Breathtaking and surreal views like never seen before—only way to describe this place. The air was crisp, clean (and of course very thin!) and so fresh at an altitude of nearly 6000 ft. Most of us did experience some symptoms of adjusting to the higher altitude, some more than others. Almost to the point of seeking medical care, but thankfully some hydration, chicken broth, rest and meds helped reduce the symptoms.
BUT, that doesn’t mean we didn’t have to seek medical attention for other reasons—and frankly speaking, the inciting incident had us all freaked out.
It all started when we decided that all of us would try and cross a 200+ meter long suspension bridge known as Rani Ka Jhoola. Once parked, one must go down a gravelly/rocky dirt road to get to the bridge. It’s a fairly steep downhill to get there. We had barely advance 15-20 ft when BAM!! Rena lost footing and slipped—landing on the right knee! (Those damn knees are taking a beating!!) Unfortunately, a decent sized rock decided it was going to put a nice gash in Ree’s knee! The whole gang banded together. One got my first aid supplies that I packed, another got the driver’s first aid kit. Someone else got a fresh bottle of water. And someone else helped Ree lay down and get as comfortable as possible (definitely didn’t need her OR anyone to faint!) while others chanted Navkar mantra with her.
My assistant (DT) helped as I assessed, cleansed, and dressed her wound while I was weighing our options on next steps and how to get her appropriate medical care in this foreign, remote place. Thankfully her joint seemed unaffected and she was able to get up with assistance and walk. And the injury was far from life threatening. So, those were all definite positives.
Needless to say, nobody traversed Rani Ka Jhula. Instead, we headed back to the hotel and asked the staff where we could get medical attention. They suggested we go to a clinic about 3 km further up. Once a plan was put in place and things were stable, we all took some time to feed ourselves and watch the sunset and witness a breathtaking sight.
During this time however, DT was not able to fully take in these sights as he was plagued with symptoms of altitude sickness—headache, weakness, body aches, tachycardia, GI symptoms etc. He was feeling so bad and weak we had to constantly remind and urge him to eat. Thankfully he had some improvement, and managed to get back to the room and rest while I went with Ree to the clinic.
After the sunset, Rena, Gagan a local driver took us to the clinic. Despite the situation, we were able to take in some amazing views on the way up…terrifyingly close to the edge of the rocky, bumpy road!!
Finally, we got there and informed the 2 ladies behind the counter why we were there. I showed them pictures of the wound. They quickly called the “doctor”. While we waited for him, they took us back to the exam room….wow. It was both terrifying and humbling at the same time. We talk and complain about the US health system being broken—but at least we have a health system and basic hygiene!!
One of the ladies came in the room, pulled out a syringe to draw up some lidocaine in preparation for suturing. Disinfecting the bottle was not about to take place until I asked for it. And what was the disinfectant?? It was a hazy liquid inside of a dusty, dented bottle labeled “75% sanitizer”. As I questioned that, she reassured me it actually contained “spirit” (ie alcohol) in it. Ok. Being in the spiritual land of Nepal, I had no other choice but to muster up faith and to believe. (All the while thinking—“why didn’t I bring our own supplies here?!”)
A few minutes later, a gentleman arrived by motorcycle. Very kind person. Turns out he wasn’t a physician. Rather, he was a pharmacist and and H.A. (Not sure what that is)…oh boy….and not to mention language barrier…. The 3 of us looked at each other and quietly decided that we would not allow any suturing to take place here!
The pharmacist examined the area in question. Assessed her knee for possible internal injuries. And kept repeating “it’s normal” “it’s ok” and I can’t recall what else. But the gist was that it’s not so bad. He and I cleansed the injury with betadine and bandaged her back up. We paid him his fees and graciously took our leave as we made plans to go to a well known hospital—DRIM— of Bhaktapur in the morning before going to the airport.
DRIM hospital (read about Dr. Iwamura—https://www.iwamurahospital.com/overview/) is a privately run hospital. Dr. Binod took a brief history, formulated his plan, wrote us orders and supplies. Gagan went to register Rena and I went to the pharmacy next door and brought back supplies. Thankfully except for some foreign debris that needed to be washed out, all else was straight forward. Rena did end up getting a few stitches. We pooled together our remaining Nepali rupees for the fees. As we profusely thanked Dr. Binod for his care and compassion we walked out with a sigh of relief as well as some souvenirs (X-rays, doctors orders and notes…).
Did I mention how amazing Dr. Binod was?!
This whole experience was eye opening—we already knew about differences in healthcare and availability compared to the USA. But to live it firsthand definitely puts things in real perspective. It reminds us of how fragile life is, and that not everyone has access to medical care in a timely fashion when needed. Thankfully this was not life threatening. I can’t even begin to imagine what the locals go through to get even to most basic of care. I’m also super thankful for the doctors who responded with recommendations and reassurances to my FB post on the Physicians Community page. One even offered to contact his orthopedic friend!
I do believe everything happens for a reason. And in this case, had we made it to Rani Ka Jhoola, I think we would’ve had a much more serious situation with DT and altitude sickness. So Ree, thanks for taking one for the team!!!
But Fam-7, let me be clear now, no more injuries or anything else—this doctor would also like to be on vacation too! 😉 (seriously—-ALWAYS here at your service, day or night, on the ground, or 30,000 ft in the air!). Love you all—just be well and healthy.
(Fyi—out of respect for weak stomachs, I am leaving out gory pics—-if interested, I will show you in person).
At the clinic—after it was cleaned
Gagan there for Rena (I was honestly worried about him passing out and having another situation to deal with!!)
