The Recovery
Oh, I hate the jetlag. In the last 2 weeks, I flew from Yerevan to Paris to DC to LA to DC... and soon enough I'll be doing DC to London to Yerevan. Those are not short flights and not even close to similar time zones. Add on to that multiple visits to doctor's offices and hospitals with lots of test and x-rays taken. Vacation? I'm not on vacation.
My insides are coated with liquid chalk right now after a day spent on some fancy x-ray machine. Let's compare the differences between the US and Armenia for a moment. Pre-US visit, I was in bad shape. I had multiple tests done (one involving a house visit from a nurse to draw my blood while yelling at me for wasting her time as I'm convinced I'm on my death bed), all of which apparently showed signs of kidney problems. Each doctor (2-3 whom I spoke to) had a completely different treatment suggestions. I followed one and it didn't work. I was told to get a sonogram to check my kidneys, which I did before I left. They said I had no problems, but I'm convinced the 5 giggly nurses in the room were more interested in checking my woom to see if I was pregnant before marriage. They kept asking me if I was married. I told them no, and the problem is in my kidneys. They giggled in Russian, then opened the door wide open for the next woman who was pushing her way in as my pants were half down. Thanks for that ladies.
So I arrive in DC... it's nice to have a doctor for a father who knows immediately where to send me, because time became of the essence. I saw all the right doctors, had the proper tests done and everyone seemed to come to the same conclusions and diagnosed the correct antibiotics which seems to have worked. Granted not every face I saw through the process was smiling, but most of them made me feel very comfortable, were very clear on the process, repeating the instructions many times and comforting me to make sure I felt I was in good hands. Geez, I even saw the screen of my own organs as they were x-raying me... it was actually very cool.
Okay, so this isn't a new realization. I'm not an idiot, I know the medical field is not up to par in Armenia. But it certainly needs to catch up. 99.9999% of the tourists and visitors I encountered this year got sick, many very seriously. When I left, majority of the people I encountered in the last few days were sick. The sadest reality of it all is that the people have no faith in medicine and rely on their primitive home remedies... the same people who believed Jermouk cures cancer. Everyone thinks they have the solution... EVERYONE!!!! And they all disagree with eachother, and they are all convinced they are 100% right. I'm not a big believer in medicine and try to limit usage of pills all together. But I learned how beautiful technology really is and what a difference it makes. As opposed to the guessing game they play in Armenia, I saw for myself what is going on in my body.
You might say it's all because doctors and nurses get paid well in this country, have the training available to them, etc. I completely agree. No doubt there are doctors in Armenia who would be brilliant life-saving doctors if they had the same opportunities. It's a vicious cycle. The doctors don't know what they are doing and the people don't trust them. But if there is one thing to come out of this, it should be this: None of you know the remedy, so unless you have saved a life before with medicine, don't tell me the answer to my cure. All the madzoun, rice, vegetables, and herbal tea in the world would not have cured me because it was the job of a tested and proven antibiotic to do the job. Stop playing doctor people!
My insides are coated with liquid chalk right now after a day spent on some fancy x-ray machine. Let's compare the differences between the US and Armenia for a moment. Pre-US visit, I was in bad shape. I had multiple tests done (one involving a house visit from a nurse to draw my blood while yelling at me for wasting her time as I'm convinced I'm on my death bed), all of which apparently showed signs of kidney problems. Each doctor (2-3 whom I spoke to) had a completely different treatment suggestions. I followed one and it didn't work. I was told to get a sonogram to check my kidneys, which I did before I left. They said I had no problems, but I'm convinced the 5 giggly nurses in the room were more interested in checking my woom to see if I was pregnant before marriage. They kept asking me if I was married. I told them no, and the problem is in my kidneys. They giggled in Russian, then opened the door wide open for the next woman who was pushing her way in as my pants were half down. Thanks for that ladies.
So I arrive in DC... it's nice to have a doctor for a father who knows immediately where to send me, because time became of the essence. I saw all the right doctors, had the proper tests done and everyone seemed to come to the same conclusions and diagnosed the correct antibiotics which seems to have worked. Granted not every face I saw through the process was smiling, but most of them made me feel very comfortable, were very clear on the process, repeating the instructions many times and comforting me to make sure I felt I was in good hands. Geez, I even saw the screen of my own organs as they were x-raying me... it was actually very cool.
Okay, so this isn't a new realization. I'm not an idiot, I know the medical field is not up to par in Armenia. But it certainly needs to catch up. 99.9999% of the tourists and visitors I encountered this year got sick, many very seriously. When I left, majority of the people I encountered in the last few days were sick. The sadest reality of it all is that the people have no faith in medicine and rely on their primitive home remedies... the same people who believed Jermouk cures cancer. Everyone thinks they have the solution... EVERYONE!!!! And they all disagree with eachother, and they are all convinced they are 100% right. I'm not a big believer in medicine and try to limit usage of pills all together. But I learned how beautiful technology really is and what a difference it makes. As opposed to the guessing game they play in Armenia, I saw for myself what is going on in my body.
