Visiting the Doctor

Having experienced the filth and publicity of the Tianjin medical clinic during the mandatory health evaluation for my visa, you may wonder why I would voluntarily seek medical care at a Chinese hospital when I have access to the Embassy clinic, the SOS International Medical Clinic, and when neither of those can help, to Beijing United Family Hospital, a fully-equipped international hospital.

Those of you that know me may recall that for more than 20 years I have had difficulties with chronic joint pain. After many years cycling through standard Western doctors, I finally turned to what we in the West consider alternative medicine. After struggling with recurring pain for 15 years, I finally found that acupuncture and other forms of holistic medicine were far more successful at managing the pain is anything standard Western medicine had offered me. Consequently, when the pain flared in my shoulder this fall to the point where it was interfering with my regular routines, I opted for medical care in the Chinese system, rather than at one of the Western facilities to which I have access.

I asked around and everyone familiar with Beijing recommended the same hospital, Dongzhimen Yiyuan (East Gate Hospital). After making some phone calls, we discovered that an appointment was unnecessary so Ben and I headed down there one afternoon to see for ourselves. We arrived at a dilapidated, malodorous building. With some difficult we explained to the receptionist what the problem was. She wanted to know what kind of treatment I wanted. With some difficulty, Ben managed to explain that we weren't sure and would like a doctor to advise us as to a recommended course of treatment. We were sent to the massage department on the third floor.

We made our way to the third floor and followed signs to the massage department, a dim, dirty, grey corridor. After asking advice from several people evidently waiting in the hallway cum waiting room, we finally identified the right room. Inside was a row of massage tables covered with filthy, unwashed rags. The only reasonably clean thing in the room was the doctor's white lab coat. Although he seemed to be in the middle of working on a patient, he sat me down on a chair, made a few inquiries about my shoulder and asked me to demonstrate what hurt. He announced that massage was the appropriate treatment, wrote out some forms and sent us back down the hall to pay. Each treatment cost RMB45 or about $6.50. After paying for that day's treatment we returned to massage department. Again, we had to inquire of the other patients sitting around as to what was the appropriate next step. Were we to wait until called or simply go back in?

The verdict, just go back in. Privacy is non-existent here. Fortunately, treatment was all conducted without any adjustment to clothing so it didn't really matter. The doctor set his apprentice to work on my shoulder. I received nearly 30 minutes of massage, first from the apprentice and then from the master. It was the least relaxing, most painful massage I have ever experienced! Although the joint pain did seem to diminish some over the next few days, the pain in my bruised muscles (and bruises certainly appeared - if I'd then been seen at an American hospital in the next several days I doubtless would have undergone a grilling designed to determine whether I had been the victim of domestic violence) more than made up for it. I wasn't certain I could face another treatment and so skipped the follow-up the doctor had recommended.

When the pain returned, though, I gritted my teeth and decided to give it another go. The second treatment was mercifully shorter than the first, although it resulted in nearly as much bruising. Having failed to return on the recommended day for my follow-up, the doctor decided I would need four treatments, rather than the two he initially recommended. I think he just got a kick out of chatting with Ben (and it's not clear whether the hospital actually got its cut of the last few treatments since we just gave the money directly to the doctor and didn't get the forms stamped by the cashier).

That being said, though, I do have to say that however painful the treatment may have been, it does seem to have been reasonably effective. The pain in my shoulder is greatly diminished. I also must say that I am relieved the doctor advised massage and not acupuncture. Even if the needles were sterile, as I imagine they probably are, the environment was so dirty I am not sure I'd have been comfortable allowing anything to break the skin.

Better in Beijing...bye for now.