Hospitals, Tire Slashing and Toes

Well we, Chad Covey and myself, had our first experience with a Saudi hosptial yesterday evening. I am walking out of the Arabian Food Supplies Store on our compound and see Chad with al-be-it a bit of worried look on his face. It was a justified look as he had just given himself an accidental delf inflicted puncture wound to the big tow of his right foot and was trapesing around with what used to be a white flip flop prior to being saturdated in blood. He was coming back from the pharmacy across from our compound and forgot about the tire slashing devices to keep cars from driving the wrong way in the exit of a compound. Total mistake, accident anyone could have done it, but what were we going to do about it now. Clinic on the compound is closed, none of us are RNs or even good with a band-aid and some bacitracin so we are thinking amputate. But after consult with somone who has been around longer than us, the one (team member) they (I) call "Wilson the Wise" hospital is inevitable and stitches are starting sound like they are a good thing... 1:45 minutes later the driver is here and ready to take us to the Saad Specialist Hospital. Little did we know all the horrid ideas of hospitals and medical service in developing countries was about to be shredded like a tire (or toe) trying to go in the exit of a compound.

This Hospital was immaculate. Big building, ornate on the outside with collumns and arches, medium sercuity compound, but still inviting. Once in Vaulted ceiling with palm fans and crown molding every where, fish tanks bigger that I have seen and a coy pond in teh lobby next to the elevator. Leather chairs, decoratively lit and indoor ivy scattered aethetically about. The nurese was Rahel, cool chick from India, that took personal care to walk us to the ER for the stitches and make sure we got seen by someone pretty quickly (relative to my experience in an ER). An Egyptian doctor and Saudi ER nurse took it from their and he was stitched up and ready to go. So after lots of sillyness and some anesthetic, 3 stiches in the Burj Al Arab of Hospitals in Saudi - 1000 Riyals or ~260US. I was able to get some photos of the toe, let me know if you want to see (note if you are squimmish, might not want to). Back home by 12:30 am. No problem.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday and thanks again for reading my blathering, I mean blog.