In your dreams.....

Deb hadn't kept up with my blog so on my return home she was interested in my account of the hospital in Tha Kek, Laos. It was such a vivid dream I decided to turn it into a blog. The hospital is a concrete or cinder block, single story sprawling structure. When the Tuk Tuk driver delivered me to the hospital after my fall at the cave I was shown to what I assume was the emergency room. It was a grey, poorly lighted room with a gurney, a desk, a surgical table and a cabinet with medical supplies. After I was stitched up, by a person of unknown title, he took me to a men's ward and gave me a bed. There was only one other patient in the ward, an old man who looked very sick. Becasue there is no kitchen at the hospital it is the family of the patient who provide food. When I appreared in the ward the old man's family all came over to have a look at me and closely examine my bandages. Pantomining their question about what happened, they assumed a motorcyle accident, I replied in kind showing a geezer taking a fall. In time a doctor appeared who spoke English. He prescribed antibiotics, pain killer and anti-inflamatory. Because I had no family he deputized the Tuk Tuk driver, who was quite truamatized about the accident to his customer, to escort me to the hospital pharmacy and cashier. We picked the prescriptions, I paid the $10. bill for all services rendered...which included the prescriptions... and headed back to the doctor. He explained the prescritions and dosages, told me to remove the stitches in three days and sent me on my way. On the way to the pharmacy we passed the children's ward. It had about 40 beds all surrounded by concerned family members.
It was the next day, after taking my second tumble this time on the Guesthouse steps, with my knee showing signs of infection, that I headed back to Bkk. The Bkk hospital is state of the art. The routine is; I show up for my appointment, usually the surgeon sometimes a nurse cleans and re-bandages my cuts, I go sit in the lobby until a cashier calls my name, I pay the bill and leave. The whole process takes about 30 minutes.