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Other entries in Samuie

I'de rather be Deadly

Well,

Called the diving center yesterday, there were no doctors currently there, and the emergency callout fee was significantly more than I wanted to pay, especially since I have been living with it for a week.  Went home, drank some water, finished off the gods drink whiskey, and started on heart of darkness.

Woke up this morning, feeling fine and once again debated if I was actually in need of medical attention, or if all of this was in my head.  Went for the early morning cold shower, and had a little coughing fit.  Spat the resultant onto the floor, and noticed two things almost simulatneously.  1)  It was dark red, 2) I could taste blood.  Hmmmm.  This happened once more before I was done showering (which is about 1 min, cold howers are not as much fun as the hot type).

Ok, I'll be the first one to admit I don't always know where to draw the line, but once you cough up blood, it's time to stop fucking around and go to the hospital, immediately.

It's funny how the grass is always greener.  Sitting at a dead-end desk job in Canada I longed for the allure and mystique of the eastern world, the chance to get lost in another culture and place unlike any I have ever been.  Coughing up blood in a dingy thai guesthouse, I longed for hot showers, a centralized government, and trusty, inexpensive healthcare.  Oh well, you make do with what you have.

I showed up at the hospital just up the road, and gave the the recap of my last week of feeling shitty.  Off for chest and head x-rays I went.  I found myself doubly longing for western healthcare as the technician was about to go behind the shield to press the x-ray button.  "Wait a minute" I said, "don't you have a lead coat or something to cover my goolies".  Oh they had one, he just either forgot, or wasn't gonna get it.  Oh well, it was delivered to me, and on we went with the x-rays.

Turns out I have a case of sinusitis, which makes no sense to me, since my nose feels great, and didn't have ANY indication of such things.  I tried to argue a little bit, but the doctor kept pointing at the x-rays and jibberring at me.  I had no more ability to argue, so took the heaps of drugs they piled on me (tylenol, antibiotics, a decongestent and an expectorant).  Turns out I went (was taken) to the wrong hospital, and he had no ability in diving medicine, but suggested I go to the decompression chamber and talk to them.

At the decompression chamber I talked to a very nice man, who gave me the tour of the facilities and told me I was almost certainly NOT going to need treatment with them, which was fine with me since he proceeded to tell me it costs $800 US an hour.  Turns out that for private individuals like me who are probably not going to have the treatment covered by insurance, their rate drops to $150 US an hour.  Given treatment is normally 6 - 15 hours, well, that's a lot of cash.  To make sure he suggested I go to the correct hospital this time, and get seen by the real diving doctor.  Off I went, and he confirmed what the first guy said, my symptoms are very very mild, and are likely amplified by dehydration and fatigue brought on from having sinusitus.  In orded to heal myself up, I have to take all my drugs, drink gallons of water and dehydration salts for a week straight, no pop and no BOOZE.  Bugger it, and I mean that this time!!! 

Koh Samuie is kindof a shithole, as far beautiful beaches go.  The main strip I am on is very tacky, and reminds me somewhat of khao San road in Bangkok.  Every minute ( I mean it, every fucking minute) a pickup truck drives past with the biggest set of speakers you have ever seen mounted in the back, and posters all over.  "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to koh samuie, thai boxing thai boxing, big party tonight, etc. etc."  They are already starting to drive me crazy.

One funny note is that tonight is the culmination of the Koh Samuie international music festival, and the headliner, playing an hour and a half set tonight is.... wait for it.... UB40!!  hahaha.  I'm gonna go down to the beach to see if they are gonna pull out a 45 minute rendition of red red wine, followed by a 45 minute redition of wise men say.  I'm guessing not.  Maybe UB40 has written some more music, music nobody has ever heard of.