After I decided we were coming, I then started to read every blog looking for clues about what I needed to bring with me to China. I decided to post this blog last so that maybe it will help someone in my shoes.
If you have specific questions, our email is jeffcrowe@bellsouth.net
This is in no way a complete list—remember we stayed in Qingdao, other cities will be a little different.
We had a kitchen with a toaster oven, waffle maker/grilled cheese maker, 2 hot plates, coffee pot and toaster.
What to pack:
air mattress or foam pads–several. We had the air mattresses, they worked well. The beds feel like sleeping on just the box springs.
backpack–you will be glad when you are carrying all your things around the city
deodorant– we found one small roll on kind, but it is expensive and did not work well–bring extra
pancake syrup–there is a Western Food market near the Sea, but it is expensive. It is worth it after you have been there awhile!
coffee–good coffee
tampons
If you can spare the weight–bring a good frying pan or sauce pan that can double as a frying pan. The food sticks to everything they sell here.
Bring any and all over the counter medications–especially for headaches and stomach aches –very common problems here
Canned meat — chicken, tuna, roast beef…by the end, you will be craving meat.
What you can find here: Save some weight in the suitcase & it is cheaper here:
shampoo and conditioner–American brands
soap, towels, washcloths –the hospital only allows 2 towels for each room and you have to wash them yourself.
Tide, or some kind of laundry detergent, to wash clothes
Crest toothpaste
batteries–somewhere I read to bring some–not needed
Food you can find in China:
McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC….tastes just like home!!!
many snacks–Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Ritz crackers, Lays potato Chips (odd flavors, but some American ones too)
peanut butter
Pancake batter (in the just add water container)
Hunts spaghetti sauce
Land O Lakes Butter and Cheese (international aisle)
Gatorade, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Tang. Lots of tea, but if you want some regular American tea–bring it from home
Nestle ice cream
August 13th, 2008
We are home!!
We left the hospital at 830 am for the airport. Security was much tighter now then when we arrived a month earlier. There were men with machine guns in full battle armor watching everyone! It was kinda scary to see them. I was glad to get through security and on my way. The plane left Qingdao at 1010am and flew to Seoul Korea. It was a short, uneventful flight:)
We had LONG layover in Korea and were hungry. There were no fast food places-only Korean resturants. Jeff found something he could eat, while Dave and I settled for Dunkin Dough nuts–nutritious, I know.
We left Korea at 605pm headed straight for Atlanta, USA. The flight was 14 hours. Thankfully, the flight attendent moved us into the bulk head seats, where Jeff had a lot more leg room. It made it easy for him to get up and down so he could stretch his legs. Jeff slept a few hours, I could not sleep. My legs kept aching–not sure why, but I could not sleep more than 30 minutes. I did well until we had 6 hours left. Jeff was sleeping, the plane was dark and I started to cry–deep sobbing cry. I was so ready to be home and the experiences from the past 40 days began to overwhelm me. We were almost home–30 minutes from Atlanta when we got the call…Atlanta airport was closed !!!!!!!!! I cried again. We had to divert to Tennessee. We landed, refueled and thankfully the airport reopened. We took off an hour later. We landed in Atlanta about 1 hour and and half late. We made it through the customs and everything fairly well. The only problem was that they gave us a wheelchair, but no one to push it. That made it tough on us. Jeff is not good at driving one of those. It was more of a hassle than a help, but Jeff’s legs were like rubber. We were anxious to get out and so we were very short tempered and tired. Finally about 2 hours after we landed, we were on the way home!!! Dad and Kim came to pick us up. It was wonderful to see them.
We spent the night at my parents so they could watch the girls one more day. Jeff and I slept late and even after waking us we were useless and napped often. Brian came to pick us up here and will spend the night in our beds tonight!!! Jeff’s parents are coming over tomorrow. Hopefully some of the jet lag will go away by then. So far it is not as bad as everyone said it would be–it is not good, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Jeff is working on the video now–it will be posted later today!!!
July 24th, 2008
Today is Sunday and we went on our last sight seeing tour of the city. It was nice and slow paced. I think today was the first time I actually realized we are about to leave. I know it in my head, but I try not to think about it often–it makes me kinda sad. But today I have just laughed and laughed. I get all giggly feeling inside knowing it is time to come home.