You might say it's all because doctors and nurses get paid well in this country, have the training available to them, etc. I completely agree. No doubt there are doctors in Armenia who would be brilliant life-saving doctors if they had the same opportunities. It's a vicious cycle. The doctors don't know what they are doing and the people don't trust them. But if there is one thing to come out of this, it should be this: None of you know the remedy, so unless you have saved a life before with medicine, don't tell me the answer to my cure. All the madzoun, rice, vegetables, and herbal tea in the world would not have cured me because it was the job of a tested and proven antibiotic to do the job. Stop playing doctor people!
posted by Arsineh at 2:59 AM
16 Comments:
What do you mean JERMUK DOESNT CURE CANCER?!?!?!
sooo sorrryyy we missed each other when you were in LA. i had midterms, and didnt recognize your number till waaayyy later.... hope all is well in Arsineh-land
Ehhh.. glad u're feeling better :)
So, was it g. lambla?? I think that's what all of you are getting...
Glad it's all sorted. As for the Armenian medical system, no comment. Would just remind me of all the encounters I've had.
Ecoli.
Antsadz illa arsineh!
I'm glad you're feeling better.
We miss you here.
Bayk
madzun does pretty much cure everything though..um
hangover, sickness, diarohea, headache, sunburn, hunger, breakfast stomach, migraine...u name it..madzun does it.
and if not madzun, then the other incredible wonder drug known as nabat ( iranian armenians should know this) crystalised sugar often with saffron, mixed with tea, will cure anything. Ask my grandfather :)
E. Coli? Wow. The main ways you get E.coli is by 1) Eating undercooked ground beef (the inside is pink) or 2)Drinking contaminated (impure) water (not likely as you seem like a bottled water type), or 3)Drinking unpasteurized (raw) milk (no way, not you)and 4) Working with cattle (no way, not you again).
The most common way to get this infection is by eating undercooked hamburgers or kebab. You can be infected with the E. coli germ if you don't use a high temperature to cook your beef, or if you don't cook it long enough. When you eat undercooked beef, the germs go into your stomach and intestines.
The germ can also be passed from person to person in day care centers and nursing homes. If you have this infection and don't wash your hands well with soap after going to the bathroom, you can give the germ to other people when you touch things, especially food.
Arsineh jan! Antzatz ullah...hokees, how did you manage getting Ecoli??? The main thing is that you are on that sweet road of recovery...miss you!
I don't get it, Arsineh. You say that Jermouk doesn't cure cancer. Granted. But then, you didn't have cancer, now, did you ? Did you even TRY Jermouk ?
All this scepticism is just fine, but, after four and a half years in this country, I can avow that any chap off the street knows that the cure for e. coli is madzoun, pilav, washed down with herbal tea.
Now, madzoun with Jermouk. THERE's a cure for cancer, if ever there was one. But it has to be tarm kiughagan madzoun.
:-P
Apparenly we have a cure for AIDS too. There's no way of knowing how I got it. I don't drink the water, but there were a couple days where I had no choice because I couldn't walk to the store and I had to drink because I couldn't eat. I don't drink milk, I'm Lactose intolerant, which is also why I avoid Madzoun in large amounts. Whatever it is, doctors in the US cured me. Here's the irony of it all, the main three doctors I went to see here in the US were Chinese, Armenian, Iranian, and American. God bless America! hahaha
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I don't think drinking bottled water is much different than the tap water in Armenia. Both of these come from the mountain springs. Tap water is chlorinated, the bottled water isn't.
Aremnian's ALWAYS have the solution to everything! What is new? Stop moaning. Get on with life. Been to Armenia a number of times and NO not everybody gets sick. That is nonsense.
Arsineh are you serious 99.9999% of the tourists you encountered this year got sick? Wow, that’s quite a bit. I'm sorry to hear that, but what's wrong with these people?
This summer I personally know of at least 40 friends/relatives who were visiting, and didn't hear of one case of anyone getting sick. Actually, I know of more people who get sick visiting cities in the U.S. or Mexico more than Armenia.
There are some very very good doctors in Armenia, we shouldn't be mocking all of them. I have a number of friends who are studying this field in Armenia. The education system is slowly improving after independence, and it's good to hear many spheres are cooperating with universities from abroad.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm coming off strong attacking every single doctor in Armenia, that's not my intention. And yes, 99.999% of the people I know visiting Armenia this summer did get sick at least once.
Perhaps my standards are high for medicine given my family background. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from a country. None of my comments are to insult, rather raise the expectations. Why shouldn't our medical system aspire to be one of the best? I wish we discovered the cure for AIDS, it would send the message to everyone and ourselves that we aren't less intelligent, rather perhaps less equipt. I'm tired of people settling for mediocre. It's that comprimise that will get us nowhere. For me, a few good doctors in a country of millions of people will never be good enough.
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