A hospital experience

Gary Stevens Joined : 08 Jun 2007 Posts : 1063

Well I have just had my first 'emergency' experience in HK and I must say I am impressed with the hospital service here. It's much better than reports in the media suggest. Since Friday evening I had been getting sporadic chest pains and felt breathless. The feeling got worse on Saturday and by Saturday afternoon it was very bad. I went to St Peter's Hospital in Causeway Bay but the waiting time was more than 3 hours. I gave up and went home. I struggled along to Delaney's for the Spurs debacle but left early. By 1.30am the pain was terrible and I was really unable to breathe. It felt like I was having a very prolonged heart attack and was advised by a friend to call an ambulance. So, for the first time since being a teenager (motorbike accident), I found myself in an ambulance being rushed to a hospital - Ruttonjee Hospital in Wanchai. What was funny (well, not so at the time), was that the first emergency service vehicle to arrive where I was waiting was a fire engine. Its sirens were on full blast even though the road was devoid of traffic. Apparently firefighters have some paramedic training and can provide immediate assistance. I had visions of being driven to hospital in the back of a fire truck between the ladders and hoses. However, a few minutes later an ambulance arrived. The service I received was very good and after a battery of tests at the hospital, the doctor declared I would live (yeah) and that what he suspected I was suffering from was something called Costochondritis. According to the web this is a condition that "causes chest pain due to inflammation of the cartilage and bones in the chest wall. This cartilage can become irritated and inflamed. Depending on the extent of the inflammation, costochondritis can be quite painful." Quite painful - an understatement!! I was kept in for observation and now I am at home on painkillers and hopefully this will clear up soon. A bit of a wasted weekend but at least I now know the hospital system works well. And the cost HK$100. Not bad at all.
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We're the Park Lane, we're the Park Lane, we're the Park Lane TOTTENHAM.

Paolo Tramezzani Age : 26 Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 281

thats really scary news John. Hope you make a very speedy recovery and just take it easy (or as easy as you can) over the next few days.

Glad the hospital system is good tho!

All the best
Lou xx

Gary Stevens Age : 37 Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 1266

Oi mate - take it easy squire - plenty of R.E.S.T is the order of the day - OK!!

Founding Father Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 1704

That's a scary one John. Take care of yourself and hope you feel better soon. Stay away from the telly on Friday morning. Spurs at the moment are no good for people in your condition.

Gary Stevens Joined : 08 Jun 2007 Posts : 1063

Edgar Davids Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 3552

Good to hear all is well John. I've kept the voicemail message describing how you were waiting for an ambulance. Scared the crap out of me ! I thought at the time it might be the last words you ever utter !

I entirely agree about public health care in HK. They deal with genuine emergencies efficiently.

Gary Stevens Age : 30 Joined : 24 Jul 2007 Posts : 1798

Get well soon John, sorry to hear about the scare. You didn't look too good on Saturday night and I think you're eyesight was also playing up as you said that you thought I'd lost weight! Might want to get that checked too...

Get plenty of rest so we can see you back on form ASAP.
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The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It is about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.

Andy Booth Joined : 15 Aug 2007 Posts : 551

Good to hear you are on the mend John, I saw on the web this -

It is often difficult to indentify a single cause of costochondritis. This condition is thought to be bost commonly due to repetitive microtrauma

repetitive microtrauma - sounds like the dictionary deffinition of being a spurs fan to me!

I wonder if they will start asking who you support on medical insurance forms soon?

Edgar Davids Joined : 08 Jun 2007 Posts : 2316

Sorry to hear about that experience John. Glad to hear you're feeling much better now. Take it easy, mate!

Edgar Davids Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 2497

That's scary John. Get well soon mate!

Given you have already signed up for the quiz night tomorrow, I assume you are back to normal now!
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To dare is to do

Gary Stevens Joined : 07 Jun 2007 Posts : 1015

John... glad to hear everything seems fine now, mustaphbin frightening... no more watching tottenham for a few months for you methinks! Shocked

Gary Stevens Joined : 08 Jun 2007 Posts : 1063

Merchandiser Supreme Joined : 30 Jun 2007 Posts : 397

U TAKE CARE JOHN, HOPE WE CAN C U SOON. MAY BE THIS SAT AFTERNOON IN HV OR NITE IN THE BAR? I WILL BUY U A DRINK, BUT SINCE U R IN THIS CONDITION, I CAN ONLY BUY U A WARM WATER RIGHT NOW.

Gary Stevens Age : 30 Joined : 24 Jul 2007 Posts : 1798

can we have an update John, how is it going? been pestering any more nurses recently?
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The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It is about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.

Gary Stevens Joined : 08 Jun 2007 Posts : 1063