Kathmandu, Nepal 9/15/07

Kathmandu, Nepal 9/15/07
- CIWEC Clinic -

It’s 1:35 p.m. In less than 45 minutes I’m supposed to be on a flight to Delhi. After that I would have about 12 hours to kill before flying to Prague, the next destination on my self organized itinerary.

About 10 a.m. this morning I started to have doubts that I would make these flights but, always the optimist, they were only minor doubts. Deep down I thought surely I’d pull it off somehow. Ten minutes ago it become official that I would not be flying today when the doctor here at the CIWEC Clinic came back with one single x-ray film and said “Yep, it’s broken.”

In the last 3 weeks I have been trekking along mountain paths, and riverbeds; through waterfalls, rice paddies, and rain soaked forests. I have been bungee jumping, white water rafting, and rock climbing. Aside from some recent leach bites, I made it through all of these adventure activities without a scratch. Instead I miss a single step in a hallway of the Kathmandu Guest House, roll my left foot out, and fracture the bone that runs along the outside of my foot. Through this recent event, oddly enough, I’m still happy.

This incident reminds me of my accident filled childhood, a time best described as extremely active. I was no stranger to sprains, strains, stitches, and the occasional fracture; all of which happening when I wasn’t doing anything forbidden. It’s been about 20 years since my last injury of this level so I suppose I was just due.

My flights today won’t be happening but I’m still hopeful that I’ll be able to salvage the Prague section of the trip before I have to be in Munich to meet Jillian and the boys. I’ll find out in an hour or so. I’m now waiting on the orthopedic doc to get here and determine what to do with my flat tire. The doctor here at the clinic that already determined it was broken, Dr. Dave, has already told me if the orthopedic guy casts it I’ll need to wait 48 to 72 hours before flying…and that is probably my best scenario. Sometimes surgery, he warned me, is needed to set things back to how they belong.

My gut is telling me this won’t be the case and I have faith that it’s correct. It was correct when I missed the step and immediately said “F@#%! I just broke my foot!!”

After hopping around and swearing a few more times I started to convince myself otherwise. I thought “Maybe it's just sprained; a little elevation and some sleep; I’ll rub some dirt on it and get back in there; sure I’ll have a little hobble for a few days but I’ll take it easy and I’ll be fine.” As is often the case the initial split second, unclouded, unemotional, gut reaction was correct. I hope it holds true when the ortho doc gets here. I don’t even want to think about what I’ll have to do if surgery is required.

CIWEC Clinic

- Pause -

9 p.m. Kathmandu Guest House

Good News! No Surgery!
“Your fracture has a good personality” was how Dr. Pandry described it.
Well that’s nice to know. I would be ashamed to have a rude fracture.

Now for the fun part, treatment; Because of all my upcoming flights….well my hopefully upcoming flights. Right now I’m stuck in Kathmandu but I’ll get to that later….they can’t put a cast on it because my foot will swell even more than normal while flying. Plus Dr. Pandry thinks I could probably get by without a cast even if I wasn’t flying. He says there are several new devices, such as air casts, that would be as effective as the old school plaster cast but for more convenient for the next 4 to 6 weeks. The only drawback…they don’t have any of these devises in Nepal.

So no “modern” device and unless I can stay in Nepal for the next few weeks, no cast. I do love it here but staying is not an option. I’ll have to get by with some ace bandages and a pair of crutches. Tomorrow morning I’m supposed to go to Dr. Pandry’s office and get some sort of brace that will be better than just the bandage I have on now but he didn't make this option sound much better so I’m curious to see what I’ll find there.

With the exception of the actual broken foot my experience into Nepalese healthcare has been great. Far better than I thought it was going to be when I realized I had to go to the hospital. Granted I was at a traveler’s clinic. I’m sure it does not reflect the entire system but that doesn’t really mater to me right now. That’s a selfish statement I know but I’ll let myself slide today.

