“You look really weak, would you like to stay here with us?” asked the Emercency Room doctor at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. It had been over a week since I started feeling sick and I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough. The previous week had been quite the health adventure. In the span of 7 days I lost ten pounds, dehydrated my body and struggled to find the strength to walk from my bedroom to the bathroom, a distance of less than 10 feet. Before making a decision to go to Bangkok to seek further medical assistance, I attempted to get some assistance from the Cambodian health system. There are two options here: clinics and the Angkor International Hospital. I tried one of the clinics first, but was met with a very long wait and staff that spoke poor English. Worried, painfully sick and thus very impatient I moved on to the Angkor International Hospital (AIH).
Located near most of the major resorts in Siem Reap, AIH is an impressive looking building both inside and out. Unfortunately, as I would soon find out, their medical care doesn’t exactly match the décor. I went to this hospital twice: once in the beginning and once before I decided to go to Bangkok. During my first visit the doctor and ran a number of tests and eventually figured out that I had some type of bacterial infection. The doctor asked me (note that he did not tell me) what kind of care I wanted. This is very typical of medical care in this part of the world and is very startling at first. Did I want an IV? Did I want medication? Did I want to stay in the hospital? I asked for the medication and went on my way, hoping that the 4 meds would work magic and heal me. At first, I thought they did. Two days later, I felt great. I was finally able to go more than 5 feet from a toilet (I will leave details out here for the sake of everyone reading) and I returned to TGC.
Have you ever heard the expression “the calm before the storm?” Well, that is what the one day back at TGC was for me. Essentially, my body was just taking a day off so that it could really have some fun. The next day I woke up feeling extremely tired. Not tired as in I needed to sleep, but tired as in every step was a struggle. Biking to school was even worse. I consider myself a pretty decent bike rider who has logged a number of miles on both roads and trails. The bike to school takes 3 minutes if you pedal slowly. I barely made it their in ten minutes and was so exhausted and sweaty I may as well have just run a marathon. I taught one class from 11-12, biked home for lunch (just as slow) and instead of eating collapsed on my bed. I didn’t plan on going back in but somewhat stupidly decided to anyway. I couldn’t even teach my next class. I put on the movie Tomb Raider (because of the Cambodian setting in much of the movie) and sat there motionless. I knew something was wrong.
8 Hours later I was back at AIH, getting an IV and some more medication for nausea. The next two days were nothing short of awful. Finally, with the help of Tom McEvoy, my parents, Amanda and an expat friend Deb I decided it was time to go to Bangkok and check in to the Bumrungrad International Hospital. But first, I had to get there…
Tuk-tuk rides are fun. You are in an open, chariot style vehicle that whizzes through the city and navigates its way over bumps and potholes past restaurants and shops. Tuk-tuk rides when you have been vomiting for the last three days are on the same playing field as listening to heavy metal rock music when you have a migraine. It wasn’t really the bumps that got to me as the road to the airport is fairly smooth. Instead, it was the smells coming from restaurants and homes as people sat down for dinner. At this point I had not eaten a full meal in six days, and getting stuck by a Chinese Buffet restaurant while waiting for a light to change was not my idea of a good time. Luckily, I got to the airport. At the airport I was too weak to stand in line for my ticket or even walk to the airplane. Thankfully, I had Amanda with me and she very patiently waited in line for our boarding passes. Bangkok Airways was nice enough to give me a wheelchair, which promotes you to VIP status in the world of airline travel. I was literally the first person on the airplane. When we arrived in Bangkok I was taken off the airplane, put in a private van and wheeled straight through the VIP Diplomats line at customs. From there I was taken to the Bumrungrad Hospital kiosk, where a private car was arranged to the hospital. Even though I was extremely sick, this was still pretty fun. After being check out by the ER doctors and nurses at Bumrungrad I was admitted to room 861.
For those of you who know me pretty well you know that in the last few years I have spent an above average time in hospitals. More specifically, I was not a stranger to Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY and more recently to Albany Medical Hospital. These hospitals are wonderful medical institutions of the upper NYS area. They helped me out whenever I got my fingers slammed in a door or got hit by a rock while riding my bike. Bumrungrad hospital was on a different level. Upon entering my room I was extremely confused. Is this a hospital or a five star hotel? Boasting wood floors, a couch, spacious bathroom, full kitchen with a microwave from the future, 42inch flat screen TV, and an integrated electronics system that allows you to control every part of the room from a remote, this room was not your average hospital set up. The bed was also really, really comfortable.
