And to make matters worse, I was at the sports center on Thursday night feeling ready to conquer a small hill on the treadmill when all of a sudden I was struck with one of my famous allergic reactions. Here I am--- no ID, no phrase book, and sicker than a dog--- surrounded by about 20 fellow gym-goers trying to make sure I don't die on their watch. I had blankets thrown on me, my blood pressure was taken, suddenly everyone spoke English and doctors came out of the woodwork, and before I knew it, I was on my way to the hospital in an ambulance. And with me, this lovely man from the gym, clutching my gym bag and looking absolutely petrified.
We got to the hospital and I'm already feeling a bit better by this point and had communicated what I shots I needed to receive to the EMTs. The doctor appeared quickly, unlike in the US, and I swear that I had this kid in class during my 6th hour class. He was unbelievably young, but spoke excellent English and made sure I got my prescribed medicines. And then two of my teachers that had been called showed up, looking worried, and ready to be put to use running errands. I was put in a sort of "recovery" room off of the actual emergency room and as my extrastrength antihistamine took effect and I began to feel drowsy, I watched two doctors totally flirting. I began forming dialogues in my head for the Okinawan version of "Grey's Anatomy." McDreamy... Mah-coo-Duh-ree-ah-me.
It's a long story, but I actually had to spend the night at the hospital. Thanks to national health insurance, it wasn't going to cost me too much to be observed for the night. So, for the first time in my life, I slept in a hospital bed in that same "recovery" room area with tons of other patients. Thankfully, my iPod had plenty of power to shut out some of the sounds of people in agony and crying babies. They woke me up every hour to check my blood pressure and such, but actually I got a decent night's sleep. I was back at school on Friday, much to the horror of my fellow teachers. I thought I was completely recovered, but then last night my body decided to have one last go with the allergens or else I had the straight-up stomach flu and spent another miserable night in my apartment. Thankfully, today I was able to recover with some Campbells Alphabet Soup (English alphabet too!), Sprite, and Saltines. Just what George would have ordered.
5 comments:
That stinks!!! I would have been freaking out if I was in another country, having to stay overnight at a hospital. Glad you survived.
chalk that one up on lifetime experiences: spent the night in a hospital in Japan! I've been spending the week unpacking boxes and getting paper cuts... not nearly as exciting as yours. Glad you're doing better! :-)
GAH! Glad you're feeling better.
Remember that time when you were sick in the bathroom and I had no idea? Or that time you left Core and never came back and we all wondered where you were? At least you seek help nowadays ;)
Yes, have decided that medical attention is generally a good option in such situations. I think that time when I was sick in the bathroom...dying really...it was actually an allergic reaction too b/c I had scrambled eggs for dinner, which caused a reaction later as well. I just thought it was the cookies-n-cream ice cream/scrambled eggs combo. Yuck. College food decisions. Amazing.
Whoa, being sick is bad enough, but being sick in a foreign country...whoo. I'm glad you're okay!
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