into a curtained area – and didn’t pull the curtains. As I got into my own exam chair, and put my feet into the stirrups, I waved to the girl I had passed, and she waved to me. I’m sure that I was probably the first red head that any of them had ever seen. The exam was fast, thorough and efficient, as they took a sample for a lab test, not dissimilar to a pap smear. The lab test cost six RMB – just under a dollar. Doctor Trisha and I walked the sample upstairs to the lab. We had a little visit, for about ten minutes while the lab work was done. And then, we took the results downstairs, back to the GYN doctor, and then to the pharmacy. The prescription was the only thing that cost very much at all. The medication to cure my agonizing itch cost me 140RMB or $20.52, and an hour of my time. I was very indebted to Dr. Trisha. She was so helpful, and rushed me around from place to place, and got me the fastest medical service that I’ve ever endured. It was really quite amazing. I have never seen a medical doctor be concerned about my timing or my schedule. I think I love her!
Dr. Trisha is a forty year old neurosurgeon. As she said several times that, she is “crazy for English”. She’s got an agenda in wanting to get to know us foreigners. She certainly wants to practice her English, but more so, I think that she wants to talk about Christianity. She said that she was raised as an atheist, but has developed an interest in Christianity. She said that she tries to read the Bible every day, and wants to know more. I explained that we made an agreement with China’s government that we would not talk about religion while we are here, as part of our work contract. She seemed frustrated, with my non-willingness to talk about the church.
I’ve invited her over for a little visit this coming Thursday. I’m happy to have found a Chinese person that can answer some of my questions. I’m eager to talk to her about their thinking on and the philosophy behind their potty training methods. Toddlers all wear pants with a split in the crotch. Not an overlapping split like in the garments of days gone by, but the back seam is finished off, and open, so that half the time, you can see their cute little cheeks peaking out. Dr. Trisha has a son, and I’m interested in finding out how she has managed working full time, and having a child at home. So many of the Chinese have a grandparent take care of the children. I’m looking forward to our visit with her.
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