Shanghai on Life

So, I got a call at midnight last night and it’s Simon on the other end, a lovely German friend of mine also on exchange in Shanghai. He tells me that he’s having trouble breathing and he’s quite sure he’s going to pass out any minute, if he stops talking before he makes it to a taxi that I need to call an ambulance. Simon lives alone in a very Chinese neighbourhood, so finding someone who could understand that he needed to go the hospital wasn’t really a realistic possibility. Luckily, Simon made it to a taxi and made it in relatively good time to a private hospital where they speak English…this was largely thanks to some mad googling on our end and the fact that Daniel was home with me at the time and was able to translate the address and directions for the cab driver.

30 minutes later Sandra, Daniel and I arrived at the hospital to meet Simon. It turned out to be a collapsed lung, something Simon had had once before in Germany, but still (as it sounds) a very serious condition. In any case, it was the cleanest, most professional, most impressive hospital I’ve ever been in..all of us could agree on that point.  There was nobody else waiting in the emergency room, Simon saw a very competent and friendly American doctor , had blood work and x-rays right away, and had two English-speaking Chinese nurses tending to him the entire night.

The majority of the last 24 hours have been spent at the hospital.. Simon was moved to a private room which is so much like a hotel room that we’ve decided to take pictures…mood lighting, a fluffy white bathrobe, flat screen TV and DVD player, and even mini toiletries in the bathroom! But of course it all comes at a price..turns out Simon’s bill for his 3 day admittance is 35,000 yuan which is wait for it…..$5,500 Canadian dollars! Can we say ‘hooray’ for travel health insurance?!

Anyway, Simon will be fine, so far his recovery is going perfectly and we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will be released tomorrow. Unfortunately after your lung collapses you’re not allowed to go on planes for awhile (because of pressure changes) which puts a damper on the Korea trip which we’ve already booked flights for..we are now trying to work out plans to take  a ferry instead, so here’s hoping!

Anyway, drama drama in Shanghai!  The moral of the story is to take your travel health insurance seriously. Also, if you live alone in China, you should know your address in case you need to tell a friend where you are because you’re quite certain you’re going to black out (perhaps this last moral is more for Simon than anyone else).