The clinic was clean, modern, and well run. I got in to see the Doctor quickly, who by the way was Dr. David Kraklou, an American from Michigan who came to Nepal 3 years ago and decided to stay. It’s a small clinic, far from hospital size but I was happy to find they had an on-site x-ray facility which also went quick. The only thing that took a long time was waiting for the orthopedic specialist, Dr. Pandry, to get there. Even that didn’t bother me and I found it understandable. It’s a small clinic. They don’t need to have an orthopedic doctor on site all the time and I also found out today is Saturday.

While I waited they put me in my own room; comfy adjustable bed, rolling table to write on; they filled up my water bottle with cold delicious water twice and even ordered out some lunch for me. The total cost for my day at the clinic, consultation with 2 doctors on a Saturday, x-ray, bandage, and the purchase of a set of crutches = $258! What a deal!
Lunch, water, ice packs, and offers for a cup of tea every 20 minutes, were free. I’m pretty happy with the cost. It is nowhere near what my insurance deductible is so this will just go under miscellaneous travel expense.

Unfortunately my efficient, modern, professional, experience today ended at the clinic. After I left there it was off to the airport to deal with the airlines. That didn’t go so well. After finding the main ticket window closed for my airline I was directed to another building. From there it was up 3 flights of stairs which was very fun on my new crutches. I went through all that work just to be put on a waiting list for a flight 2 days from now.

So now I wait. Two days to sit with my elevated foot in Kathmandu and hope I get on a plane. I have sadly realized that I’m going to need to cut Prague out of my itinerary. In a best case scenario I would get there on the 18th and have to leave on the 20th. It would be a quick visit and I’m in no shape for anything quick. Plus I’m thinking the actual travel dates are going to be the hardest part from here on out; hauling my pack, finding porters, propping up my foot on planes and trains, etc. The more days of actual travel that I can cut out the better off I’ll be. So I’m going to head straight to Munich and chill out. Everyone else doesn’t arrive until the 21st and 22nd and, if all goes as planned, I’ll get there on the 18th but that’s OK. I have a good book.

For the most part I’m pretty up beat about this whole thing. I feel more stupid than anything else. I’m human though and there was a moment when I considered plopping down the ol’American Express and saying “Send me to West Palm Beach.”
Sure I knew it would be more complicated then just hopping on a plane and landing in sunny south Florida. Flights from Kathmandu are pretty limited and I don’t foresee direct service to the East Coast of Florida anytime soon.

My point is I considered heading home. That moment has passed. I always plan/expect something to go wrong at some point on my trips; missed or delayed flight, lost or broken camera, illness, theft, and I guess even injury. Of course knowing it could happen and dealing with it when it does are two different things. This is traveling….you deal with the problems and press on.

So what’s the bright side? I can find many:
1) It happened on my last day in town. Sure that sucks for my travel plans but it didn’t cost me any experiences in Nepal which are far more valuable to me than any charge an airline can levy on me.
2) I broke my foot in Nepal! Kathmandu! What a great experience to learn from! A challenge to be met and conquered! Which so far it looks like I'm on track to do.
3) I have an x-ray of my clearly broken foot and imprinted on the film is my name and the address of a hospital in Kathmandu. I think it’s suitable for framing and I have not seen anything like it in any of the Thanka art shops. What a great souvenir!
4) It’s given me a few more days to chill in Kathmandu and Nepal, a country I absolutely love. Sure it cost me the experience of a new city, Prague, but I’ll get there eventually.
5) Tomorrow I will go by and see the guys at Karnali. I missed our dinner because of a late rock climbing trip and then this morning I had to skip the breakfast we set up to make up for the dinner. Now I’ll get a chance to thank them again and say good bye. They have been really kind to me.
6) I finally have time to go mandala shopping! I planned on doing this 4 or 5 times and something else always came up. Before I broke my foot I had just decided it would have to wait until I come back some day. Now it won’t.

OK, I feel better now. Tired, very tired, but better. It’s been a long day. Now it’s time to take the ice off my foot and head to bed.
MJF

“Each night I burn the records of the day-At sunrise every soul is born again!” ...from Opportunity by Walter Malone

P.S. 11/12/07

A special note here for my Mother who will probably be learning about this injury for the first time when she reads this blog....assuming she reads it completely before calling me. My foot is now fine and it has been checked out by other doctors in Germany and the U.S.