Adam’s C6 SCI Treatment

Things to Remember From Home

October 9th, 2007

The flight from the US to Beijing is a long one and it is easy to get dehydrated. Being dehydrated on arrival may cause one to get sick for several days, not good. In my case, the solution was to use a Foley catheter and leg bag under my jeans which could be emptied on the plane using an empty water bottle. A doctor can prescribe the correct size and a nurse can show your caregiver the safest procedure on how to install and use. My Dad has learned and we brought several with us from home for use when we run out of regular catheters or for use on the return flight.

A portable commode/shower chair has been very beneficial. My Dad found one on the Internet by Active Aid, Model 421, I think. It has a soft cushioned seat that removes along with the back. The frame will fold into thirds. It has foot supports, safety strap, good brakes, and wheels. It will fit in a tub or will roll in a shower with not too tall of a lip. It will also roll over a standard height toilet. Ours came with a travel bag and we have checked it on the place along with the other luggage. Xiaoshan Hospital also has a commode chair, but the seat looks plastic from the photos.

An alarm clock is a must. The Chinese people are fairly prompt. Staff at the Xiaoshan Hospital are very busy and work so hard for the patients. The acupuncture and exercise therapists are assigned 4-5 patients at a time and arriving late can mess up the 4-hour therapy schedule for everyone. The same goes for the days of stem cells injections. Several patients are waiting in line at a time in their hospital bed, so not being ready causes extra work and stress on the nurses and doctors. We have been told that stem cells only last about 12 hours and are flown from the lab in the day of the injections.

A laptop computer is very beneficial. Xiaoshan is a very modern hospital and has an Internet connection in stem cells injection patient’s rooms. Connection with the outside world, friends, and family makes the trip exciting and will give one a chance to share their experience with others. The hospital has two computer workstations in the Common Room for anyone to use, but they are routinely in use. If you have a laptop, you can purchase a headset for $49 RMB ($7 US) and use the Internet in your hospital room to call home for about 2 cents per minute. Go to www.skype.com. Otherwise, it is using the computers in the Common Room. What marvelous technology. You can also purchase a long distance calling card, but it is many times more expensive.

We brought a digital camera and have been able to enter our pictures into the laptop and send to family and friends via email and My Space. It is a must to have a photoshop program that will convert the photo to a size that can be sent via email. Otherwise, the file size is too large and nothing will be sent.

My Dad brought a language converter. It is a little box about the size of today’s digital camera. They vary in price depending upon features. Ours is easy to use and lets you enter a word or phrase in English, then push a button to convert it to Chinese or 7 other languages. Another button will say the word or phrase in Chinese. We have used the language converter every day at “shopping,” the gift shop, things needed from the nurses, menu items, tourist attractions, etc. Even with the language converter, we occasionally need an interpreter from the hospital to assist, especially when planning a side trip to the City on a free day.

The hospital beds here are very firm. My Dad purchased and brought a twin sized Aero Bed to avoid low back problems. When deflated, it will fit into a suitcase and has its own motor to blow it up plus an electric charger. My Dad removed the hospital’s mattress pad and replaced it with his Aero Bed. No problems whatsoever. We had to laugh as one night on TV on a Chinese station, they were advertising the Aero Bed, but it was a station over 800 miles away in Beijing. Xiaoshan provided me with an air mattress as well, but it is not as comfortable as my Dads.

Extra towels are a must. The hospital only supplies one towel per patient per week and it is very thin in comparison to American standards. We brought 8 old bath towels and 4 hand towels with us that have worked out very well. One can purchase towels or sheets locally if necessary. The hospital changes the sheets once per week.

My Mom sent with us a greeting card to be opened each day for the length of our trip. It is so special to read something each day from someone you love. It keeps the spirits up and gives us something from home to look forward to each day. The love and support from my family cannot be expressed in words.

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