2021/11/26

Before I knew it, it was already November, and soon December! I'm surprised at how quickly each day has passed. It goes by like lightning. Although I love living here, I've only been here for about two years, and I've come across many obstacles, and I'm honestly very tired. But the most valuable experience I had this year was being "hospitalized" here. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, so I'd like to record it here.

It all started in May when it started to get hot, and this year in particular, the days were so hot that I felt even more lethargic than usual. Living here, I realized how humid it was. Even though I grew up in an environment close to the sea, it was a world apart from Japan. It was harder on my body than I thought it would be. I lost about 15kg since I came here, and while I thought I was lucky to have lost weight, I tried various methods that were said to be good, such as Chinese herbal medicine and drinking cool tea, thinking that it must be summer fatigue. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, I was careful about my health in my own way, but I was not getting better and my stomach was weak, so when I went to the hospital for the first time, the doctor said, "Well, shall we have a gastroscopy?" and gave me an estimate of about 30 yen (an estimate for a one-day stay at a private hospital; doctors here want to do tests right away!?), and I almost collapsed in a different sense, and when I was wondering what to do, a friend introduced me to another doctor.

*At the time of reservation, it's two years away...apparently this is a common occurrence here.

This was also a private clinic, but after making an appointment for the examination and testing, they wrote me a referral so that I could go to a public hospital near my home from my next visit and told me to make an appointment right away, so I went, but my next appointment was in November 2023, and I was stunned at how long I had to wait, even though I was feeling unwell. After the test on another day, I was relaxing that evening when I got a call from the doctor, who said, "Go to the emergency center at the nearby public hospital immediately!"

*The atmosphere at the emergency room changes dramatically at night. I felt scared when I went there.

Although I was nervous, I quickly got ready and headed to the hospital. The doctor sent me the test results on my mobile phone, saying, "If you show this to the emergency doctor, they'll know," and I went to the hospital. Perhaps because I was anxious, the atmosphere felt quite different from when I went to make an appointment during the day the other day. When it was my turn, I was examined and told, "Immediate admission," and headed straight to my hospital room. Unlike in Japan, I went there with the man from the hospital, not understanding the language or how things worked. The man from the hospital encouraged me, saying, "It's no problem, get some rest," and I headed to a large room with a sign saying "Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Room." It was already past 22:XNUMX p.m., after the lights were turned off, so I was greeted by a scary-looking nurse on the night shift and a cheerful support staff member (with that written on his chest). Since it was a Japanese person hospitalized, I was bombarded with questions. I had a weak stomach, but they kept talking to me, saying things like, "Eat an orange!" and "How do you say hello in Japanese?" while everyone around me was asleep and quiet. I changed into pajamas and had a COVID-XNUMX test, a urine test, then a blood draw and medical interview, and finally the nurse scolded me, saying, "Why are there oranges? You have a weak stomach, you can't eat them!", and I was finally released at XNUMXam.

*Around 11pm on the first day. There was a lot of tension and rush to get tested. While waiting for the next test. Welcome oranges were given to us.

The second day arrived and I could barely sleep. It still doesn't feel real, but I'm in the hospital. That reminds me of an episode I heard on Clubhouse a while ago about "Giving Birth in Hong Kong". The difference between private and public... but I'm not giving birth there... However, when I thought about it, I remembered a scene I saw in a movie. Public hospitals provide pajamas and gowns, so it's just like the hospital scene! I imagined that I was wearing matching clothes with my favorite actor.

*Andy Lau also wore these pajamas in the movie.
From the movie "Shock Wave 01" Source: Hong Kong XNUMX

*I also wore the pajamas worn by many of these actors. I took a selfie, although it's a bit messy.

I see, I decided that I just had to enjoy this situation. Comparing it to when I was hospitalized in Japan, I had to bring everything with me except for the pajamas and the towel I used for the shower, as I mentioned earlier. Currently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visitors are not allowed, but you can bring gifts if you come to the entrance of your hospital room. Also, if necessary, you can visit by video call, and I was impressed by how much effort has been put into making these difficult times. It seems that mobile phones are OK in the hospital room, and everyone is often making calls, so it was very lively during the day.

*Lunch one day. I personally felt it tasted a little like Japanese food at times. It was always hot and delicious, and I lost another 4kg.

The main food was a light version of the side dishes served at a chachan restaurant, but it was more delicious than I expected. I was a little weak, so it was hard on my body. If the doctor doesn't restrict it, it seems possible to order delivery, and some people ordered McDonald's or greasy food. Other than that, it seems to be almost the same as in Japan. I've heard that public hospitals are rough, old and dirty, and the nurses are scary, but I think the hospital I was at was a little better.

*Geriatrics?! I was surprised to learn that there is a specialized department that is unique to this region with a high life expectancy.

It says geriatrics and there are only old people around, and it seems that there are specialized departments that are unique to this region with the longest life expectancy in the world. The old lady next door (I'll call her that) who happened to be hospitalized on the same day was an exceptionally amazing character and quite a hard-working person. She would tell me every few hours, "I live on the Kowloon side, but I happened to come to Hong Kong (the island) to go to mahjong, and on the way I oimai (takeout) some rice noodles there and got an upset stomach!" but she seemed to be in a very bad condition. She was busy with things like wanting to go home early, being hungry, and ordering takeout again just before lights out. The nurse scolded her and told her to hold on, but the old lady seemed to always want to eat something, and she kept eating and vomiting. And finally, she took the chocolate that my friend had brought her (another mysterious gift) and ate it without permission! I was surprised by this, but I laughed more than I was angry because I thought she had a strong passion for food. (To be continued)

ー ー ー ー ー ー ー
Profile

wm_Journal

I first visited Hong Kong before the handover in 1996. A few years ago, I fell in love with Hong Kong, and in 2020, I decided to move there alone. Even in the midst of COVID-XNUMX, I'm enjoying my time here with my self-satisfied level of Cantonese and a cheerful attitude, with the motto of "act immediately when you think of something." My hobbies are watching Hong Kong movies from start to finish, traveling, and taking buses to the last stop. I post my daily Hong Kong updates on Instagram.

instagram
@wm_Journal