Knobcottage in China

When I left the hospital after my operation, I swapped WeChat with a few of the nurses.  About a week ago I was invited back for the New Year photo.   Various nurses, and one of the doctors who operated on me. At first I had no idea who was or wasn't my nurse or doctor, but there was a full shift there.  I managed to work it out though! It appears that there was an official photographer wandering the hospital taking official photos.  However he/she/they were running late, so in the meantime, various nurses and doctors took photos of me with various members of staff.  The first photo is one of the senior nurses.  Later, at the meal, she sat at the bosses table. Two of the nurses who had cared for me.  The nurse on the left was the surgical nurse from the day of the operation: Jang Jie.  She had worked with foreigners before in another city, but I was her first British patient! ...

On Friday I went to he hospital to have my dressings changed.  I brought some chocolate for the doctors and nurses and noticed that the flowers that Dan had given me, and I had then given them, had been neatly arranged.  Excellent! The flowers and a nurse holding one of the chocolates I gave to the staff.  Ferrero Rocher look alikes I waited around for a while and chatted Nurses and the doctor eventually arrived.  We went to heroom off the main reception and he prepared to change the dressings. The doctor preparing the dressing changes. Prepared and ready for the new dressings.  The yellow colouring is from the antiseptic that they use here. Dressed and ready to go home. After the dressing was completed, I said goodbye and went home.  I dint have to retuirn again so I took a selfie with he doctor before I left. The doctor and me! The nusrign staff form my shift several years ago.  Their uniform is Pink.

Last night, no one slept in my room with me!  Bliss!  I was woken by, yes you guessed it, time for another drip.   I asked to go to the loo first.  Wise decision!  I was placed on the drip and left alone. Soon afterwards Charles arrived with some porridge.  He left fairly quickly as he had to teach lessons.  Apparently he had heard that I may be discharged that day.  Excellent! Soon afterwards Jiejie arrived and took control of things!  She determined that I neded a blood pressure check, one last drip (thank god) and a change of dressings.  Then I could go.  She told me that she would return shortly and help me back to my flat. Blood pressure was taken.  Drip was given.  Dressing were changed, and both Jiejie and Charles were there.  Jiejie and Charles I had pre-packed most of my stuff the night before and was ready to go.  Charles to told me to stay by my bed and both he and Jiejie went downstairs ...

I woke up to another day...my goals were normalising....looks like I was going to live!  But there was a always a drip.  When ever I needed the  loo, someone needed to be there holding it high.  I never find it easy to pee with someone standing besides me!  This was even more difficult because I had t make sure that I did not knock the drip needle out of my hand.  Thank goodness numbers twos were not yet happening!  I don't think I could bear squatting with a friend alongside holding my drip! First to arrive was this woman.  I don't even know her name!  I just call her Jiejie which means big sister.  She is a real matriarch in the local community and has taken a sisterly liking to the strange foreigner.  She is quite an unuual lady, and very colourful for Jiangkou! Jiejie Jiejie was concerned that I had not been eating.  She is very down to earth, and quite knowledgeable too...perhaps she was once a nurse.  She a...

I woke up on Sunday morning...goal one achieved!  The deputy principal had slept on the bed beside me and was still there in the morning!  Everyone curious about the foreigner The first to relieve that watch was Tom and his niece.  They took over from the Deputy Principal who disappeared only to return shortly afterwards!  Then the leaders arrived.  It was like a parade.  The Principal and the Deputy Principal, The department leaders and the movers and shakers.  Impressive!  The first and last time I had seen the Principal was at a meal with a friend.  We were introduced by name and I was told he was a teacher.  I asked did he teach at my school.  He smiled and walked on.  My friends explained to me later!  Well, how was I to know.   One of the Heads of Department or movers and shakers had also made me some rice porridge and some chicken soup.  She was busily running around taking photos!...

It all started last night when one of my numerous crowns fell off.  I rang a friend and asked if they could accompany me to the hospital to have it replaced.  They could.  So the next morning I met them at the hospital.  All went well, and I asked them if they had a few more minutes as I needed something else to be checked out.  I had had thus discomfort in my lower right abdomen.  I had ignored this for about a month fearing appendicitis and not wanting an operation in Jiangkou!  However, I reckoned now was as good a time as any, so off we trotted to the doctor.  He pushed and prodded.  It hurt.  Off to the CAT scanner, but not before paying 450 rmb Quite amazed that there even was a CAT scanner in Jiangkou, it is such a small place! Outside was the printing machine.  It printed your CAT scan whilst you waited.  It was about thre degrees outside and about the same inside.  You need a good coa...

As I said in the last Hospital post  all this 30-40 degree heat, no air-conditioning in the office, 80% plus humidity, constant sweating and my pig-headed perseverance, something had to give.  So at the end of term my system finally gave in and I spend three days indoors mostly in bed; I was recovering.  I learned a lot from that.  The day here starts early, maybe 6am.  It stops maybe midday until 2pm and then continues.   I am now trying to fall into that pattern, but perhaps too late.  My skin is not good.  Particularly in places where constant wet clothing touches it.  This is my elbow, in case you are wondering! It started at my shoulders, as prickly-heat, then dry patches and now this.  It is spreading.  Soon I will be a Ninja Turtle, my wife says she want a Michaelangelo.  I am preparing my orange bandanna later this week before I loose the use of my hands!  However, having tried it on, it does not look ...