Our plan was to pack tomorrow, but I came in and started straightening things up some and one thing lead to another and we are now fully packed! We have weighed each bag and we are under weight. Everything seems to fit–we will just have to cram in the last minute stuff we are wearing and using tomorrow.
Jeff will have therapy tomorrow. He said he has had over 300 needles stuck in him this month. He has lots of little bruises. I am going to continue the acupuncture at home with sewing needles–he has the spots on his legs. I just have to stick them in the same spots–I’ve seen it done a bunch of times. I am thinking–how hard can it be??? Seriously, I have talked to my dad and he is going to help us build some equipment for Jeff to continue his therapy at the house. Hopefully we can get it built quickly, so he does not miss too many days.
During physical therapy tomorrow I am going to video again the “after therapy” I am not sure how impressive it will be–the stuff he is getting now is more fine motor skills and not quite as dramatic as the last video. We may have to show him doing different things in the video to appreciate the changes he has had lately. We can not be more happy with the progress he has made!
July 20th, 2008
Jeff was able to get his injection today–thank you!!!! His headache was all but gone–still lingered a little. He was able to leave the room today. He kept asking me who different people were and when did they get there–he missed an entire week. Today we sat in the common room and caught up with everyone and talked and laughed–it was a lot of fun. You know I have NO problem talking 
We are planning to go into the city tomorrow as long as his headache stays away. We have several things on our to do list and time is quickly slipping away. We are going to go back to the Jimo Mart–love the bargains and I have tough kids to buy for–they dont want a purse or a Rolex–so there is not much here for them. We are going to the Pizza Hut for lunch. It was great in Beijing and I am looking forward to having a hot juicy pizza. I do tend to plan my days lately around food 
Sunday we are going to the Crown Plaza for lunch (more food). I think most of the families are going since it will be our last day here–Monday people will have spinal injections and confined to their rooms. I have heard wonderful things about this place. It is a buffet and has a lot of western food. I am looking forward to that.
I have officially began packing. I plan to finish on Sunday so that Monday I can relax and enjoy my last day here. The boys think I am crazy, but it gives me something to do with my free time. It is amazing how much free time you have if you don’t have to clean your house, wash clothes, or take care of children–I have too much free time at this point! Remind me that in a month when I am complaining how busy I am.
I will probably not write again until Sunday night after the Buffet–I’ll let you know how it was. Jeff is planning to upload one more video on that Monday as the “after” video. Then we will be head’n home Tuesday
July 18th, 2008
Jeff is still having headaches today. The doctor came in this morning to check on him and told Jeff he had to have IV fluids again today. He is worried because Jeff is supposed to have his final IV injection of stem cells tomorrow and if he does not feel better he can not have it.
They only do the stem cells treatments on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because they are flown in fresh from another province in China. If Jeff does not get a treatment tomorrow, then he will not be able to get one at all–unless we extend our stay. You have to wait 48 hours after receiving stem cells by IV–longer for spinal injections–to get on a plane. It has to do with the pressurized cabin.
I am not going to say we will not stay–Jeff getting better is why we are here and we will do whatever it takes to help him as much as possible. However I will say that I don’t really want to stay. This last week has been tough on all of us, especially Jeff.
Please say a special prayer for us today that his headache goes away and he can have his stem cell IV as planned. I truly believe with all my heart that God led us to this place and that He has kept watch over us while we are here. I know that we have many people at home faithfully praying for Jeff and God has heard those prayers. Thank you!
July 17th, 2008
Today Jeff woke up with his head still hurting. He told the doctor about how he felt when he came in to monitor him this morning. The doctor told Jeff he had to get some IV fluids to help with the cranial pressure building up in his head. He is now lying flat on his back–again–for probably most of the day. The nurse said he has to have 3 bags of the fluid. He is sleeping now listening to his headphones. One bag is almost empty. He can sit up and move around some, but for the most part he has to stay flat to even out the pressure.