Almost immediately, a team of nurses came in to my room to make me comfortable. I put on a wonderful hospital outfit , turned on the TV, and relaxed as I waited for the doctor. I had already been hooked up to an IV and was extremely happy to have fluids pumping in to my body. The night doctor came in and we discussed my symptoms, etc. He was extremely intelligent and began running numerous tests to ensure that all possible diseases were accounted for. He told me that he would have an infectious disease doctor come check me out as well as review me in the morning. To make a fairly long story short I was diagnosed with two bacterial infections: Salmonella and Plesiomonas Shigelloides . The doctor put me on proper medication and I spent five days recovering at Bumrungrad. I watched tons of movies, read some great books, and enjoyed watching my appetite come back. I also got really bored. No one likes to sit in a room for 5 days watching tv and reading when they were very recently living an extremely active lifestyle. However, the important thing here is that I got better. I received the proper care from doctors who knew what they were doing. I will be forever grateful for the nurses, doctors, cleaners, food staff and customer service people at Bumrungrad for helping me get through this rough period.
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| Chilling in my hospital bed |
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| Eating my first meal after a long week of no eating. You will notice that the food company Sodexo supplies this hospital. It also supplies Union College. |
Today, I am feeling much better. Although I am still weak and will have to go “slow” for the next few days, my energy levels are increasing. I have returned to TGC and could not be happier. Returning back to my students was so wonderful. They greeted me with smiles, hugs and laughter. I am quickly falling back in to a routine and look forward to the days ahead when my strength increases enough to continue running, playing volleyball and working out with some of my older students. For now, I will settle for getting to the bathroom without struggling and biking to TGC without feeling exhausted.
There is no way I could write this post without stopping to thank of few people who helped me greatly during this rough patch:
I must start with Tom McEvoy who not only convinced me to go to Bangkok but also provided me with everything I needed to get there safely. Your support and guidance throughout this entire fellowship has been incredible, and I especially thank you for being here for me while I was sick.
To my parents, I can’t really imagine how hard it must be to have a child on the other side of the world who calls you and says “Hey, I am really sick I’m going to fly to Bangkok to get some help.” Thank you for not freaking out too much and for keeping me positive throughout my healing process. I love you both very much and am excited to see Bangkok with you when I am healthy and you visit in January.
A large, huge thank you goes out to Deb Schaap. I’ve known you for less than two months but yet you were amazing enough to bring me food, send me messages of support, make me smile and even come to AIH with me. I know it was the first time you were there so I am glad I got to show you something new instead of you always showing me new stuff! Thanks for all the Gatorade, crackers, water, and awesomeness.
Alexa Cawley, Katie Persichelli, Jenna Meltzer, Lauren Shenfeld, Tim Riddell, Zach Rittner, Mike DeWolfe and my other friends from home: While I was longing for the comforts of America during this, all of you kept me connected to the life I use to have at home with stories and words of encouragement. It was so great to know that you were all there for me. I miss you guys a ton!
Last, but absolutely not least, Amanda Greenberg, my fellow fellow. While most people just heard about me being sick, you were lucky enough to live it. I cannot thank you enough for buying me food and water during the first week. And of course, there is nothing I could say to show how much I appreciated you coming to Bangkok. I would not have been able to get there without you. Moreover, you sat around in the hospital room with me when you could have been out in Bangkok or back in SR teaching and enjoying life. Thank you for all of the trips to Au Bon Pain once my appetite came back and for being so great throughout this entire thing. You are a great support system.
So, the last two weeks have been pretty eventful. I got sick, I got sicker and now I am better. I very much hope that this is the last time I get very ill while here in Siem Reap. I am looking forward to how much more eventful the next two weeks will be as I adjust back to normal life. If there is one thing that I have really learned during the last few weeks it is that I love Siem Reap and more importantly the people who are apart of my life here. Glad to be back!
(pictures from the hospital coming soon!)
