It is 2 O'clock on a sunny day 32 degree day in Saigon and I am sitting in bed at the FV Hospital. Today is Sunday and I have been in hospital since Tuesday.
To explain I will go back a few days. Matthew went back to Australia to help out his Brisbane Flood affected store. School is well and truly back in the Northern Hemisphere. After a week end of feeling unwell with high fevers I took both Monday and Tuesday off work (not something I like to do for there is an incentive to retain your sick days - you get paid for any sick leave you have left at the end of the year) but I really couldn't even get out of bed. On the Tuesday I headed to the local medical centre attached to the hospital - more for a doctors certificate then anything else. As I didn't have an appointment and they were booked out I ended up in Emergency, the doctor took blood tests and told me to come back for the results in 2 hours.
Two hours later I was being told they were admitting me because I had a severe infection. I tried to explain that no I couldn't do that I have children and a husband in another country but that didn't work and here I am still, 5 days later.
After a barrage of tests they finally found the infection on Friday; an acute bacterial urinary tract infection that is resistant to normal antibotics. This means I am now in isolation and have to stay here for another 3-5 days. I am hoping more the 3 then the 5.
So how is a Vietnamese Hospital (albeit a private one not a public hospital) different from an Australian hospital? Well I guess not that much really, food is dreadful, TV is dreadful, you get poked and prodded - so same same I guess. There are a few quirks I guess, being woken up at 5 am for blood tests I understand - being woken up at 5 am to be weighed was bizarre. There is a nice terrace on the third floor that when I wasn't in isolation I could go to but when you walk out the door there is about 10 or so metres of pebbled ground not so easy when you have an IV. The rejuvenating cup of tea comes once a day at 3pm. (I do wonder how my friend Bron would cope). And I won't even bother mentioning how attractive pink hospital PJ'S are for girls and how handsome the boys look in their blue PJ's. But that's Vietnam for you.
This week coming is a holiday for schools - well for everyone actually - its Vietnam's major holiday, TET or New Year. We were using the opportunity to go to Malaysia unfortunately that is not happening - however we , meaning matthew, has managed to cancel all of our travel plans, and rebook for Spring Break.
Hopefully this is our first and only experience of hospital in Vietnam.
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