I used to disbelieve people who told me they automatically woke up when they had something important to do. I may have been wrong - yet again I did so this morning, not two minutes before the alarm.
There were some exclamations of surprise on the bus when I appeared, they all know I have no classes yet. Thankfully I wasn’t quizzed as to my reasons for going to campus, possibly they thought I was simply bringing in my stuff in preparation - which to be fair, I was in part.
When Leanne (not Siobhan, as I erroneously stated previously) arrived, we walked to the hospital. The TCM hospital next door. The one she told me it wasn’t. Challenged on the point, she was swift to reassure me that they dispensed both western and Chinese medicine and treatments and her doctor was the lead orthopaedic doctor in the place. Ok, so my curiosity was piqued and anyway, she had already primed her “best friend” Doctor John of my impending celebrity arrival.
Chinese hospitals, it must be said, are ten times faster than UK NHS hospitals. You pay for the privilege though and they are not without their faults and frustrations.
Firstly I had to register as a first time patient. I forked out 14y and Leanne was given a book for notes to be written in and a card which needs to be swiped to bring up my details on computer.
Up we went to the 3rd floor where we waited a few minutes until Dr John arrived. He’s actually quite a jovial chap who speaks a smattering of English, rather a lot of French and of course Chinese. Leanne told me he spends a month or two each year volunteering at the request of the Chinese government in impoverished African countries, the last being Madagascar.
Of course there was soon a crowd of spectators gawping at the foreigner from the doorway, so when I was asked to simulate the problem I closed it with an apologetic glare, if there can be such a thing.
By that time I didn’t need to fake it as I am limping like that within a very short space of time but I acted out the ultimate outcome (as happened on the school trip a few times and once in Shanghai playing pool for God’s sake). On the bed please. Leg swivelled and prodded and squeezed. Various questions to ascertain if there was pain anywhere else but there isn’t, just the front of the hip.
X-Ray time. Back to the 1st floor to pay for it (73y), over to another building to have it, up to the 2nd floor there to collect it and then back to the main building 3rd floor to show the doctor. For some reason there were problems getting a good shot so I was on the slab for ages but eventually they were satisfied.
Back with Dr John, he looked at the photo and uttered one word. “Accident?”. Yes I said but that’s the other side and I have no pain there now. I asked if I could see it because I never saw the one taken at the time.
Can anyone explain how on earth qualified medics in Chizhou actually failed to see what to my untrained eye is as plain as a pikestaff?? Unfortunately the photo I have taken isn’t as clear as in the flesh but bottom right you can discern the white jagged line running through my left ischium. It looks to have healed in a displaced position so in truth I probably dodged a bullet there - I have no doubt they would have instantly wanted to slit my arse open and sling a load of tungsten in to put it back in place. But to think I scaled 4 floors every day to teach like that - no wonder it bloody hurt!
My current problem? Age and arthritis as suspected but “nothing to worry about”. He prescribed one western drug and one Chinese one, presumably hedging his bets. So, back to the first floor again to pay for the prescription (77y), up to the 2nd to collect the meds and then back to the 3rd floor for the Dr to tell me how to take them!
I have 3 days of western pills and 5 of Chinese. At 77y for that, I was highly relieved to learn I wouldn’t have to take them forever! However, if they don’t do the trick, he spoke of injections, presumably hydrocortisone. From memory that would be a quarterly affair. I can put up with that, especially as the hospital is next door.
And then it was over.
Back in the office, Janet came to see me - even she was astounded at the incompetence of the A&E quacks in Chizhou when she took a look. Of course, my prime concern was finding out when the hell I am starting teaching again and what my roster is.
Despite enough students initially indicating their interest, only two have come forward as definites. The school deems the minimum necessary as being 5 students, ergo unless by close of business today three more stick their hands up, the class will be cancelled and I will be given sophomores to teach.
I don’t know about you but I think that will be a tragedy for those two. They will probably never get another chance to study abroad. Accordingly I have informed Janet that the school can give me my normal workload and I will happily tutor the Cyprus aspirants in my free time. I await a response. Equally, I await my timetable which I am told I should have next Tuesday. Apparently it will not be as last term, so it sounds as if I will be teaching mornings and afternoons on different days. So be it.
But I think those kids should not be denied the opportunity to go to Cyprus. They will go if I can convince the powers that be.
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