Day 234 Blessings all around

Those of you who follow me on Facebook are aware that I have been sick since I returned from my grandmother's funeral toward the end of March.  While many of my colleagues have been sick the majority of their time here, I have managed to stay well.  For several of them, the pollution, the change in diet, and the exposure to new bugs and viruses has been more than their systems can take. I have friends who have been on multiple rounds of antibiotics and other medicines for upper respiratory infections, allergies, or chronic sinusitis- thankfully, not me!

Well, that is, until I returned from a second trip to the States in less than three weeks.  I think the combination of the emotional upheaval, being severely jet lagged and yet still having to soldier through my work schedule, finally got the best of me.  I already had been having some concerns with my kidney function back in the fall, but the stress of sickness and 'stress itself' sent by blood pressure soaring, and my kidney function out of whack.  It was time to give in and see another doctor- my least favorite thing to do in a foreign country.

This is my 'Chinese Redneck' doctor (her words, not
mine!) Dr. Bei Dong.  She is most awesome.  She has
worked tirelessly with me, and consulted regularly
with my kidney specialist, Dr. Elsaharty from Indiana.
This has been no easy feat given the twelve hour time
difference.  After several consultations, the two of them
got me straightened out.  I am SO BLESSED to have
not one, but TWO conscientious and caring doctors,
not in one country, but TWO. 

On Tuesday I had to take personal time to navigate my way to yet another
hospital in Beijing.  This is also no easy shakes in a city of 22 million,
with cab drivers who do not speak English, and they periodically get lost :/
It was nothing that my already elevated blood pressure couldn't handle, lol.

I loved the sign in the waiting room..."Aggressive or intimidating behavior,
harassment, or coarse language will not be tolerated.  Those who engage
in this type of behavior may not be served."   Go, China!
Sometimes Americans take our freedoms and independent natures a little
 too far, I think. My Canadian friend Kathy tells a joke about having to clear
 a public swimming pool for routine maintenance.  If it were a pool full of
Americans, they would be pitching a fit, demanding to speak to the pool
manager, saying they paid good money to swim, and screaming by God,
they were staying in the pool- it was their RIGHT!  On the other hand,
how do you get a group of Canadians to get out of the swimming pool?
Ask them.  Bahahahaha!

After a visit with Dr. Dong, and some blood and urine work,
she didn't like what she saw at all, and immediately sent
me down for an ultrasound.  This sweet lady took no less
than fifty pictures of my one kidney, wrote a report,
and sent it back to my doctor.  A walk across the parking
lot and I was back to Dr. Dong's office to receive the news.
ALL CLEAR!  No abnormalities with the left kidney- PTL!
With Dr. Elsaharty's recommendations, I am now taking a
second blood pressure medicine.  It was the high bp
that sent my kidney function into a tailspin.
Clearly, I have got to manage my stress much better.

Again, I was impressed by the efficiency and medical care I received today.
Appointments, tests, and results, which could take weeks in the US, was
resolved all in an afternoon.  As I presented my insurance card, I was
blessed once again- lab tests, an ultrasound, and medicine-
my out of pocket expense was just $102USD.  I am so BLESSED.
When I paid my bill, I happened to look up on the wall.  It's no
wonder; if this hospital was good enough for President Bush, it
most certainly was good enough for me :)

Rather than fooling with a cab in the late afternoon rush hour, I decided
to take the subway home.  Two new lines opened up while we were on
the February break, and I had yet to travel on them.  Shiny new trains-
NICE!  Yet another blessing in Beijing :)  Really, you have no idea.

The transfer station for the new line was also brand
spanking new.  It was beautiful, if I have to say such a thing!

Now my objective is to get through the last two weeks of teaching.  Yep, you read that right.  For the most part, I am done teaching as of May 4th, which is the beginning of AP Exams worldwide.  I will have no students during the two week testing window, and I will only have about a third of my students left who are 11th graders.  The seniors are done with school after their AP Exams- no graduation ceremony, no nothing.  They just leave.  That is so strange to me.  But I am happy for them that they get an extra month of summer with their families before they leave for the United States for the next four years.  Most of these kids have been boarding at BNDS for the past three years of high school, and it has been a long, intense, three years for them at that.  I can't imagine the pressure cooker environment they have been living under, while having to attend school and structured study time for 14 hours a day.  It's nuts!  They deserve a break, no doubt.

So, Psychology is about to get way more FUN!  I have all sorts of plans, labs, and psychology tricks up my sleeves to keep us engaged and entertained until the end of June.  I am so excited to have the luxury of making psychology come alive for my kids that are left for the last six weeks of school. I just need to get through the next few weeks first, then I am home free :)  

I am so very blessed indeed-

G'nite, y'all!