AUG 16, 17 .. PERSONAL HEALTH UPDATE.. AUGUST 16th

I am going to begin by going back to last night. You may recall I had a busy and a stressful day yesterday. I was admitted to the SOS Medica Mongolia Clinic and I was seen by a doctor. I then underwent a hands-on examination followed by an Ultra Sound examination and a CT Scan. Then I went out to dinner with Saina, Deegi, Cindy, David and Happy.

Then, after our dinner, I went home. Happy and David walked home with me. Came up to my apartment with me. Made absolutely sure that I was home safe and OK. Very thoughtful.

I was close to exhaustion. “I can’t wait to get to bed and go to sleep.”

Basically (1) I don’t historically ‘do-well’ with medical stuff etc et all. (2) In crisis I seem to do very well no matter the issue. Medical or otherwise.

As I undressed and took off my shirt..

What to my wondering eyes should appear..

Stuck in my right arm was the I.V. Apparatus that was inserted into my arm for the CT Scan.

“Well. This must come out. I am not going to live-my-life-out with this sticking into my arm.”

It took me about five full minutes to finally get the bandaging removed. That thing was ‘installed into my arm so it would NOT move.’

“Careful now. All I have to do is to pull this apparatus straight out, parallel to my arm, with one very positive, decisive, firm pulling movement.”

I did. Out it came. And?

Blood, red blood, just shot out of the I.V. wound like a mini-geyser.

Blood onto my arm. Blood running down my arm in two rivulets onto.. my white running trousers.. my underwear under my trousers.. the bottom of my bed spread.. the floor. Blood was all over the place and it kept spurting out.

I grabbed some toilet paper. Then, exactly like I have seen done countless times by countless nurses removing an I.V. from my arm, I pressed down (I mean I PRESSED down very firmly ) on the spot from whence the I.V. had come. It drastically reduced the flow of blood. Aren’t our bodies absolutely amazing. “Let’s clot this blood right now to stop this bleeding!” I scrambled to get a band aid. Got it. Could NOT get it opened. Got another. Got it open and put it over the I.V. wound.

And?

I was dog tired. Exhausted. But..

I had to clean up, totally wash, as well as spot-clean, the blood stains from my white running trousers. I had to wash up my underwear, the blood ran through my trousers onto my underwear. I had to wash up the bed spread. I had to wash up the carpet. I had to wash up my arm.

What a day, Tuesday, the 15th of August 2017, was for yours truly!

I know, critic inside-of-my-own-head, I did NOT have to go into all of this. Well I did.

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WEDNESDAY, THE 16th of AUGUST, 2017

“Deegi. When you go to SOS Medica Mongolia to talk to the doctor and pick up the formal report, will you call me. I want to go with you.”

“Sure Cap.”

3:30pm (give or take) “Cap. Saina will be over to take you to the Clinic.”

The day fit my mood.. TO-A-TEE. Dark, Heavy Overcast, Raining off and on.

From my apartment panning left to right.

From my front, ground floor, entry door. Panning left to right.

Looking back at my apartment building. Love you little lake. A little rain and there-you-are smiling at me.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The old and the new.

As Saina and I drove past the below building, I thought to myself, “Just think of the lives and adventures and challenges facing all those who are living in that apartment building.”

There it is, in the backgound, across the traffic, The SOS Medica Mongolia Clinic.

We are there.

Let’s go inside. Meet the doctor. Discuss the report. Go back to my apartment.

I had no sooner snapped the above interior photo than my doctor appeared. In the above photo, you see the E.R. area. When I was admitted yesterday (Lord was it ‘just’ yesterday?) I sat in the left of the two large, brown, EZ chairs immediately in front of the reception desk.

To business. My doctor discussed with me his formal report (in my opinion) complete to the nth detail. It included a lot of data as well as a CD with all the CT Scan data and several (X-Ray like) films also showing the CT Scan data.

“May I have this?” .. “Certainly. It is for you to take with you.”

Talk about a first-class, no-nonsense, professional operation!

There it was. My eyes went right straight to it ..

The BIG ‘C’ !

Diagnosis : Suspected colon cancer (the left kidney).

Recommendation : Oncologist and Urologist consultation and further assessment.

Oh sure, there was more ‘news’. Collapsed bowel. Possible diverticulosis. And on and on and on.

Conclusion : Fit to fly in business class with non-medical escort on a commercial airline.

I asked him one final time.

He said again with emphasis..

“YES! Fly back to the U.S. We don’t know what is happening. IF we attempted to perform a biopsy here, there could be immediate trouble and you might have to be here for a long time. GO BACK TO THE U.S.”

Well that-is-that.

I want to end this on an up-beat note.

Saina (Deegi’s husband) lives here in Ulaanbaatar. Yesterday (Lord was it only yesterday?) when Saina and Deegi drove me to the SOS Medica Clinic I thought to myself, “Saina sure took the long-LONG-way-around to get here.”

Then last night when we all drove home I thought the same thing. “Saina again sure took the long-LONG-way-around to get back to my apartment.”

And this afternoon, for the third time I thought. “I can’t believe this, Saina, who lives here doesn’t know the right way to drive to the clinic.”

As I got into the car this evening, I instantly became the navigator. I firmly indicated to Saina (who speaks no English) by animated arm motions and finger pointing, where I wanted him to go. Being a most gentle soul, Saina no doubt thought I was going someplace I needed to go and that he was going to drop me off. Well he was absolutely 100% correct. I was going back to my apartment.

As we flew home (it took maybe 25-minutes NOT over one full hour as had the previous three trips taken) he suddenly got-it. I called Deegi.

“Deegi, will you ask Saina IF he likes my way home.”

Saina cracked up laughing on the cell phone.

Deegi said to me, “Saina just said that YOU know Ulaanbaatar far better than he does. Yes your way home is the best way home.”

Now.. (Now for me is early Thursday morning the 17th of August 2017)..

I will press publish. Call Patti and ask Patti to look-this-over. Eat breakfast. Head out to Mongolian Airlines to get a ticket to Hong Kong.

Non Verbal Communication between you my reader and myself the author here.

Just the very fact that I have written this lengthy Post with many photos says something doesn’t it?

IF I really felt terrible, I could NOT possibly have written this Post now could I?

I feel pretty OK. Yes I can ‘feel’ that there is something ‘going on’ in my left kidney.

BUT..

I am basically feeling pretty chipper.

All things considered.

Stay Tuned Sports Fans.

Still Smiling .. Cap

Oh Yes. For sure. I am already thinking about returning when and if things shake-out OK.

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