Thankfully, this is not a big deal, per the doctors and Jeff. He is not in danger or anything, he is just very uncomfortable right now. Thankfully he had 4 injections with no trouble at all. Some people get like this every time. Friday he will have an IV treatment instead of injection. The doctors say this will help every part of Jeff’s body–eyesight, muscles in legs, etc. It was after the 1st IV treatment that Jeff was able to see without double vision.
I will post again tomorrow, hopefully with good news that the headache is gone and that he feels fine!
PS–for Hannah–All of the nurses here have English names that they were given when they started to work here. A new nurse started and she asked your daddy to help her with a name. He told her that the 2 prettiest names he knows are Hannah and Emily and they belong to beautiful girls. She had a lot of trouble pronouncing Emily, but she loved Hannah. So now there is a nurse Hannah here! Kinda neat huh?
July 16th, 2008
Jeff did not feel well today. This is the worst time he has had since we have been here. His head hurts and he has had a temperature all day. His lower back hurt a lot today–not sure if it is the terrible beds or the injection. He feels very puny. He had acupuncture this morning and instead of physical therapy they hooked the electrodes up to his back and massaged his back. He said that helped it feel better for awhile, but by the end of the day he hurt again. I know mine hurts terribly from sitting in their chairs–they are soooo hard. My lower back just aches. Then add to it sleeping on a air mattress for 35 days–like extended camping. I think it is just taking a toll on everyone. It is 830pm here and Jeff is already in bed for the night, asleep with all the lights on and fully dressed. I think he was out about 2 seconds after he hit the pillow.
I hope and pray that tomorrow he will feel better and his fever will go away. He needs to have his physical therapy tomorrow–he really feels it when he misses it. Again, if anyone knows anyone in Helena that is a personal trainer or just someone who is knowledgeable of proper fitness, we need someone to help him keep up his routine. Jeff’s brother Brian gave us a couple of names, but I would really love to not have to drive far to meet with someone. Having someone come to the house would be fine too. I am thinking about looking into the Helena Fitness place to see if they have personal trainers. I am not sure what the cost would be. HUMMM things for me to think about. If you know anybody, let me know.
Dave went to get a message today–he agreed that it was the best $10.00 he has spent since he arrived in China. He claims to be going back everyday–I told him that is a little bit of overkill—maybe we will all go one more time at the end of the week to help reduce the stress that we all have building inside of us.
As you pray, please say a little one for me. I tend to stress over details and right now I am at my end. My baby is starting kindergarten and Kim is having to enroll her–I am fully confident that she can do it, but I want to be the one to do it–I am kinda sad. The girls are at the beach so I am really out of contact with them for the first time the whole trip. I am also finally letting my mind drift away from China and I am beginning to think (stress) about the new school year. I have never, in all my 10 years, waited this late to get my room ready. I am afraid I am going to feel rushed and unprepared. Please pray that I can have some peace about things yet to come. I know why I am here and I am thankful each day that God led us to this place.
Please also pray that Jeff’s headache goes away and he feels better tomorrow. He needs to stay strong and healthy so he can continue his therapy and be eligible for his last stem cell treatment on Friday. If he has a fever they make you wait 2 days after it is gone (but they only do the stem cells on M, W, & F—-so it is Friday or not at all) and you have to wait a certain number of hours before you can fly–so Monday is out.
Thank you for your continued and constant support–6 more days!!
July 15th, 2008
Jeff had his injection early this morning which is good and bad. He could not eat after 7 am, so is now starving because the last real thing he ate was dinner last night at 6. He woke up with a headache and I am hoping it is just because he is hungry. I made some bland rice–that is all he wanted–and he seems to be a little better now. Also because he had it so early, he had already sleep all night and then had to turn around and sleep again for 6 more hours. He did not have pain from the injection, which is a blessing.
He is now sitting upright in a chair and talking, so maybe he is feeling better. I am about to make dinner, either grilled cheese-yum! or my Mom’s famous chicken mac-n-cheese. Jeff will get to choose. We are almost out of the food we brought so it was worked out pretty well
When we wake up in the morning, we have one week-7 days left. I started packing today. I did not want to feel rushed at the end or I am just really ready to come home.
