This week I finally got to talk to the doctor to find out that the results of a bioposy I had in Nong Khai were just fine. So now that I know it turned out all right, I'll briefly describe my adventures with outpatient surgery at the Nong Khai County Hospital.
As it is, we get stared at everywhere we go, since we are taller, fairer, and blonder than everyone else here. Oh, and some of us are considerably *wider* as well, and getting wider by the day. So when I had to spend a week with a big bandage on the middle of my nose, I was just about ready to hide in the guesthouse. Thankfully, there are few people who care less about their appearance than me, so I was able to manage. But living in small-town Nong Khai, I'm sure I was known as the farang with the big bandage on her nose.
It all started when I noticed that a bump on my nose was not only growing but actually bleeding. I've had this before, so I knew it was time to go straight to the doctor. Not knowing what else to do, I went to the Emergency Room in the morning, and did my best to help the nurse fill in the paperwork. My name was recorded as "Kimbefly Lonsway," however, and efforts to correct the spelling error never went very far.
After clarifying that the bump on my nose was not exactly an *emergency,* I finally understood that it was a holiday and I should come back tomorrow. Fortuantely, there was no charge for the visit. The next day, I reported to the main reception area, checked in, and settled in for about an hour-long wait with the rest of the Thai people -- mostly families, some elders, and of course a few monks. Finally, my name was called ... "Miss Kimbefly" ... and I used all the Thai phrases I had been practicing while I waited to describe my problem. I was also armed with the word "biopsy" written in Thai on a piece of paper, thanks to the host of our guesthouse. Yet the doctor spoke some English, and asked me simply "You want excision?" "Yes," I answered. So off I went to surgery.
I didn't wait at all in surgery, but climbed up on the table and tried not to think about movies on cable about health care in foreign countries. They covered my face with a cloth that had a hole for my nose, and I was grateful for the nurse who held my hand while the doctor gave me a shot of local anesthesia, sliced off the bump, and left me with three stitches. I then did my best to understand the follow-up instructions, picked up my prescription for pain medications, paid my bill, and headed back to the guesthouse. The next morning, I came back for a follow-up appointment with the nurse, who checked and cleaned the wound, and said that everything looked good. "Free," she said, "you no pay." A few days later I came back, and the same nurse checked and cleaned the wound, again reassuring me that everything looked good. It was 5pm on Saturday, and she apparently had come in on her day off. Again she said, "Free .. you no pay." A week after the surgery I again returned, and they took out the stitches so quickly and easily I was confused, because I thought they hadn't yet started. Yet again, "Free ... you no pay." I went to the bakery and brought the surgery staff two large cakes, which I think they appreciated.
Now, my wound has healed perfectly. Just a few weeks later, it's hard to even see where it was. Total cost for the whole experience (ER visit, triage at reception, outpatient surgery, pain medications, two follow-up appointments to clean the wound, a third appointment to remove the stitches, lab testing of the excision, and a phone consultation with the doctor about the biopsy results): 600 Boht, or about 18 dollars. Cost for the cakes: 500 Boht.
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