Mae Sot Hospital Exploration
Trip Start
Jun 05, 2007
1
10
12
Trip End
Aug 2007
Mae Sot, Thailand
Thursday, July 26, 2007
For the first few days that I was sick, I just slept a lot, and took tylenol to make my fever go down. I could not keep ANYTHING down, and made my mark all over Mae Sot. I consulted a pharmacist who said I was doing what I could, but I finally went to the hospital at the insistence of my medical-student friends for real tests. Mae Sot public hospital was busy, but had clean facilities and although I think I got pushed to the front of the line due to my foreign-ness, I was not in the position to complain right then. They never asked for ID or payment (just about $8 for the drugs I got), and less than three hours later I had a diagnosis, drugs in hand, follow-up appointment, and was on my way back to bed. I think I am lucky that my tests just clearly showed my diagnosis, and they were able to treat and release me. A friend of mine went there a few weeks later with some undetectable virus, was admitted when her tests were inconclusive, and just stayed for a few days until her fever and virus went away.
Despite the medicine, I was still useless for the next week. Some of the drugs made me more nauseous than the infection, and I developed a lovely red red rash on my hands, arms, feet and legs, that a nurse said was probably from the new antibiotics. I was keeping down hydration drinks, but that's it. Even when I've been sick, I am not one to lose my appetite! Slowly and finally, I'm better, but I am still operating in slow motion and my students at AAPP won't let me teach until next week so that I sleep in later.
Comments
Thousands of people from America and Europe have been traveling to Thailand seeking medical treatment at affordable prices. But even though medical treatments inThailand hospitals can be considered cheap, their major hospitals are internationally accredited.