Part 1

We had been home 6 days.

Our summer travels took us through 6 countries, 13 airport transfers, almost every mode of transportation, and jammed it all in to about 4 weeks of travel. We were ready to be home. We needed to be settled in the routine again. The kids and I were ready to start our school year.

But on the second day on constant pain, I knew something wasn’t right and I knew that I had to go to a Doctor. So, Saturday afternoon Husband dropped me off at the easiest, closest Rumah Sakit (Hospital). It is the kind of RS where you can make any request, and as long as you pay, they’ll do it. But when I had to request a simple blood test and the Doctor did next to no physical exam, I knew I would go home and Google the meds they sent home with me, and reevaluate my options.

The medications? Some typical gastro pain medication plus something just for being a woman, if you get my drift. I didn’t even bother taking the first round. Instead, I messaged a trusted nurse friend, explained what I thought was happening, and then I knew to get a second opinion. Funny enough, my second opinion is a Paediatrician who we trust wholeheartedly. And as soon as her typical Asian demeanour went from sweet to anger, I knew something was missed.

Her thoughts? I was dealing with appendicitis and I was not to go home, but instead to go straight to another RS (rumah sakit) and see a specialist.

It was around 6:30pm in the evening and I found my way to RS Gading. A hospital rated C on the Indonesian scale. And accurately graded in my opinion. Let me paint the (now hilarious) picture:

The Waiting Room: No air conditioning at all. A few small fans fighting for their lives. And the beds were 20 years old, if not more. The nurses and attendants were covered in sweat and certainly enjoying the idea of having a bule (foreigner) in their facility to tend to. And the privacy curtains were doing their best, but let’s just say everyone who went by knew who was needing to see a doctor.

It was a Saturday evening so the Specialist was NOT answering his phone. Why would he? He was 1/6th owner of said hospital, a surgeon, and didn’t expect to be working again until Monday. But I can imagine that as he finally read in the frantic WhatsApp messages that a 41-year-old foreigner was showing signs of appendicitis, he knew he had to at least show up and do an exam.

To be fair, Dr. Raymond was a God-send. He spoke as much English as he could, he did a proper exam, and he wanted to be thorough. So, he advised me to be admitted to the hospital, to rush an ultrasound (yes, he even called in a favour for early Sunday morning), and he wanted to avoid any mistake. Especially after he heard what happened at the first RS.

So, while Husband is arranging which level of room we want for the hospital stay (Hello, VVIP) AND the level surgery we wanted to pay for (um, top-tier, please), I was having an EKG, IV was being hooked up, and I was on my journey of losing any ounce of dignity I had regained since having my last kid!

Finally, they were ready to wheel me up to my room. But NOT before seeing the dead cockroaches in the corner of the waiting room. We won’t even begin to comment on the public WC in the waiting area. Remember that C-rating?

Not surprising, the higher you go in the hospital, the better quality things were. And I was quite pleased when they wheeled me in to my room, which has these perks:

• Electric Bed
• Kitchen Set
• Sofa Bed (for a companion)
• 43-inch TV
• 2-Door Refrigerator
• 2 Storage Cabinets
• Guest Seating Set
• Bathroom with Water Heater
• Private VVIP Entrance
• Air Conditioning
• Merchandise & Newborn Photo Session

I did get the merch!

Check back soon for Part 2