Enzo has been suffering from a little cold. He started pulling on his ears so I decided I wanted to take him in. Since this is our third child I felt pretty confident I knew what taking a baby to see a doctor would be like. However, …
Instead of taking him to the pediatrician’s office or clinic we took him to the hospital. We found out that’s just what you do here, even for minor things.
Instead of waiting by the door in the rain with the woman and her newborn baby, or being wheeled in like the man lying still on a stretcher with a hat covering his face… I was met at the taxi door by the director of the hospital (the father in law of a friend) who accompanied us the entire time (such a nice guy).
Instead of seeing one doctor we were tended to by four (1 GI surgeon, 1 pediatrician, and I don’t know the other two). There were also a few nurses… and a crowd of 15 people outside the door who just wanted to watch.
Instead of using an otoscope they used an endoscope to check out Enzo’s ears and throat (not really sure why…the nuances of this question were a little beyond our interpreter, but we did come home with some nice pictures).
Instead of a quick 5 minute job we had a thorough half and hour with our docs, including the time they spent discussing the best course of action for Enzo’s tonsillitis and ear infection (poor little guy, he seems to be doing better).
Instead of spending an hour waiting at the pharmacy (usually my least favorite part) we were ushered to the hospital pharmacy by the director himself and the medication was ready in less than 5 minutes.
We spent no time in the damp open air waiting room with people in varying states of obvious discomfort. Our taxi was waiting just inside the ER entry so Enzo wasn’t exposed to the air.
I am coming to terms with the fact that there is no way I’m going to blend in here and be able to have an authentic Vietnamese experience. I understand that the royal treatment we received at the hospital was unique to our situation and is not what typically happens when a small baby here seems to have an earache. So, I’ll just appreciate that some very kind people took excellent care of me and my baby while we were in an unfamiliar place.
I’ll write about the hospital itself another time... what a trip.
3 comments:
ahhhh, sorry to hear about Enzo, and his tontsillitus etc....sad
how nice to be treated like royalty. that's how i felt when i had michaela at sutter when i told them i knew you. maybe you have connections across continents that ensures great health care. hope enzo feels better soon. stephanie
I am so glad that they have figured out that they really are dealing with celebrities. What an interesting experience. Perhaps they thought Enzo was built different? Hope he is on the mend, it is no fun to have a sick baby.
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