Normally I\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0write a post about how I haven\u2019t blogged regularly enough over the past week because, honestly, my mom is probably the only person who wants to hear the reason, however, the reason is what has inspired this post\u2026so this time, I\u2019m going to give you my excuse.<\/p>\n
As my readers know, I\u2019ve been on a 4 week holiday in South East Asia and it\u2019s wrapping up today. My second to last stop was in Saigon, Vietnam. One of my take-a-ways was that Westerners are really the only people who call it Ho Chi Mein City and all of our guides and locals we met preferred Saigon. The other take-a-way was a shoulder injury. I\u2019m really not sure what I did to hurt it, but the end result was an extremely painful shoulder and stiff neck. Well, I knew I wasn\u2019t going to seek treatment in Vietnam so I decided to diagnose and treat myself. I got a massage and took some Advil. The next day it got worse, but we were flying out that night and I figured I\u2019d get treatment in Thailand if it didn\u2019t get better in a few days.<\/p>\n
I continued with the self medication for several days \u2013 including New Years Eve & New Years Day \u2013 when I finally couldn\u2019t take it anymore and saw a nurse at the hotel. She provided me some topical cream \u2013 something like Icy Hot and recommended a light massage. Everything seemed to hurt it, rolling over in my sleep, lifting up my bags, carrying my pocket book, and especially typing! Hence my excuse for missing a lot of blog posts this past week.<\/p>\n
Another day went by and nothing improved. So when I finally got back to Bangkok I decided to see a doctor.<\/p>\n
Many hotels, especially resorts, have an on-call or on-site nurse or nurse practitioner. Often times they can provide information assist with getting medications, etc\u2026 They can also contact a physician if necessary or direct you to a clinic or hospital. In the larger cities you have many more options.<\/p>\n
Your hotel can help you connect with a doctor who speaks English and has Western training. Your embassy will have a list of clinics, hospitals and providers in the city. If you have friends, family or know people in the city they can be a good source of information as well.<\/p>\n
I got a recommendation from the American Embassy and then asked the hotel to help me contact them. There is an organization in Thailand called Global Doctor and they provide 24-hour medical care. They have an office in Silom, one of the popular areas for tourists, and will come to your hotel.<\/p>\n
First, I spoke to a doctor over the phone and explained my symptoms and what home remedies I had tried. After asking a few questions, he suggested that I see a doctor. Within an hour, the doctor was at my hotel. He was trained in Singapore and Europe and had a nurse with him as well. After examining my shoulder, doing a lot of test and asking me a ton of questions he explained that I most likely pulled a muscle in my shoulder. He prescribed several medicines, which he provided to me at a very reasonable cost, and gave me some directions.<\/p>\n
The nurse prepared an invoice and the doctor prepared a form that I could submit to my insurance company. They take credit cards, which is extremely convenient. A 45 minute visit and 3 medicines cost me $175 USD.<\/p>\n
Throughout the entire time the assistant duty manager at the Le Meridien stayed with me in case I needed any translation \u2013 the doctor spoke perfect English so I didn\u2019t really need that \u2013 and to make sure everything went smoothly. The doctor had told me to take one of the medicines on a full stomach and the duty manager asked if I needed any food brought to the room so I could just rest my shoulder and asked that I call her if I needed anything. This is the type of customer service that keeps me loyal to the Le Meridien Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Today the nurse called to check and see how I was feeling and she reminded me that just because I was feeling better today I shouldn\u2019t over-do it. So this will be my only post today\u00a0J\u00a0I\u2019m extremely glad that I finally decided to see a doctor because I can actually feel a difference today and I should be on the mend. So if you get hurt or sick away from home \u2013 a travel doctor can be just a call away.<\/p>\n
If you get injured or become sick abroad there are a few things you should keep in mind:<\/p>\n
Here are some helpful links related to travel health<\/p>\n
Vaccination & International Travel Heath Information<\/p>\n
Sanofi-Pasture Travel Vaccine Info<\/a><\/p>\n World Heath Organization (WHO) International Travel Information<\/a><\/p>\n