Check Up

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I'm aware of how little time I have left in Thailand so I find and get registered with one of the many hospitals and go for checks. It's a fair distance for me to walk through the old city but I need to make sure I'm exercising a little every day to help my recovery.

Registering is a straightforward process and I'm sent to the 13th floor to see an orthopedic doctor, after I check in upstairs it's only a short wait until I'm called in to see him. I give him a run down of my accident and show him previous x-rays and notes from the hospital I attended and after a quick check over he sends me for an x-ray to see how I am healing. The x-ray shows that my collar bone has moved down but it’s not yet back in place and he advises me to have it checked again in 3 weeks time. He says new bone will grow around the break making it strong again but I should take care for the next 4-6 weeks. He re-straps my splint so it is tight and sends me to both a neurologist to check my head injuries, and an ear doctor as I am still struggling to hear.

I knew my head was extremely painful but I didn’t realise how badly bruised I was until someone in the guest house asked me what had happened, it turns out that it was all bruised from behind my ear and down my neck which I didn’t realise and this is almost a month later, there again, after the accident I was bleeding from my ear which I was concerned about. The doc seemed most concerned about the front fracture, I know it maybe looks bad on scans etc. but I’ve not had any real pain from it except bruising, it’s all been the other fracture with all the popping and struggling to hear plus constant headaches and bruising. He carries out a number of tests placing instruments on various parts of my head and checking what I could hear etc. and my fractures seem to be healing OK although once again I’ve to get a further checkup in a few weeks time and see a doctor straight away if anything changes.

He sent me to the ear doctor and straight away he can see a blood clot which is probably why I've had trouble hearing and tells me he is going to remove it which may hurt. The first piece removed was fairly small although was sore taking out, but the second clot was really big, it was thick and long and really upset me seeing it. The doctor carried out some other checks and is glad that I don’t seem to have any ringing in my ear and sends me for a hearing test to see if there’s any damage. Meanwhile my ear feels like it is filling up again which I find worrying and sitting waiting for the test I feel a bit emotional. Despite me asking every doctor I had seen about my hearing no-one had checked it just putting it down to healing with the head injuries, if I had only thought to make them check my ear sooner maybe I wouldn't be in this position, but I'm no expert.

I was taken for my ear test and put in a soundproof room while the operator sat outside at a sound desk on the other side to start the process. I was told to put earphones on and he checked one ear at a time of what I could and couldn't hear, I clicked a button on noises I heard before he would stop and switch to my other ear then onwards to other checks. Near the end I had to repeated a number of words he said back to him while he altered the volume etc. but it seemed to go on for a long time, they seemed very thorough in their tests and the results were passed back down to the ear doctor.

It looks like my hearing has been effected but it’s still early days and with the clot removed it could get better, so once again I’ve to have a check up. Only problem is, that in 3 weeks time I will be back in Laos so I ask about postponing checks until I return to Ubon Ratchathani in 4 weeks which is where I started my treatment in Thailand, plus they will have my original notes. He agrees that he thinks Thailand would be better and arranges a copy of my notes from all the doctors I've seen so that I can take them with me.

As it turned out I had to return another day to give them time to collate both notes and x-rays, but on my return I decided to ask for a new splint as it is really difficult keeping clean and no pharmacies seemed to stock them. It was a few days since I had seen other doctors and I really wasn't feeling well, I've no energy at all, so much so that Bob asked if I had been checked for infection, I could maybe ask while I was down. The doctor I saw agreed and took blood tests and told me to return in an hour for the results and to get a new splint fitted which I did. He says I have no infection but a really low plait count and gave me dehydration treatment which I should take every day, I wonder if this is why I had been going through so much water while I was cycling?

So it's been a trying month, I hate being unwell but I also realise how lucky I've been with people nearby to help me out after the accident as I can’t remember anything about it - best not to think about it really, I'm just glad that I’m on the road to recovery. My family are concerned for me being out here alone with all this going on and I can't thank them enough for their support and kind offers for me to come home to recover and return, to see everyone again for a wee while while taking it easy, it's nice to know I've been missed. Although it would be lovely and after giving it some thought I decided I'm just not ready to go back (although I would love cuddles from both Dominic and Anna whom I've not even met yet) as I doubt I would return. I feel I would be giving up on my dreams as it would be so difficult coming back out to pick up where I left off.

Even while I am here I know it's going to take a lot of courage getting back on the road and being strong enough to take on whatever's thrown my way! But you know what, I'm made on strong stuff :) It's in the genes!

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2025-05-23

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