On the Mend, and Tết

Promise, no more pictures of wounds... Just a quick update, Tết has brought everything to a halt, which has forced me to slow down (very good for healing) and stay put in the house. Which came about 5 days too late, because I overused my leg walking around the neighborhood, through markets, causing the wounds on my knee and elbow to become inflamed and infected.

Luckily, Hien, my concerned nurse from Hoan My Hospital checked in on me last Saturday to see how I was healing. One look at my red-and-black knee area and she immediately recommended I come into the hospital and have some of the surrounding skin cut out. My imagination began to get the best of me and I got a little nauseous on the spot.

Recognizing my wincing face and pale pallor, Hien comforted me and said it wasn't a big deal. Of course she was right, although big baby Frith's imagination got the best of him during the procedure. I winced and moaned, not from the pain, but from what I thought it looked like (I couldn't stomach looking directly at it). I asked for Valium or Xanax, but the doctor didn't think I needed it.

After about a half-hour of quick work, Hien said "finished," and my brain immediately calmed down, helping me to realize that I wasn't really feeling any pain (thanks, Lidocaine). I got new prescriptions and was ordered to go home and relax. Which I did.

Thanks to the holiday, I have no choice but to lie back and relax on our deck/living room loungers and read, write and chat. The break-neck pace of work and business as usual comes to a complete halt for a week or more, forcing everyone to go within, to relax and hang out with friends and family, reminding everyone of why we all work so hard in the first place. Tourists may get confused if their timing is wrong, but it's the best time to get a picture of local culture and to see what is really important to Vietnamese folks.