SICK

I've been sick. I've definitely been sick in Thailand. It ironically happened for the first time when I left Thailand and went to Malaysia for a visa run. I don't know what I ate. Was it the three nights of Indian food, the Thai food, or just too much beer? My stomach hurt for a few days and it wasn't enjoyable returning on a flight from Malaysia to Bangkok with the fear of the "unknown below". I survived it and then I got sick again. The second time was worse. I don't know where it came from, an apple, a carrot, ironically the healthy foods that I probably neglected to wash. I know my family is laughing as they see the words "apple" and "carrot", two words that are always included in Amber's daily nutrition. Well, not so much anymore. My stomach was bad and I felt nauseous, this time for five days. Again, though, I survived.

This time, this one, isn't sickness but it has some similarities to stomach viruses: its one that keeps you down with your legs up. I seem to have torn a ligament or sprained an ankle. I decided to try a hard problem at the local climbing gym and as I fell, which I inevitably would, I fell between the mats, therefore hitting the hard concrete floor. I landed on my right ankle which turned 90 degrees to towards my left ankle upon landing. I was scared when I landed. I expected to see my ankle dangling, because I felt the crack. My fellow climbers helped me, we elevated my ankle and iced it and everyone told their own similar injury stories. The climbing gym had crutches and I hobbled home on the back of my friends motor bike and iced my massive ankle. The next day I awoke and it hadn't grown (or shrunk) but I felt positive about all of it. I decided, since I had insurance, to go to the hospital and get an x-ray, for peace of mind, for some expertise on the matter. I went there, and waited and was told that I hadn't broken it, rather probably torn a ligament (he didn't know for sure, the only way you can tell if you tore a ligament is through an MRI, which I didn't get). Anyways, he, the doctor proceeded to say to me: Well, do you want a cast?. I responded with, "I don't know sir, you are the doctor, what do you think I should do? I just want the best and fastest solution." So, he put a cast on it. But not just on my ankle, on my whole right leg and said "two weeks, come back".


Yeah,three days have passed and I going back tomorrow and I am getting that cast removed. Others, not doctors, just experienced fellow injurerers have told me that a cast is only necessary for a broken bone, so yeah, not broken. It is ironic to think about the fact that doctors don't know everything. I don't know this doctors logic, perhaps I am wrong and my ankle will be dangling when I remove the cast, but I have a feeling on this one that the old Thai doc is wrong.

I went back to the hospital this morning with one of the directors at the school who speaks English and Thai. She was my translator. I saw the doctor again and he wasn't happy with me, I am sure that I insulted him and he probably said many Thai swear words under his breath. But, I got removed anyways and got a removable brace for support. Here is my ankle now. wish me luck that it will get better!!! Because I don't want to have to go back to the doctors and hear: "I told you so", oh well, I don't know how to say that in Thai anyways. I just followed my gut and others with experience on this one. Medicine is such a strange thing. We depend so much on it yet it has faults as well. I just want my ankle to get better.