Travels Twists and Turns

[AFLflyer]

Ok guys, here is something I wrote back in 2004 after we returned from lets say an ‘eventful’ trip to S.E Asia and the Pacific. Sorry it is pretty long and not up to the standard of Quichey’s pro writing skills.... but, thought I may as well post it for those interested ..

Travels Twists and Turns

Hot, sweaty and dripping wet from the steady rain, high in the jungle above the central Thai city of Chang Mia, we are well into day 2 of our 3 day trek in this thick uncivilised jungle. Slipping and sliding behind me was my partner who was attempting this under prepared in her worn out street shoes, ahh! Looking back up the steep slope, sliding myself, I was helping her through a particular undulating pass, when terror filled me as I fell backwards. Everything suddenly went quiet and played out in slow motion.

My right shoulder had fallen out, dislocated backwards. The three times this has happened before, hospitalisation had been the only answer, not even our veteran footy trainer at home had succeeded in getting it back in. I tried not to panic and the pain started to begin.

Minutes passed as I continued to try and manipulate the arm back into its desired location, nothing seemed to work. I felt sick; there was no quick way out of here. The villages (none of which were close) were completely self sufficient with their rice crops, vegies, chickens and pigs, they had no need to be in contact with the real world, which in turn meant we had no means of contact with help. We were 1 and a half days walk from anywhere.

Time continued to pass as I tried almost everything, trying to keep calm and blocking out other backpackers pointless advice. All of sudden whilst trying another manoeuvre, my shoulder thudded back into its home, the feeling was indescribable.
We were now 1 month into a 4 month Asia and Pacific adventure.

Back in Chang Mia our spirits were good as we looked forward to the next chapter. However, the morning after our spirits took another dive, out popped the shoulder getting out of bed! Lucky this time, we got it back in with much less fuss. A quick visit to the hospital was followed by some predictable advice, to take it easy and wear your sling, so the shoulder could heal.

The journey continued as we made our way through the beautiful country of Laos, and then into the chaos of Vietnam. Everything was great, as we soaked up the different experiences, cultures and local cuisine.
Halong bay was followed by Hanoi, Hue and then into the highlands of Dalat. After Dalat we headed to the coastal city of Natrang. The shoulder troubles were becoming a distant memory.
In an internet cafe in Natrang, I stand up and take a big overhead yawn. Clunk! Our trip had taken another turn.

My shoulder was out and this time it wasn’t going back in, I knew it. It was straight into a taxi and the bumpy city roads, every bump was excruciating as we made our way slowly to the hospital.
Hours later after so much pain, a number of different doctors poking and prodding at me, and an angry outburst from Christine for the doctors to take action, the gas was finally given and I woke feeling normal again. A street kid was standing at the base of the bed staring at me in the eyes; it took a few long seconds to work out where the hell I was.

We left the next day for Saigon, we would think about our options when we arrive. To make things worse we both had bad food poisoning and one thing was beginning to come clear...
I awake the next night to moaning and half screaming. This time it wasn’t me in a spot of bother, my partner was doubled over with severe stomach cramps. This wasn’t caused by her recent food poisoning. Something was wrong; this was the next twist in our adventure.

We stumble down the dark stair well and wake the hosts who open the door for us. The streets were deserted and dark; we end up finding a sleeping taxi driver, wake him and insist he drive us to the doctors.
I realise I have my wallet, but no cash. The kind driver, who we had just woken, said “ok, ok, ok, ok, ok”, as I tried to explain I would give him some cash tomorrow. We had arrived at this small dodgy looking building....

The doctor’s surgery was a very gloomy looking place, the night guide gets up as two cockroaches flee from under his stretcher. It was at that point Christine’s was happy to go home and put the pains down to a bad case of food poisoning! But soon enough another attack hit hard.

We are given a referral immediately to go to ER, luckily our driver decided to wait and he rushed us to the Emergency department in Saigon’s main Hospital down town. ER here is mayhem, no other way to describe it, there are blood trails from both main entrances, and we can’t believe what we are confronted with.
Hours later another attack, a doctor insists her appendix have to be removed.

” What? Here?”
“Yes, now, now.”

Another doc comes to the same conclusion, action needs to be taken. We are rushed to another room, the foyers are full of people everywhere, the wounded, sick, family, staff as far as you can see.
Crazy!

We are briefed on the operation in bad broken English and I finally find a phone to call the sleeping Mum back home, just the call you want to make from a hospital in a third world country! Next thing we are signing our life away and Christine gets pushed through the surprisingly modern doors.

I try to make sense of where to wait, how long will it take? It’s useless as the Nurse’s English is nonexistent.
Hours later I’m almost desperately searching the corridors to find her, when finally a nurse grabs me and rushes me through a few doors to an emotional Christine in recovery, she is fine although confused and sore.
We are assigned a room and our travel insurance company (don’t leave home without it) and parents both make contact.

