Wanfang Hospital

We’ve had QUITE a bit of drama! Lauren contracted pneumonia and is currently at Wanfang Hospital in Taipei! At the beginning of last week, on Monday, we received a call from Lauren’s school in the afternoon informing us that she had a fever. We took her straight to the doctor and he said it looked like she was starting a cold, so he prescribed her antibiotics, acetaminophen, and stuff for cough and cold. Over the next couple of days, I noticed that she didn’t improve much! And she still had a little FEVER! So on Thursday we took her back and the doctor prescribed more medicine. Well, Saturday night was AWFUL—Lauren was coughing SO hard she couldn’t sleep AT ALL, and it was concerning me SO MUCH I had to take her to the ER at Wanfang Hospital the following morning. They did a chest X-ray, and the ER pediatrician told me she had pneumonia and should be admitted immediately, and that she should stay 3-5 days MINIMUM! Of course I totally FREAKED OUT (outwardly I did not, but INWARDLY I SO TOTALLY WAS FREAKING OUT) and proceeded to get her admitted! So HERE WE ARE, hanging out at Wanfang Hospital! She’s been doing better, but she still has quite a wet cough! At least, so far, her fever is gone—we’re keeping our fingers crossed! I’m TRYING SO HARD NOT to go CRAZY with WORRY!

Wanfang Hospital is only a 15-minute bus ride from our apartment, and it is a subway stop, so it’s VERY convenient to get there. It is also a reputable hospital with the most up-to-date cancer treatment, has every department you can imagine (NICU, cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, overweight department) and is a research and teaching hospital, so I felt confident taking Lauren there. One of the walls in the lobby lists all the groups and people who have visited and observed the hospital—it has had visitors from over 60 countries. The staff has been UNBELIEVEABLY considerate, pleasant, and FAST. When I took Lauren to the ER, she was seen IMMEDIATELY, her X-ray was done promptly, and she was admitted right away—I barely filled out anything. I scarcely had time to call John to tell him what was going on, everything moved so quickly. I also hardly had enough time to prep Lauren for the IV—I had to give her a quick explanation because they were so quick in getting stuff into her! (Uh, let me add—putting in the IV was NOT FUN!) Lauren’s pediatrician at Wanfang Hospital is Dr. Huang, and he happens to be the doctor of Cheryl’s son—Cheryl is the American woman who had us over to her home for Thanksgiving. The doctors all speak English—not extremely well, but well enough to get their explanations across. However, the nurses and staff do not speak English as well, but they are so nice and sweet, that more than makes up for it.

On the minus side, Wanfang Hospital is not as clean as the hospitals I’ve been to in the U.S. It’s NOT dirty by any means, but it’s not in the immaculate condition I’ve been accustomed to. The lobby looks great, but the rooms are just OK. BUT, then, I’ve been lucky—whenever I’ve had to stay in the hospital, the hospital was always brand new, so that has been my only hospital experience. The problem is we are in a quad—right now, three kids to a room separated by curtains--so we’re ALL sharing the same bathroom. The bathroom gets cleaned RARELY, so it’s not in the best condition! I finally had to ASK to have the bathroom cleaned! It LOOKS like there are private rooms that seem to be much nicer, but since the children do not have medical insurance here (however, John and I are fully covered), I had NO idea how much it would cost, so I made the decision to go the cheaper route, especially since she has to be in the hospital for so long. I was also influenced by my medical experiences in the U.S., where I frequently got ZAPPED by unexpected costs, so instinctively I went with the cheapest option! I just found out it will end up costing about $60 a day, and that includes drugs and doctor visits. So, actually, even w/o coverage, it’s CONSIDERABLY less expensive than the U.S. I also JUST found out from Auntie Yin that I can save the receipt and take it back to the U.S. to get reimbursed by my own insurance company (but who knows if my insurance will honor it), which I also did not know when I had to make a quick decision.

Lauren is receiving IV antibiotics and nebulizer treatment 4 times a day, which according to my brother, Ken, a doctor, is standard treatment for pneumonia (it REALLY IS handy having a brother who’s a doctor). We also have to administer “percussion” treatment. After Lauren gets the nebulizer, we have to pat her back on her right and left sides for 15 minutes—we have to do this 4 times a day! Since we’re sharing a room with other kids, it’s actually pretty funny listening to all the back-patting going on! Lauren LOVES the percussion treatment—it really relaxes her and she says it really does make her feel better, so we don’t mind doing it at all!

It’s been interesting to watch the other families in our room. One of the kids looks like he’s about 3 or so, and his grandmother has been the primary caregiver thus far. His father and grandfather come in and out (there doesn’t seem to be a mother in the picture), but the grandmother stays here 24/7 and has been doing virtually everything. Another child looks to be about 7, and he’s had many members of his family visiting, but so far his father has been the constant force.

John and I have been working in shifts and we’re taking turns staying with Lauren at night, and we have not left her alone—we want to be sure she doesn’t accidentally pull the IV out. Luke, of course, doesn’t really understand what Lauren is going through—he just gets ANGRY when I can’t stay with him at home! And of course, he’s had his share of one-liners. In the hospital lobby last night, out of the blue, he VERY LOUDLY blurted, “MOMMY, I’M NOT PLAYING WITH MY WEE-WEE RIGHT NOW, I ONLY PLAY WITH MY WEE-WEE IN BED!!” (We’re teaching him all the names, but apparently he seems to like this one…) I was MORTIFIED….but no one seemed to care because no one understood what he said! In fact, right after he said that, someone walked by and commented on how cute he was!! So here’s an instance in which the language barrier was a distinct advantage…..

Another thing cool about Wanfang Hospital is that it’s centrally located, so it’s walking distance from many stores and restaurants. Starbucks and 7-11 are actually housed in the hospital lobby, which has been SO convenient! We’re giving Lauren a break from Chinese food and we’ve gone TOTALLY Western this week! So we’ve been to Starbucks numerous times—Lauren loves the sandwiches and sweets there—I think we should buy stock in Starbucks we’ve been there so much! Oh—I forgot—Lauren does NOT have to eat the hospital food—it’s OPTIONAL. So we’ve been bringing in our own stuff or going out for meals, which is nice since it gives us an excuse to get out of the room.

I can’t EVEN BEGIN to express how STRESSFUL this has been! I think this has taken 10 years off my life! Lauren was a day care baby, so she’s been sick NUMEROUS times, but she never had to go to the hospital. I CANNOT BELIEVE that the FIRST time she has to stay in a hospital, it HAS TO BE while we’re in Taipei! I would freak if this happened in the U.S., but the fact that we’re in a situation that’s SO unfamiliar, where we’re far from our regular doctor and navigating the language barrier, well, that has added an ENTIRELY NEW dimension to this already nerve-racking experience! I’m trying VERY hard to hold it together, and John has been amazingly calm. Lauren has been a total angel! I frequently take her around the hospital in a kiddie wheelchair, and every time we go out, people comment on how cute or pretty she is! They all ask me if she has an American father because of her features. BUT, because she’s so small, some people have actually asked me if she’s 3 years old (she’s SIX)! It’s been SO DIFFICULT for me to watch her go through everything! I would give ANYTHING for this to be happening to ME instead of Lauren! I SO HOPE she recovers quickly—I’m STILL VERY worried and FULL of anxiety!

The pictures are mostly of Wanfang hospital--the one of Luke alone is at the Starbucks. I apologize--one of the pictures is up twice, but the connection at the hospital lobby is so slow, I didn't want to deal with it again and edit this....

Next up….HOPEFULLY good news about Lauren….I’m keeping my fingers crossed…..