First, thank you everyone for your concern for Drew. He's tired and sleeping like all day but probably on the way to recovery.
Yesterday he went to a nearby hospital. The doctor wanted him to be hospitalized for treatment. Since it seemed serious Drew went to a superior hospital for a second opinion. This doc also wanted Drew to be hospitalized but was willing to treat him as an outpatient, given the circumstances.
Here's the results and the diagnosis:
Oh you can't read that? :)
Neither can we! :)
Drew has tonsillitis and a viral infection. He's taking lots of antibiotics and sleeping round the clock. He's eating better but still a bit febrile, has the chills and is completely exhausted.
And he's adorable even when sick.
Cultural Insights on Treating Illness
"Why did both doctors recommend for Drew to be hospitalized?"
I think it's because most Chinese prefer to receive their antibiotics intravenously, which requires the patient to remain at the hospital or repeatedly return for a series of injections. This, plus the fact that Drew's quite ill and needs good monitoring, is probably why the doctors thought he should stay.
But they let him go because Drew opted for pills rather than the iv. Moreover, there was nobody to care for him if he stayed. When someone is hospitalized the family of that patient takes the role of the nurse/nurse's assistant, preparing meals and doing basic care like hygiene and using the toilet. Obviously that arrangement was not gonna work for us.
Encouragers
Yesterday evening two dear ladies visited briefly, bringing Chinese medicine, fruit, lots of advice, concern and fried donut-like bread. Wow, that just made my day! Such kindness!
This afternoon we had a surprise visit from Drew's old buddy. He lives far away now but was in town for a couple hours on business. Drew managed to crawl out of bed for almost an hour. So great to see one of our favorite guys (the one in the middle holding Titus).
Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine soon! We're all ok.
tonsillitis:
扁桃腺炎biǎn táo xiàn yán
virus:
病毒
bìng dú
Hey Rachel! Did they test Drew for Mono- can you tell? What antibiotics is he on and where are they manufactured? You may want to try warm packs on those chipmonk cheeks to encourage the swelling to go down. Praying for you! Love you guys!
ReplyDeleteoh thank goodness! I'm happy he is on the road to recovery. So do Chinese people not need antibiotics very often or is it normal to interrupt their lives with frequent hospital stays (like more than 1x year)?
ReplyDeleteContinuing to lift you guys up Rachel.
ReplyDeleteAdorable? I'd day pathetic looking! :) Hope he's on the mend.
ReplyDeleteI do hope he keeps improving...and soon. Its no fun to be so sick and I am guessing it is even less fun over there.
ReplyDeleteLove Fi
Sorry Jen, just answering your question now. You have great questions. Anyway, yes, Chinese often do iv antibiotics for several days rather than taking pills home. But they don't stay at the hospital unless its rather serious. Each area has a handful of little clinics where you can stop by and plop down for an iv.
ReplyDeletethat's my best understanding. I hope to learn more.
oh, I see. I wonder why they opt to be poked rather than taking a pill, but then again, they probably think we are odd for wanting to take pills instead :) Hope he is doing better by now!
ReplyDelete