Next few days in hospital we become well known with all the visitors and staff, we are the only westerners in this huge disorganised chaos of a hospital. The lift queue is up to 100m long at times, to say we stand out is an understatement. Eyes followed us everywhere we go; you begin to feel like a B grade celebrity in a shopping mall!
On one of my trips back to the guesthouse, finalising accounts and getting our luggage together, I somehow find our driver from nights before and am happy to be able to finally pay him and thank him for his generosity.
Travel insurance calls and we finalise details to return home.

We arrive in Melbourne and I’m carrying our entire luggage with one arm, with my other in a sling, as Christine receives glares from confused on lookers, little did they know she needed to protect her fresh wound!
We arrive home on my 23rd birthday, glad to be home, yet frustrated on what we missed!

But, there’s always next time. Travelling is an experience with twists and turns, this journey we will always remember for every reason.

[Q.]

Holy shit. Twists and turns - literally!

Did you end up going back to SE Asia?

[AFLflyer]

yeah we have mate, a couple times in thailand ........and india and nepal once. No incidents either

[devilsadvocate]

Wow mate, that sounds terrible.

I'm actually sat here recovering from my 2nd shoulder reconstruction at the moment. Doing everything with 1 hand (non preferred) is a bastard!

I dislocated my shoulder while out snowboarding a few times. The first wasn't too bad. It was semi white-out conditions and I'd had a fight with the mrs the previous day. Usually I boarded with her and waited at the bottom of each lift to catch it back up together. But this particular day I thought to myself, she can get stuffed, I'm going have fun by myself. So we were boarding on the same chair, but slightly different runs. I was pushing the limit in what was OK newish snow and attempted to fly off a small rise at probably 40-45km/h. I was hooking along. Being poor visibility, I totally misjudged the landing, flew too far and dug an edge in, taking a tumble for probably 80-90m. My shoulder had popped and wasn't going back in.

I managed to get my back binding undone, but couldn't slip my shoulder back in. I managed to board down to the bottom of the lift - only about 500m where the missus was waiting. Fortunately, the doc in the medical centre on the slope was on duty and popped my shoulder back in. That's when all the other bumps and bruises from my tumble started to hurt!


I did it again properly about 2 weeks later. I was boarding alone (found out the mrs was pregnant in the meantime, so she stopped boarding) when I dropped off a ledge I'd probably done 100+ times before. It was a powder day, but the landing below (3m drop off) had been cut up by myself and the other boarders that had been hitting it all morning. I landed fine, but put my arm down and patted one of the moguls for extra stability while riding away and pop - out it went again. I didn't even fall over!! Problem being this time, I was about 1/3rd of the way through a pretty hairly black run and there was virtually nobody around except maybe the odd cougar (not the good kind) that had been spotted the day before and had warnings up everywhere.

So I kept boarding, arm popped out, back to the medical center. No doctor on duty - brilliant! It was pretty early in the morning, so I was told to go and catch the bus back to Banff and go to hospital. The bus was not leaving for 2.5 hours. So I sat in the cafe and had a cofee trying not to concentrate on the pain from my swelling shoulder.

To make matters worse, the bus driver refused to drop my at the hospital. He went stright into his regular hotel dop routine, meaning I had about a 1km walk with all my gear before I'd get seen to. Finally arriving at the hospital, it had been 4 hours since my shoulder had popped. I was allocated a trainee doctor who had never put a shoulder back in. He grabbed my arm and started stuffing about draging it up and down. I told him to cut the crap and do it properly. I told him to change the angle he was dragging my arm and pop - back in place. It's one of the most relieving feelings you can get!

The doc said my season was over and that I'd need surgery. Bugger that!! There was only 5 weeks of the season left. I was back out boarding (albeit like a complete pansy) 2 days later!!!

Shoulders - GAY

[Q.]

yeah we have mate, a couple times in thailand ........and india and nepal once. No incidents either

How hard was the decision to come home? Did you consider to stay and chill out for a bit somewhere and then keep going?

[AFLflyer]

Wow mate, that sounds terrible.

I'm actually sat here recovering from my 2nd shoulder reconstruction at the moment. Doing everything with 1 hand (non preferred) is a bastard!

I dislocated my shoulder while out snowboarding a few times. The first wasn't too bad. It was semi white-out conditions and I'd had a fight with the mrs the previous day. Usually I boarded with her and waited at the bottom of each lift to catch it back up together. But this particular day I thought to myself, she can get stuffed, I'm going have fun by myself. So we were boarding on the same chair, but slightly different runs. I was pushing the limit in what was OK newish snow and attempted to fly off a small rise at probably 40-45km/h. I was hooking along. Being poor visibility, I totally misjudged the landing, flew too far and dug an edge in, taking a tumble for probably 80-90m. My shoulder had popped and wasn't going back in.

I managed to get my back binding undone, but couldn't slip my shoulder back in. I managed to board down to the bottom of the lift - only about 500m where the missus was waiting. Fortunately, the doc in the medical centre on the slope was on duty and popped my shoulder back in. That's when all the other bumps and bruises from my tumble started to hurt!


