Upfront: Yes, this is an X-ray - and yes this is MY left foot. I thought I take this opportunity to tell you a little about our first hospital experiences in Shanghai. You read right: I it is experienceS because Paul and I have been somehow, let´s say, a little unlucky in the past few months.
A whole series of little accidents started already during our holiday in Australia where Paul slipped in a cave and managed to break his little finger. A week back in Shanghai he managed to also bang his head very badly on a cupboard. So bad that we had to send him off to hospital to get his eyebrown stiched up again. That experience alone would be worth a whole story by itself. But I leave it to that much: It happened on halloween and for a split of a second I thought Paul is playing a funny joke on me.
A couple of weeks later my sister and her boyfriend arrived in Shanghai. Maybe for sypmathy with Paul, or maybe because of the cloud of bad luck was still hanging over us I managed to drop the corner of my laptop on my foot. It happended just after they had arrived whilst I was dancing round our kitchen table of sheer excitement and didn´t recognize the stretched out cable connected to my computer. Before I realized I had about 2,5kg of weight landing on middle toe- Outch!
It didn´t take long until the toe started swelling up and half way during our shopping stroll on Nanjing Lu I couldn´t help but noticing a crunchy feeling. I decided to pay a visit to doctor. Thanks to our insurance we can go to any private hospital and so we went to the parkyway health clinic to see a taiwanese- american doctor.
The first question he asked me was: "So, how is the laptop?"...jokingly of coarse and sent me straight down to the X-ray room. I was a bit concerned about the x-ray because despite seeing a private doctor I knew that they are still using the facilities of official chinese hospitals. And having had some x-ray experiences in India (Paul is probably still glowing..) I was prepared for the worst.
To my surprise the machine didn´t seem any different to what we know in Europe. The only difference was that besides the normal aprin I had to wear also a little metal helmet on top of my head...Not sure why.. "That´s China.." - was the only comment my doctor was giving with a grin me when I asked about why I had to wear that. A couple of minutes later the results were back and with great relief I was sent home knowing that I had been lucky. It ws just a bruise and the doctor let me off with the advice "To look better after my laptop in future".
Literally 3 days later (I was still limping) bad luck struck me again when I managed to bang my left foot very (VERY!) hard on the corner of a wall at home. I somehow kicked the corner between my little toe and the toe next to it. This time the reason was just sheer stupidity and Mr. and Mrs. Jing looked a bit concerned because they were just up for reading our water meter when it happened.
To be honest it hurt quite bad but not much different to the pain I had before. "Sure" I thought " it is just another bruise". And since the internet informed me also that under no circumstances you can do anything with a little toe, I decided to not worry about it and to get on with my life. Well, a bit of a painful life. My neighbours at the kitchen stall down the road started looking at me a little funny every time I walked normal TO the yoga studio and ended up limping BACK home because my toe had swollen to tripple size after class.
Last friday it was 2,5 weeks after it happened and it didn´t seem to get any better. I therefore decided to go back to the doctor and let him take look at it. I got an appointment with the same guy who started welcoming me with "Hello, it´s you again - maybe you should start wearing safety shoes at home?"...and sent me straight back down to the x-ray. This time it was a different room with only a small table to rest my foot on. Thanks to yoga I was able to hold my balance quite well with one foot whilst trying to hold the other one still under the x-ray machine. I could not help but wondering what kind of shutter speed they are using on x-ray pictures??
The first thing the doctor said when I got back up was "Oh dear, when you had no problem you came to see me, and when you had one you waited nearly 3 weeks to come" - Diagnosis - little left toe is broken!.. Ooops!.
There I am 34 years old and experiencing my first broken bone in my life and it has to be in Shanghai. I had to go back to see a specialist on monday because the bone is not growing back straight. The second doctor I went to see is working in a brand new hospital at People Square. In fact it is in the same building than the Mariott hotel. When you enter reception you would never believe you are in a hospital. Big chandaliers hang from the ceiling, the reception is layed out with fluffy carpet and there are huge comfortable sofa´s to sit in. It felt a bit like the set up for an american hospital series.
Unfortunately the doctor didn´t turn out to be George Clooney but a cheerful guy who assured me that I don´t need to worry. I shall just go ahead wearing not my normal shoes but a special sandal for a while so that the swelling can go down. And I shall also not practise any standing postures in yoga for some weeks. I can cope with not going to yoga class, but wearing this sandal makes me looking like I´m about to go snorkling with one fin: They had it only in size 45 and it looks really ridiculous. But hey we are in China - people walk around in pyjamas in the streets - who cares?
When I left hospital it was a beautiful sunny and warm morning. I waddled to Starbucks on Peoples park and sat down on a bench. As I enjoyed the sun, the colouring leaves on the trees and an old men practising tai chi right in the middle of the park I could not help but smiling to myself and thinking that I might have had a bit of bad luck. But Paul and I are well on the ment and sitting here in Shanghai and to be able to experience this moment and this year make me feel that despite these little incidents I´m the luckies person on earth!
