A Visit to the Chinese Hospital...

So lately I've been suffering from headaches with blurry vision.  It happened one night while I was on shift, so I decided I should probably tell the nurse at work and ask for her advice.  I climb in and out of vessels a lot, and doing that while you can't really see out of one eye is not the safest thing to do...


The nurse calls our contracted medical service that helps us find decent care in the areas where we are assigned. I go to Central Liaoyang Hospital.  I wait for a translator, because I had a feeling the doctors wouldn't speak english, and then I'm on my way.  You get to the hospital and to see a doctor you have to pay 1 RNB.  You give a paper with a number to a doctor and they ask you preliminary questions.  It's kind of a screening doctor who will eventually tell you where to go.


I sit down, luckily there is no line.  It was too early in the morning I guess.  The doctor asks me if I have any heart problems.  I answer no.  The doctor takes my blood pressure and listens to my heart.  All are ok.  She asks me if I sleep enough.  I tell her I get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.  She asks if I have a stomach ache or stomach pain.  I tell her no.  She tells me it might be a brain tumor so I need a CT scan.  I pay cash because they won't take my insurance.  It cost me 330 RNB (~$49).  Cheap huh??


I go to the hallway where the CT scans are.  My translator helps to figure out where I register.  Then I wait in line.  The woman in front of me can barely stand on her own.  She's much older.  The three people behind me are wrapped like mummies and in bed covered with blankets.  I go in, jump onto the table, lay still for a couple of minutes and then jump off.  


Four hours later we come back for my results.  My brain is healthy.  Yay?  So we go back to the first doctor I saw to give her the results.  We have to wait in line for about 20 minutes.  There are people crowding around the desk and shoving their papers in front of the doctor's face hoping that she'll grab theirs next.  Eventually she takes my scans.  At this point everyone in the room becomes silent.  They all want to hear what's wrong with the white girl.  These two or three women make me sit in the chair next to the doctor's desk.  Then they start poking, like I'm not human or something.  It would've been SUPER annoying if I was actually sick.  The doctor looks at the scans and then tells me that my headaches occur because of nervousness and lack of sleep.  Then she pats me on the back and tells me to sleep more.


Thanks for ruling out a brain tumor.  I really appreciate it... :-/