5 June 2007 / 15 Jauza 1386
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The following can be an embarrassing topic of discussion. So if you are prone to being embarrassed, please skip this page.
Two days ago I began to develop a peri-rectal abscess. I think I have some preexisting condition which was set off by riding my bicycle around town so much. That tends to put a lot of weight on the perineum, and this has happened to me before, years ago. Which is why I was rather alarmed: if the abscess ruptured internally, I would go into septic shock rather quickly. Sooo, I needed to have it dealt with immediately.
Thus began a series of frustrating phone calls and visits to clinics which do not do surgery. This all happened on the day that US Sec of Defense Gates was visiting Kabul, so at one point we were stuck in traffic at an intersection for an hour while Very Important People and their police escorts screeched by. Fortunately, Jolyon of AKTC had sent out Khaled, his best and most patient driver, to get me to a doc. Khaled had to put up with my extreme irritability after the pain had ground down my patience. Fortunately, the Roshan Clinic (yes, this is an ad for them) found a surgeon from the Afghan National Army Hospital who was available, and I was able to reach him by phone and schedule surgery for 90 minutes later. Shino zada surgical clinic is in Macrorayan 4, a new building built along the road. While I waited for the doc, some of the building staff tried to be sociable and helpful, but I could not explain my condition. I recommend that if you get sick in a country where your language is little understood, bring a thick interlingual dictionary along with your bottled water.
Dr. Baghauddin Nijrabi was effective and fast. It may have been easier to evaluate the situation because I have had this abscess before and I could describe it to him. I refused general anaesthesia, so the anaesthesiologist gave me a sedative instead (alas not Demerol), and the surgeon used a local, which was nonetheless excruciating. But I think the surgery went well.
Dr. Nijrabi accompanied me down to the pharmacy to buy antibiotics, tylenol, and multivitamins. I paid 520 AFS ($10.50) for the meds and $120 for the surgical clinic. As for the surgeon?
"You are my guest. You are teaching at the university. I charge you nothing."
Yesterday I visited Dr. Nijrabi to have my dressings changed. His private clinic is a tiny office in Kart-e Parwan, and the waiting room was jammed with folks, including a boy who had what looked like a serious head injury. I was mortified that he took me in ahead of the boy, and some of the folks who were waiting also started to protest. His reply was that I had an appointment, I was a foreign guest, and this was his private clinic and they could all go away if they had a problem with it.
Khaled asked how much the checkup cost. Like me, I think he was concerned that the doc was not charging. Dr. Nijrabi said two hundred (in Farsi). I pulled out $200 from my wallet, and he laughed because he had not realized I had understood. "No, two hundred Afghanis! You are my guest! You are a professor!" Khaled was also shocked. 200 AFS is about $4.00.