The Chinese Emergency Room

Ok...so this is the first time I have participated in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, but I am going to give it a try. When I saw the prompt about the ER, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write about my experience.

The prompt I chose: Your trip to the ER...spill it. (inspired by Stephanie from This Blessed Life).

I must preface this story by saying that I am one of the most clumsy people you will ever meet. Usually these mishaps result in broken bones of some sort (I think I'm up to 13 if I remember correctly), but I hadn't been to the ER for one until the summer of 2007.

Let me set this up a little bit for you...It's the middle of July in Nanning, Guangxi, PRC...yes, that's right..a Chinese ER experience. I'd been at the school in China where I would be teaching English for the remainder of the summer less than 24 hours when the incident occured. It was raining...I slipped on the stairs...fell...and then landed on my arm. OUCH! My forearm immediately swelled because of the way I landed on the stairs, but the catch is...that ISN'T where I broke it. I broke my elbow...

Now to the actual ER visit. My team leader, a teacher from the school (serving as our translator), and I all load up in a taxi and head to the hospital. Once we arrive and walk inside, culture shock IMMEDIATELY takes over. I look to my right and there is a small child (about 2.5 years old) with an IV in her scalp SCREAMING in her dad's arms. I look to my left and there are (no lie!) about 50 people on IV drips in the waiting room. I really wish I had my taken my camera so that I could have some proof of this. Straight ahead there is a bench where I am informed to sit and wait my turn. Overwhelmed by everything else going on, I obey ask no questions about it!

Oh...the best of the story is yet to come.

After waiting a surprisingly short amount of time, some hospital worker (nurse...tech...I'm not sure. It was someone dressed in all white) grabs me (literally!) from the bench and takes me to a desk at the front of the ER. She hands me a card (all written in Mandarin, may I add) and asks me to fill it out. My Mandarin skills are limited, but I was able to figure out they wanted me to write my FULL name (which is somewhat lengthy) in a space about like this._____ Really?!?! I politely tell my translator that I don't think my name will fit in the space. He started talking to the people at the desk (I'm assuming it's about the fact that my name won't fit in the space, but what do I know?). After their little convo, our translator says with a hint of shock/surprise in his voise, "You don't have a Chinese name?" To which I WANTED to reply, "Do I LOOK like I have a Chinese name?!?!?!" Apparently realizing that I am American and we don't generally have our names written in Chinese characters, (although I wouldn't mind! :D), he proceeds to write something in that little space intended for my name. What our translator didn't know is that I'm not COMPLETELY illiterate when it comes to Mandarin, and I recognized what he wrote for my name. 外国人。。。"wai guo ren" (in pin yin)....translated "FOREIGNER" in English. I didn't let on that I knew what he wrote, but it struck me as funny. The rest of my visit to the ER, I wasn't known as Katie, but "wai guo ren"....foreigner. In their defense, the description fit perfectly, and no one would be confused of who they were talking to...or about.

While I filled out the information card, the nurse told me they needed to take my temperature. To my surprise (to this day I ask myself why I am surprised at ANYTHING that happens in China) they take a thermometer out from a guys arm, shake it a bit, and shove it under mine. Disgusting...although I could think of much worse scenarios.

Promptly after taking my temperature, they usher me into the doctor's office. He takes a good look at the swelling in my forearm and sends me up to x-ray. X-rays...something familiar. After all, having 13 broken bones makes for having an abundance of xrays taken throughout my short life. The Xray Technician sat me down in a chair, threw my broken arm (literally!) on the table, and walks out of the room.

"Excuse me, Mr. X-Ray Tech...ummm...did you forget the lead apron for my lap?!?! I would like to have babies someday." It was to no avail. He was gone... My X-rays were taken... No protective lead apron... a standard radation precaution that we take for granted in the good ole U.S. of A.

The xrays came back (may I remind you they are of my forearm, NOT my elbow, which was actually broken) and they sent me back in to see the doctor. He pulled on my arm (literally!) for a few minutes with tears running down my face because of the excruciating pain he was putting me through.

Doctor's diagnosis....not broken. WHAT?!?

Doctor's prescription...a spray (yes, a spray!) to put on my arm a few times a day.

So we left the Chinese ER...in serious pain...and frustrated that nothing was accomplished during the 3 hour ER visit except a fun story and great memories.

Although that is the end of my ER extravaganza, I feel like I need to fill you in on the rest of the story....

I called my dad who is an Orthopaedic Physician's Assistant and sent him my xrays via telephone. I told him the story of what happened, where it was hurting/swelling, etc, and the conclusion was "yes, you broke your elbow!" The ER doctor ordered that my forearm...not my elbow...be xrayed. The doc (in America) looked everything over and agreed that, indeed, I had fractured my radial head (elbow). They then overnighted some materials to splint my arm for the rest of my stay in China. Talk about a long distance consult!

That's my ER story!

Me with one of my students...I wasn't going to let a broken arm keep me away from having the TIME OF MY LIFE with these kids in China!

***I feel like I should put in this little bit of information in here for those of you who don't know me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE China. Everything about China! Infact, I want to spend my life working with special needs orphans in this country that I love so very much. In no way am I making fun of their healthcare or medicine. This story turned out to be one of my very favorite memories from being in China. That's the reason why I wanted to share it with you!***