My trip to hospital

Before you all get worried, it was nothing major! Just had no energy and was vomiting.

It all started with a simple ear and throat infection, for which I just got antibiotics from the pharmacy. Amazingly enough, you can buy antibiotics over the counter, without a prescription! A few days later, my throat and ears cleared up, but the no energy and vomiting started (sorry no news to share yet!)

After missing tonnes of school, I finally bit the bullet and asked The Husband to take me to the local clinic. The health system is so different from GP practices back home. You go to the reception and pay a small fee. The fee depends on what kind of doctor you want to see, I was going to see a GP type doctor, so I had to pay about $1.50. You get a ticket from the receptionist with has a number on it. There’s no sign in reception telling you whose turn it is, you just have to go and stand in the queue outside the doctor’s room and work out amongst the other ladies whose turn is next. Men and women have separate sections – men are not allowed in the women’s section, so I wrote down all my symptoms to present to the doctor. When my turn finally came, the doctor asked me who had come with me, and then asked The Husband to come in to translate! It was great, as all the women who were queuing outside waiting to come in just disappeared (yes, the door is open, so every Fatemah, Zainab and Masumah can hear what your issues are!) Luckily though, I had a bit of privacy. I don’t think the doctor really knew what was wrong with me, and suggested that maybe I had an allergic reaction to one of the over-the-counter drugs that I’d taken. And in view of my low blood pressure, prescribed an IV drip, a few injections and yet more tablets! The doctor wrote out a prescription, which was taken to the onsite pharmacy.

Everything has to be brought from the pharmacy – the IV drip, the needle, the tubing, the injections! I then had to go into the injection room. I presented the goodies to the nurse who wrote out another slip that had to be taken to the receptionist. The system is pay-as-you-go, so again, I had to pay for the administration of the drip. For some reason, Iranians love giving injections. Even vitamins are administered with a shot. Not only that, but they LOVE giving shots in the butt! Luckily though, they injected my injections into the saline drip, so I was spared! The IV drip goes in the regular arm way!

So, 45 minutes later, after having my needle yanked out of my arm by the girl in the bed next to me’s mother (don’t ask!), I was ready to leave.

An interested experience that has taught me to look after myself well and bring vitamin and mineral tablets from back home each summer!