I never do anything half-assed and I should have known getting something as simple as a UTI in Thailand would be no different. ::deflecting motion with my hands:: I’m fine. I’m in one piece. My kidneys just decided to let me know they were unhappy with me.
With all the changes in my life, there were bound to be some physical repercussions. Having a secure go-to space and a steady supply of water meant I’ve slowly used my water bladder (similar to a camelbak) less and less. Combine that with it being very difficult to get cranberries on the island (or in Thailand in general), and voila! UTI-topia.
When I first realized what was happening, I figured I could flush it out. Lots of water and a mission for cranberries. A bit late in the game, I discovered you can get them at a pharmacy (or at least pills) and they don’t come cheap either. Ladies, take note! Apparently keeping hydrated didn’t help as about 2 days later, I started to get pain in my abdomen. I don’t like making mountains out of molehills so I was just hoping it was a result of a lot of water and being hungry. But over the course of an hour, it became very clear that something more was at work here. To describe the pain, it was like someone was trying to shove their hand through the right side of my abdomen and it was starting to spread to the same position on my back also. Hospital time!
Two good friends took me to the hospital on a motorbike with a sidecar. Probably one of the longest rides ever, I spent it doubled over trying to battle the pain and staying seated on the sidecar. I was terrified it was appendicitis or some other crazy, random, medical condition completely unrelated to the UTI. If you knew my history, this concern isn’t completely unfounded. ::grimace:: They wheeled me into what I later discovered was called the Mass Mortality room, their version of an ER. The name did NOT inspire much confidence and I’m secretly hoping it’s just a poor translation.
They couldn’t give me anything for the pain until they knew what was wrong so they took blood samples and had me pee in a cup. It took them several tries to get a vein and I lost count of how many times they tried to read my blood pressure. I remember laughing with tears in my eyes, teling them to just let me do it since I used to have to take BP at work all the time. And us silly US people with our Imperial system vs the metric system. I have no idea how much I weigh in kg!! Trying to explain I literally had no idea how much I weigh was an interesting interaction. They also wanted a urine sample and here’s something interesting. There is no toilet paper, hand soap, or any type of towels to dry your hands at the hospital but they have all of that in the grocery stores. ::"thinking hard" face:: Sit on that one for a while, people.
Tests results and a visit from the good doctor and...It’s just a UTI! Praise the universe!! I’ve gotta come back and get an injection for the next two days (via IV, which they’ve left in) and given some pain killers for when needed. I’m still in pretty intense pain NOW so the nurses got permission to give me something intravenously. I don’t know what they gave me, but DAMN!! First off, it felt like someone was pushing bits of metal wire through my veins as they injected it. And then I could literally feel it as it traveled through my body. When it hit my head, I felt immediately dizzy and nauseous. I was still in pain but now completely out of it too. A ride back to SK curled up on the floor of the cart and then help getting into bed because I couldn’t even walk. At least by that point I wasn’t in pain anymore but I also couldn’t have told you my head from my foot.
Fast forward to the next morning with an uneventful night and I didn’t know what day it was or where exactly I was. My lovely Dina brought me oatmeal with bananas (yes, you heard that right. Bananas! More on that later). And I couldn’t control my body. I finally was able to hold the spoon but every action was an effort. Thankfully I was too out of it to realize how out of it I was and didn’t freak out. It was frustrating, or rather, a part of me knew I should be frustrated but that’s about as far as it went. I would suddenly start staring at the spoon or start a sentence, only to stop partway through. It would have been entertaining if it wasn’t so sad. ::dry chuckle:: I spent most of the day sleeping and it wasn’t until the next day that I really felt like I had my body and mind back. Whew!
Went to the hospital twice for injections and after another urine test, I was given the clear from the doctor. By mouth antibiotics for 5 days and strict rules on my bathroom habits. ::fist pump:: Alright!!
Photo property of Kira Zebroski
And my first trip to a Thailand hospital came to a close.
Update: Unfortunately I missed the people at the hospital so much that I felt the need to go visit them again a few weeks later. More to come!