I did it again properly about 2 weeks later. I was boarding alone (found out the mrs was pregnant in the meantime, so she stopped boarding) when I dropped off a ledge I'd probably done 100+ times before. It was a powder day, but the landing below (3m drop off) had been cut up by myself and the other boarders that had been hitting it all morning. I landed fine, but put my arm down and patted one of the moguls for extra stability while riding away and pop - out it went again. I didn't even fall over!! Problem being this time, I was about 1/3rd of the way through a pretty hairly black run and there was virtually nobody around except maybe the odd cougar (not the good kind) that had been spotted the day before and had warnings up everywhere.

So I kept boarding, arm popped out, back to the medical center. No doctor on duty - brilliant! It was pretty early in the morning, so I was told to go and catch the bus back to Banff and go to hospital. The bus was not leaving for 2.5 hours. So I sat in the cafe and had a cofee trying not to concentrate on the pain from my swelling shoulder.

To make matters worse, the bus driver refused to drop my at the hospital. He went stright into his regular hotel dop routine, meaning I had about a 1km walk with all my gear before I'd get seen to. Finally arriving at the hospital, it had been 4 hours since my shoulder had popped. I was allocated a trainee doctor who had never put a shoulder back in. He grabbed my arm and started stuffing about draging it up and down. I told him to cut the crap and do it properly. I told him to change the angle he was dragging my arm and pop - back in place. It's one of the most relieving feelings you can get!

The doc said my season was over and that I'd need surgery. Bugger that!! There was only 5 weeks of the season left. I was back out boarding (albeit like a complete pansy) 2 days later!!!

Shoulders - GAY

mate 4 hours!!! sh##T!! mine was out nearly 3 in Natrang and for some reason, probably a tendon pinned or something, it was fricken killing the whole time. Other times its popped the pain is not too half as bad. good luck with the recovery! I have had one full recon and two minor ones where they shrink the tendons back over the capsule. given up on most sports now though. lawn bowls is always fine!

[devilsadvocate]

mate 4 hours!!! sh##T!! mine was out nearly 3 in Natrang and for some reason, probably a tendon pinned or something, it was fricken killing the whole time. Other times its popped the pain is not too half as bad. good luck with the recovery! I have had one full recon and two minor ones where they shrink the tendons back over the capsule. given up on most sports now though. lawn bowls is always fine!

I've had the same - sometimes a nerve gets caught or something and it's intense pain, others there's virtually no pain at all.
Fortunately, mine weren't too painful, but after 4 hours, the swelling aches a bit.

No sports for me either these days. Not worth it any more.

Although, I will continue to go snowboarding, but probably not for 4-5 years. Bloody mortgage!

[devilsadvocate]

Also - it sounded like your trip to Vietnam was cut short. Any plans to go back and finish off?

[AFLflyer]

yeah we have mate, a couple times in thailand ........and india and nepal once. No incidents either

How hard was the decision to come home? Did you consider to stay and chill out for a bit somewhere and then keep going?

The decision was bloody hard!! , something i still sometimes think about. We were about 2.5 months into the trip... We had 3 nights hong kong, 12 days fiji and nearly a month in NZ to go too!!! Didn't get much back for the remainding flights and all the activities we had left either.

My shoulder was well screwed, it came out badly yawning so it was always going to happen in the wrong place again, and the missus was fairly shaken up after her hospital and appendix ordeal, so it was probably the best option.. it wasnt key hole so it takes a while for those wounds to heal.

[AFLflyer]

Also - it sounded like your trip to Vietnam was cut short. Any plans to go back and finish off?

pretty much had 3 good weeks in Vietnam (accept for the end ) loved it. would like to go back one day. so many places to got though hey.

[AFLflyer]

mate 4 hours!!! sh##T!! mine was out nearly 3 in Natrang and for some reason, probably a tendon pinned or something, it was fricken killing the whole time. Other times its popped the pain is not too half as bad. good luck with the recovery! I have had one full recon and two minor ones where they shrink the tendons back over the capsule. given up on most sports now though. lawn bowls is always fine!

I've had the same - sometimes a nerve gets caught or something and it's intense pain, others there's virtually no pain at all.
Fortunately, mine weren't too painful, but after 4 hours, the swelling aches a bit.

No sports for me either these days. Not worth it any more.

Although, I will continue to go snowboarding, but probably not for 4-5 years. Bloody mortgage!

yeah footy not worth it, unless i was a gun! im not.
Golf is no worries, so being playing a bit of that lately.

[devilsadvocate]

Yeah, too many awesome new places to hit up to revisit all the places you've already seen.

RE Travel insurance - it's brilliant and bad all at the same time. It sucks, but is no surprise that you got bugger all back for your remaining flights & activities. But you have to take it out to cover any medical mishaps, just like your missus had!

I was boarding in Switzerland whe I took a tumble and faceplanted onto an icy patch. I wear glasses and the force of the impact pushed that little bit of my glasses that sits on my nose up into the bit of skin just under my eyebrow (bloody lucky not to lose my eye!).

The insurance company paid the doctor's bill for getting my glasses out of my eyelid, but refused to pay for more glasses. 300 pounds that set me back. Wankers!

[devilsadvocate]

yeah footy not worth it, unless i was a gun! im not. Golf is no worries, so being playing a bit of that lately.

Exactly the same as me. B grade basket case