May 21, 2002 Honiara
I had another interesting visit to the doctor. This is Dr Zutu, the actual gynecologist. He works at the hospital but also has office hours at another clinic where I can make an appointment. If I go to the hospital, I will wait in line indefinitely. So I make the clinic appointment and go.
The first thing I notice about the examining room is the lack of that big bright light that gynecologists always have at the foot of the bed. Hmm.
Next observation is that Dr Zutu looks pretty young. And seems a little nervous, or perhaps has ADD, since he seems to have a hard time sitting still. Hmm.
So we have a little chat about my symptoms, then the exam begins. The nurse comes in with the speculum.
Then there's a question of lubrication for the speculum. The nurse pulls a lidless tube of something from a cardboard box. The doctor doesn't like that one. She tosses it back in the box. She goes out and comes back with a 1-liter bottle of sonogram jelly--also lidless. He rejects that one, too. They mention KY, but it appears to be unavailable. So they revert to lidless tube #1 and use that. Once the speculum is inserted, they start talking about a flashlight.
Aha! They have also noticed that the big bright light is missing!
Discussion regarding flashlight reveals that somebody took the flashlight somewhere and they don't have one any more.
So the exam proceeds. Finally it's over and THEN he tells me that I will need to come down to the hospital during his clinic there on Thursday, where they have a light.
He tells me that he did feel something on the cervix, but he thinks that there is also something going on with the uterus. The uterus is not spongy; it's hard, he says.
And I can testify that it is quite painful when pressed.
He says something about possible fibroids and then he starts talking about general anesthetic. He wants me to go in tomorrow for a sonogram; then to his clinic at the hospital on Thursday for another exam; then to the hospital on Friday for a D&C.
I don't think so, buddy. Not in this lifetime.
I am getting a medical visa for Australia. I'll have to go by myself since Andy is stuck behind the director's desk for the next month. I'm not real excited about going by myself, because I will have to negotiate public transportation on my own in a city I don't know.
But it genuinely scares me to have anything done at the hospital here.
Need to catch up on 31 Days of 2002? Start here.