Yesterday, I was getting my hair braided by a friend of a friend. She had been braiding my hair for 2hrs when I began to feel like I couldn't catch a deep breath. I allowed her to braid 2 more braids just to see if I was imagining things before I asked for a break. But nothing changed. So we took a break and I stood up to stretch my legs and to try to catch a good breath. I took several deep breaths that felt like I wasn't doing anything. It felt like I needed to yawn or inhale some oxygen. I felt that standing up wasn't helping and I remember taking a step towards the living room area to sit back down because I was feeling dizzy and then I remember waking up against the wall. Yep, you guessed it! I passed out! Apparently, I didn't sit down fast enough. From what I was told, my friend ran downstairs to get the security guard. He came and saw me on the floor and called an ambulance. I think while they were calling the ambulance, I woke up and again tried to catch my breath. It was getting better, but it still wasn't 100%. I managed to get up and crawl up the stairs. Yes, I realize now that my actions were very dangerous and I probably should have just stayed there on the floor. But, if you have been reading and understand the person that I am, then you will understand how stubborn I am when it comes to my health. So there I was laying on the bed trying to regulate my breathing while explaining to everyone that I don't speak Chinese. I asked my friend to bring up the computer so that I could use Google Translate (my best friend!). By the time she came up the stairs, they had asked a lady that lives in the building to translate for us. She translated and they all talked me into going to the hospital even though I didn't want to go.
I always wondered how the EMTs got the stretchers upstairs in some of these apartments. I'm glad that I have an elevator. Well, the stretchers bend like a big wheelchair. Once they get the patient and chair out of the building then they lay it down to get it in the ambulance. And that's how they roll! Oh yeah, their sirens sound like they are playing it in reverse when compared to ours. Lol!
So, they get me to the hospital and they began to ask me questions in broken English. I really do need to go to some of the hospitals and give medical training on how to interact with Americans. In America, you have a lot more privacy! After getting some vital signs, they rolled me into another room that had at least 11 other people waiting. It was like a waiting room for patients. Just one big room with some curtain dividers that they only used when doing tests. They did an EKG on me and pulled the curtain closed. It was myself and another lady inside of the curtain. Weird being exposed in a room with 2 perfect strangers. Oh well. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger. Of course, me being black and a foreigner attracted a lot of attention in my area. When the lady was taking my blood and inserting the IV, a man (let me take that back), 2 men decided to come over and lean ever so slightly across my right side to watch what she was doing on the left. She finally said something to them in Chinese and they shook their heads and walked off. I was like "Wow! Really!?!" I was still tired from my little episode and still trying to put it all together. I managed to take a power nap while there even though there were a lot of weird noises going on around me.
The results are in!!!
The blood work came back good. They tested me for a blood clotting gene and didn't find one. He couldn't understand why I wasn't on any blood thinning medication. I had a hard time explaining to him that I have no clots and that I don't have a stent in place. He did say that my "D-Dimer" levels were elevated and probably due to a previous DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). My EKG showed a first degree blockage. He told me not to worry about it because sometimes even the healthiest people have that. The last test (don't remember what it was called) came back normal as well. The doctor believes that it is all related to MTS and said that if I continued feeling weird to go back to Dr. Hsu at Wanfang Hospital.
