Chinese Medicine

Well, I've gone and done it. Forty-four days before I leave I had to visit the doctor. It's kind of silly actually. I walked with some friends in some cute but not walk appropriate shoes the weekend before last. My left heel started to hurt as if it was bruised but every day it got a little bit better so I didn't think much of it. That is, until, last night. I was doing a circuit workout in my apartment that included jumping rope and jumping jacks. With each jump I felt the pain slowly return and then increase in my heel. I stopped after the second circuit and figured I'd be fine by morning.

Man...was I way off base with that. By this morning, the pain was excruciating and I had to be on my feet all morning teaching first, second and third graders in the English Village. A lot of teachers in Taiwan sit while they teach but that's never been my style. We were doing the hokey pokey and I was taking them on a walking tour of Wufu Land so sitting for me wasn't an option (never really is for me when I teach). By lunch time, I was in so much pain that I lost my appetite. After lunch, I was less than amicable to anyone who talked with me and I was biting my plastic water bottle to keep from crying.

I haven't really experienced culture shock since I arrived in Taiwan but I never had to go to the doctor. When I realized I might have an ulcer, a friend who's a doctor gave me Nexium so I never needed to deal with the health care system. It's not bad here. Quite the contrary, I've heard wonderful things about doctors and hospitals in Taiwan and it's cheap. It's just a BIG unknown if you're going to have a doctor that can speak any English. Rather than deal with the hassle, I've found other ways around it. Well, I did until today.

I couldn't take it anymore so my colleagues helped me find a Chinese medicine hospital that specializes in bone and muscle issues. One teacher subbed for my afternoon classes while another called to make sure there was someone who could speak English at the hospital. She also called me a taxi and gave me the address in Chinese to show the driver. I was on my way cringing in the backseat the whole time.

When I got there, the culture shock hit. Typically, in the bigger cities in Taiwan, you'll find English and Chinese in most places. Not so here and I didn't expect it. The hospital had a strong herbal smell almost like incense. I got to the front of the line and handed over my health care card hoping that's all that would be required of me. My Chinese language skills are decent if I'm shopping, eating out or introducing myself but I haven't gotten to the lesson about illness in my language studies, yet. Well, the nurse handed me a form that was all in Chinese. She kind of looked at me like I was crazy as my face fell and I nearly burst into tears. Quickly, another nurse stepped in and helped me out. She knew enough English to guide me through the form or complete parts for me based on my Alien Resident Card. In the nearly year that I've been here, that was the first time I felt helpless and alone in a foreign country.

Fortunately, the feeling was short-lived. They gave me a number and I sat down to wait. While I waited, I just focused on the water fountain and Taiwanese soap opera that were both in front of me. I also noticed people receiving acupuncture in the waiting area. You would NEVER see that in the U.S. with all the health codes. This was a busy place and all the hustle and bustle took my mind off the pain in my heel at times.

When my number was up, I went into a small cubicle where the doctor was. He looked more nervous than me to see my face. I have a feeling he doesn't see a lot of white people at this hospital and like most Taiwanese isn't confident in his English skills. Turns out his English abilities were fine. At least, I was happy with them and beyond relieved that I could communicate with someone there. He asked all the typical questions you would get from a doctor who practices Western medicine. He told me first they would do a sonar treatment and then massage the heel. Then he told me to stay off the foot after my treatment. Easier said than done for me since I walk or take the MRT everywhere but I'll give it my best shot.

They led me up to the second floor for sonar. OUCH! That treatment hurt...A LOT. The woman using the machine on my foot was asking me something but I only understood part of the question so yet another nurse who spoke some English stepped in to help out. She was saying "Tong, zai nali?" I know zai nali means where but I didn't know tong. It didn't take me long to figure out that meant hurt. When she moved, the sonar she was asking me where it hurt. Very soon, you could hear me cringing and saying "Tong! Tong!". The nurse that could speak English started laughing and said "You know tong." I had to go through eight minutes of that treatment and it was a very long eight minutes. At least, I got a free Chinese lesson out of it.

My sonar treatment was over and the nurse led me back to the waiting area on the first floor. They gave me a damp heating pad to put on my foot as I waited for the massage therapist. The next thing I knew I was being called into the therapist's cubicle with another older lady. I thought maybe he was multi-tasking. It turns out the woman spoke English and he asked her to translate. She's a regular patient at the hospital. She hurt her knee in a bus accident 25 years ago and goes there every couple of days to treat her knee pain. She was so pleasant and sweet. I could tell she was also very excited to be using her English. She told me to take my time learning Chinese and I'd be speaking like a native soon enough. She was such a wonderful and kind-spirited woman.

The sonar treatment was painful but the massage was the first relief from the pain I'd had since it started. It felt so good. When the therapist finished, he put a poultice of Chinese herbs on my heel and wrapped it up. He gave me two more for the road that I have to replace every four hours. It feels a lot like an Icy Hot patch. Whatever it is, it's been working. The pain has decreased since my visit and my limp has become less pronounced. I might have to go back in a few days but I'm not relishing the thought of another sonar treatment.

I've always wanted to try Eastern medicine but it's not covered by insurance in the U.S. and it's expensive. However, in Taiwan both Eastern and Western medicine are covered. They've got the right idea. More and more studies are showing a combination of the two can yield powerful results for a patient.

No one ever wants to get hurt but at least this little injury gave me the chance to experience a part of the Taiwanese culture that is very different from mine. It also showed me how difficult and scary something as simple as a visit to the doctor can be when you can't speak, read or write in that language. I'm lucky enough to be in Taiwan where they are exceedingly kind and helpful to foreigners. I know it is not so easy for people in other countries and it's a lesson I'll remember when I return to the U.S.