My children went to the beach today so I am going to miss getting to see them on the webcam. Oh well it will make me enjoy it that much more when I finally get to see them and give them a big hug.
This week Jeff has therapy each day and another treatment on Friday. I will update any progress over the next few days.
July 14th, 2008
Jeff will have his 6th spinal injection on Monday. He is scheduled to have it at 10:30am. Please pray that everything goes as planned. So far we have had no major side effects and have received many blessings.
Jeff and I both ask you to not only pray for us, but also the other people here getting treatments. Over the past few weeks, more and more children have arrived. Please pray for their parents as they are here doing what they feel is best for their children. Hopefully they will have the wonderful benefits that Jeff has had so far.
Good news—the beach is almost completely clear, so unless something else unforeseen happens the Olympics should be able to continue here in Qingdao! Jeff and I went to the beach today and it was beautiful–crowded-but beautiful. While Jeff is resting tomorrow after his treatment I will put up some pictures.
Again, I can not thank all of you enough for your comments. We feel so alone over here sometimes and reading the comments help keep us connected to home. We could not do this without all of your support and prayers…thank you.
July 13th, 2008
Today Jeff had an off day so we slept in a little then headed for the city. We had a driver take us to the antique market. It was a lot like a flea market or a garage sale. It was enjoyable to look around and talk to people on the streets. We found a man who made a special gift for the girls, I can’t say what it is because Hannah reads these blogs–sorry Hannah
We then went to a place called the Justco mart. It is a lot like our department stores. We went to McDonald’s–a much needed taste from home. Jeff ended up eating 3–yes 3 Big Macs. He could not get enough. Hopefully the stem cells will also help unclog his arteries. This time it was better for me too. Actually, I don’t know if it was better or if I am just that hungry–either way it was great. We then looked around and found some other neat stuff for the kids–we really miss them. Everything reminds me of them. I keep telling myself 10 more days–almost single digit.
Finally, we went back to the Jimo Mart–home of the knock-offs. All of the Olympic athletes and families have arrived, because there were a lot more foreign faces. We talked to the Turkey sailing team, that was kinda neat. We mainly walked around and looked at everything–we did not “need” much, just a break from the hospital. We did go into a store that sells DVDs–it was very unique. Since we are American, they knew we did not want Chinese DVDs and I am guessing that they are not supposed to sell American DVDs, so we were led to the back of the store. In the back, they lightly knocked on a wall and the wall opened up to reveal a hidden room. Once inside the door closed behind us. It was a little scary. I would not have gone, but everyone in the hospital had already been –some several times, so I took my chances. All the movies were CHEAP–so it was hard to resist!
This place is home of the bickering. Everything you look at and ask”How Much” they get their calculator and put in a ridiculously high number. You then laugh and say “no, too much–lower, cheaper” then they ask you to put in a number. You put in a number that is about a third of their number—sometimes less than that. Then you come to some sort of middle ground. You have to keep smiling and they keeping telling you that you are killing them and that they are giving you the “friend” price. I say “friend price” and put in the low number. This can go on forever. Finally, you either make a deal or say never mind and leave. 99% of the time they will call you back and give you the price you offered. All of us in the hospital talk about prices and that helps us know how cheap to go. I am getting better–Jeff is a pro!! Today Dave and I would decide what we wanted and send in the negotiator–Jeff . He came through every time.
Our driver that we had today was the scariest of all. He drove like he was in NASCAR. He would weave in and out of cars—often times on the wrong side of the yellow lines. Now I don’t mean, just a little over the line—I mean the full car across the yellow lines, with cars coming at us!!!! I knew we would die today. Many times we were 4 wide on a 3 lane road. Sometimes it would be 5 wide! It is amazing how bad these people drive. I can not believe that there are not more wrecks and cars hitting people.
I am going to get Dave to sit in the front next time and video tape the drive. I don’t think you can fully grasp how bad they are–you need to see it. We are going to the beach Sunday, if it does not rain. I will make Jeff put up the video after that.
I will hopefully have some pictures of the beach that are algae free. I will upload and post Sunday night.
10 more days, but who’s counting?
July 11th, 2008
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