Hospital Part 2

Hi all - thanks for the feedback about this site - glad you're enjoying it and smiling.

I know I've written about hospital visits before but have experienced a different scenario I want to share with you. One of my apartment-mates fell up (yes up!) our stairs last night. She really hurt her wrist and smashed her shin/knee on the cocnrete step. So she did what all sensible people do - went in, iced it and waited for me to get home and give her an opinion about what she should do! So I took a look, smiled sweetly, rang Geradline to come get us and took her to hospital.

Frist dilemma - which hospital? There are quite a few here in Al Ain - one even has a roundabout named after it. So I chose the one I thought I knew how to get to - Emirates International - and after a few wrong turns (seems my map reading's not as flash as I thought) we got there, got a park outside and thought we were sweet.

Dilemma number 2 - Leeana couldn't walk and I haven't been to the gym enough to carry her so went inside for a wheelchair. Well couldn't just walk in and walk out with one so found an orderly/cleaner (not sure which one he was) who then got a very narrow wheelchair. How to explain I needed a bigger one? All the universal signs weren't working so there I was in the main foyer of a busy hospital trying to explain - I even pretended to sit in it to show my hips wouldn't fit (so then he thought I was the paitent!) - and finally managed to make him aware that a child sized wheelchair wasn't going to cut it for my friend. Quite embarassing really but hey it's gonna get me closer to heaven! However by the time he came with something more reasonable, Geradline had gotten sick of waiting and had dragged Leeana in. Shway shway people!

Third "dilemma" - after being taken rather promptly to emergency and being seen by a doctor quite promptly (two promptlys in a row - good thing) we were taken to xray. While we waited outside for Leeana, we were seated across from two lovely large stained glass doors. What could they be? A chapel? No hang on we're in a muslim part of the world - no chapels. Our guesses got wilder and wilder (and probably louder and louder) so imagine our surpise when the doors finally opened...to reveal a file room! Stained glass for files?

Fourth dilemma - no broken bones but we'll soft plaster her anyway! They put Leeana on the bed and soft plastered her from mid thigh to ankle. All good - when does it need to come off? Well a day later we still don't know the answer to that question - no idea when to get it off or who will do it. I think the doctor was saying she'd need to go to an orthopedic specialist and they didn't have one in that hospital. I think...oh well, Leeana will work it out eventually!

Dilemma number 5 - I had come home from the pool and then we left for the hospital quite quickly. I wasn't thinking about what I was wearing (naturally all my concern was for my injured friend!) so I turned up at the hospital in a tight-ish black tshirt and jean shorts - not good at Ramadam but ok at the hotel! Whoops! What was a girl to do? So I put a big smile on my face and just counted down until we could leave - although surely people were too busy being sick or looking after someone sick to notice? Yeah right...

Butr we were in and out in 2.5 hours, and it cost 650 dhs (about $270 NZ) for an exam, xrays, plaster and prescriptions - not bad. Liked that - you pay all at once and then pick up the drugs from the counter next door.

Think it'll be fine there if I ever have to go (touch wood) - but I'd want friends with me - think it made it easier for Leeana having Geradline and I there who laughed loudly at everything - probably no one appreciated it...oh well!