You will all be happy to know that I am now the proud owner of an indirect inguinal hernia. I thought I had enough of the whole getting-injured-and-needing-surgery thing when I had surgery for my herniated disc a year ago. Clearly, I did not. It started with the realization that there should not be a lump at the bottom of my abdomen. I didn’t want to raise the alarm for nothing, so I left it for a few days and hoped it’d go away. It did not got away. I found that it grew bigger after a long day of teaching, and it was really uncomfortable. Doing the first logical thing, I went online and searched for the symptoms of a hernia. Swelling on one side of my pelvis, check. Protrusion that can be pushed back in, check. Disappears when laying down, check. I was not happy with my self-diagnosis, so I decided to get a second opinion. I hoped that someone with a medical degree would give me a better diagnosis, one that didn’t necessitate surgery. Unfortunately for me, my diagnosis was spot on, except for the whole direct/indirect business. A couple days later, when the discomfort got bad after only having 1 class, I told the Foreign Affairs Office what I suspected and said I should go see a doctor. I was not anticipating their speedy and serious response. Fifteen minutes after I sent the text message, I was told to come to the Office and that we would be going to the hospital right away. Sure enough, I was at the hospital within a half hour of mentioning that there may be something wrong with me.
Now, I’m sure those of you reading would love to see said hospital, but I didn’t remember to bring my camera with me for the spontaneous visit. Suffice to say, while it is not as new or disinfected as hospitals back home, at no time did I feel like I wasn’t in good hands. At the very least, the Foreign Affairs Office and the school have every reason to avoid letting a foreigner kick the bucket on their watch. They wouldn’t take me to any place that wasn’t one of the best places to go. The hospital is attached to the province’s medical university, so it’s rather prestigious, I’m told. The doctor actually knew enough English to tell me things like “indirect hernia” and “cough.” It may not seem like much, but it goes a long way to put you at ease. I suppose it wasn’t necessary because the school had sent 2 people with me who spoke English pretty well to act as translators, but I appreciated the few words from the doctor in a language I understood.
Long story short, hernias don’t get better by themselves, surgery is necessary. Since mine was not life-threatening, and still isn’t, it is an elective surgery. Now, China has a long holiday at the moment (I’m off school until the 7th), so I couldn’t have the procedure done until after the holiday. I had hoped to get in before the long break, as that would allow me a week of recovery without missing school. As it is now, I will most certainly miss a few days of classes, maybe even a whole week (I’m not sure how standing for class will go only a few days out from surgery), which I hate to do. It is a necessary evil, I suppose. So, I will be having surgery either the 8th or 9th. Lucky for me, it’s a pretty common injury and an easy surgery, so I’m not too worried about it. Of course, having surgery this far from home, friends, and family is no fun. I know that you’ll all be thinking of me though; I take solace in that.
On an unrelated note, I got my first month’s pay (technically it was only 3 weeks worth because foreign teachers didn’t start until the 2nd week of class). For whatever reason, the school pays us in cash. You will find a picture of my friends, the Mao family, below. I felt really great until I realized that I would have to keep the money in my room, as I have no bank account yet. Hiding money in different places in my room reminded me of being a little kid when you hide your “treasure.” This time the treasure will keep me fed and clothed for the next month, whereas when I was a kid it was probably shiny rocks or something else I would be hard pressed to exchange for food over here.
That’s all for now. However, stay tuned for future updates including pictures of a couple of my classes (complete with a list of their names), an invitation to join the students of class 3 in a “sports competition,” and my attempts at cooking in my apartment. As always: same Bat time, same Bat channel!