I paid my bill (650NTD) and walked outside to catch a bus, go to a MRT, or get a cab. It wasn't until I got outside that I was able to see the name of the hospital (Tri-Service General). No one told me which bus to take, what area I was in, or how to get to the MRT. So I walked down the street and checked out a couple of bus stops. The next bus that I needed was 55 min away. I was starving! I decided to walk down the street to find some food and come back to the bus stop. Once I got to the intersection, I realized that I wasn't far from home. I found a little cafe about 10min from the hospital and ate a chicken croissant sandwich and had some water because I had severe cotton mouth. After I left, I was STILL hungry and couldn't decided if I wanted to catch a cab. I saw a 7-11 and decided to go their to get some food for later and something for now. Unfortunately, their shelves were empty and I continued walking down the street closer to my house. Every time I stopped in the store, they had nothing that I wanted. I ended up going to McDonald's to get a cheeseburger and some fries. I walked home and was question (in Chinese/Taiwanese) by my security guard about what happened, about what the doctor said, and about where my friend went. He still hasn't gotten it in his head that I can't speak his language. Lol! I ate and slept for 5 hrs. Talk about exhausted. Today, I continued to rest even though the weather outside is gorgeous. Maybe I can go to the park and sit under a tree. It's TOO pretty to stay indoors. I have only 2 1/2 months left in Taiwan and then it's back to the States.
I always wondered how the EMTs got the stretchers upstairs in some of these apartments. I'm glad that I have an elevator. Well, the stretchers bend like a big wheelchair. Once they get the patient and chair out of the building then they lay it down to get it in the ambulance. And that's how they roll! Oh yeah, their sirens sound like they are playing it in reverse when compared to ours. Lol!
So, they get me to the hospital and they began to ask me questions in broken English. I really do need to go to some of the hospitals and give medical training on how to interact with Americans. In America, you have a lot more privacy! After getting some vital signs, they rolled me into another room that had at least 11 other people waiting. It was like a waiting room for patients. Just one big room with some curtain dividers that they only used when doing tests. They did an EKG on me and pulled the curtain closed. It was myself and another lady inside of the curtain. Weird being exposed in a room with 2 perfect strangers. Oh well. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger. Of course, me being black and a foreigner attracted a lot of attention in my area. When the lady was taking my blood and inserting the IV, a man (let me take that back), 2 men decided to come over and lean ever so slightly across my right side to watch what she was doing on the left. She finally said something to them in Chinese and they shook their heads and walked off. I was like "Wow! Really!?!" I was still tired from my little episode and still trying to put it all together. I managed to take a power nap while there even though there were a lot of weird noises going on around me.
The results are in!!!
The blood work came back good. They tested me for a blood clotting gene and didn't find one. He couldn't understand why I wasn't on any blood thinning medication. I had a hard time explaining to him that I have no clots and that I don't have a stent in place. He did say that my "D-Dimer" levels were elevated and probably due to a previous DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). My EKG showed a first degree blockage. He told me not to worry about it because sometimes even the healthiest people have that. The last test (don't remember what it was called) came back normal as well. The doctor believes that it is all related to MTS and said that if I continued feeling weird to go back to Dr. Hsu at Wanfang Hospital.
I paid my bill (650NTD) and walked outside to catch a bus, go to a MRT, or get a cab. It wasn't until I got outside that I was able to see the name of the hospital (Tri-Service General). No one told me which bus to take, what area I was in, or how to get to the MRT. So I walked down the street and checked out a couple of bus stops. The next bus that I needed was 55 min away. I was starving! I decided to walk down the street to find some food and come back to the bus stop. Once I got to the intersection, I realized that I wasn't far from home. I found a little cafe about 10min from the hospital and ate a chicken croissant sandwich and had some water because I had severe cotton mouth. After I left, I was STILL hungry and couldn't decided if I wanted to catch a cab. I saw a 7-11 and decided to go their to get some food for later and something for now. Unfortunately, their shelves were empty and I continued walking down the street closer to my house. Every time I stopped in the store, they had nothing that I wanted. I ended up going to McDonald's to get a cheeseburger and some fries. I walked home and was question (in Chinese/Taiwanese) by my security guard about what happened, about what the doctor said, and about where my friend went. He still hasn't gotten it in his head that I can't speak his language. Lol! I ate and slept for 5 hrs. Talk about exhausted. Today, I continued to rest even though the weather outside is gorgeous. Maybe I can go to the park and sit under a tree. It's TOO pretty to stay indoors. I have only 2 1/2 months left in Taiwan and then it's back to the States.
