General Life Updates

wildboom

Not a lot has happened, but I just wanted to give a quick update, especially so people can know how my concussion situation is going.


I had two other doctor’s appointments. The first one, on Monday, was just to ask about the nerve pain down my arm and in my shoulders. It had been hard to sleep with all the constant throbbing. The Doctor, Dr. Scott, was ironically Scottish. It was nice to be able to get an English consultation and really explain my concerns. I then had a follow-up appointment with him on Wednesday. On Tuesday before the follow-up I went and had acupenture done. The couple pictures above are of that experience. It was quite weird. I laid down and had some needles stuck in my neck, shoulders, and down my right arm that had been hurting the most. They also had this “magic” energy lamp they put on my shoulder and later moved down my arm. It was interesting. The lamp was supposed to get my qi energy moving to help facilitate the healing of the area. And you know what? After the appointment I felt a lot better! Almost completely healed. But after a little time my arm started throbbing again, but it was definitely better than before. So I would have to say, in my case, acupuncture worked!

My follow-up appointment on Wednesday was good. I was feeling a lot better and I was able to get my stitches out that day as well. With the blessing of the doctor I was going to start Muay Thai training the next day. And this week I trained Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. I would normally do the morning and night sessions, but I wanted to take it easy at least until the end of the week. So things went well the first couple of days, but Saturday I actually felt really good. Monday I will try to return to twice a day.

In other news, related to my income schemes, I acted in a video for a popular Thai YouTube channel. I got paid 1000 baht for the gig or roughly $30. I also got to eat a lot of delicious food during filming! It was a really weird experience and I can’t wait to see what the video looks like. In the meantime, while the video is being produced, I have some pictures of the filling process above.


Lastly, with all the time out of training with my concussion I was able to volunteer my time helping out at Thai Village (thaivillage.org). I did really simple stuff like counting inventory, and packaging. It was a really awesome experience to see the local workers making their crafts though. For those who don’t know Thai Village is a organization spun off of the church I have been attending there that teaches and facilitates income producing projects and vocations for local Thai people, especially nothern hill tribe people. It was an amazing opportunity to see how this organization has blessed the live’s of these workers and how God’s word is spread through it. The pictures above show a pickup truck that was at a location where we were picking some stuff up. I thought the truck was super cool, and I was really surprised when the guy got in and started driving it!

On Saturday night, I was able to help out with the international church craft fair. I helped Thai Village get their table set up and they were able to do a good amount of sales! It was interesting also to see all of the different international churches there. Even in Thailand you’ll see massive amount of older white women “oohing” and “aahing” at different knick knacks and crafts.

When the Christian population in Thailand is around 1% it’s almost a necessity to work together. I know people in the US, especially conservative WELS members, might see that as a bad thing, but really it’s eye opening to see what’s really important. There is definitely a delicate dance of weighing the pros and cons regarding how best to advance God’s work when working with others. Would you rather work with a Christian Church you didn’t 100% agree with if it meant that it would be the only opportunity for these people to hear about Jesus? Every situation is different and it makes you contemplate much more deeply how best to share God’s word. It is, for sure, a delicate situation. The circumstances in the United States are completely different, and I am glad to have had the opportunity here because there aren’t many parallels in our own society. I’ve learned it’s not always as black and white as I grew up thinking. The best thing anyone can do is pray and ask God for his guidance!

That wraps it up for me! Soon you’ll get to see my Thai acting debut and I’ll have a post about my Thai Thanksgiving celebrations coming up as well.

General Life Updates

Burma Border Run and Concussion Updates

wildboom

On Saturday my stamp into Thailand was officially up! I had spent roughly a full month here already! Thailand let’s people with US passports enter the country visa free meaning that I can just show up at the border and they’ll let me stay for 30 days. To contrast, Vietnam required a paid in advanced visa that either has to be filed at an embassy or online. It’s nice to not have to deal with the paperwork, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a hassle to long term stay in a foreign country, even with favorable tourist laws.


That is why I made a quick “border run” they call it to Myanmar.. or Burma. Not really sure on the cultural identity that is most politically correct when referring to the country. I know a lot of people refer to themselves as Burmese, but everything official, like the signs and passport stamps, say Myanmar. Even on Google Maps it says Burma in parentheses. Apparently, there is some genicide happening in the northern regions of the country. That all seems like another conversation. Regardless, I got to experience a taste of this new culture.


The border system in Myanmar is different than I’ve experienced anywhere else. First, they make you pay 500 baht ($15) to get in the country, but that’s nothing odd. The weird part is once you pay they give you this type of “receipt” that has your name and passport info and then they take your passport to keep at the border checkpoint. Part of the reason they do this is to control those who are just trying to border runs versus the legitimate visa holding travelers who will be journeying further into the country. With this “receipt” I am only allowed in this certain border city called. Tachilek, Myanmar. I am not allowed out. I think the strict controls have been imposed to die some of the political instability in the north.

Regardless, the Burmese know well that the main purpose of this particular land border is for Thai expats and tourists who are looking to extend their trip by another 30 days. With that reality, they do a really great job in Tachilek to make the most of their opportunity to engage all these tourists. Since the government is a little more lax on regulations, this city is a haven for pirated movies, cheap drugs, and any type of counterfeit good you can think of. The pirated movie shops were genuinely impressive. I couldn’t believe the selection. I saw recent movies all the way to the first season of “iCarly.” First thing into the market, though, you’ll be bombared by vendors trying to sell you tax free cigarettes and Viagra. Looking for fake Nikes, Gucci clothes, Versace handbags? They got it. Later, I found the market the actual locals in the town visit and that’s the picture above where you can see cabbage for sale and more practical goods like food.


What good is a visit to a South Eastern country if I don’t visit the local temples? It was nice to get up to this relaxed monument because it had a nice view out over the city. Even though I was only a stone throw away from Thailand, it some how seemed distinctly different. They still accept the Thai currency, but you can feel the difference in especially in economy. Myanmar felt more like Cambodia in terms of economic opportunities for the locals than it did Thailand. You can definitely see pretty quickly what kind of opportunities these local people have. I saw more poverty by way of rougher looking local shops and restaurants, and just frankly more people who seemed unemployed.


Just seeing a shop/club that offers both karaoke and massage raises questions about the economy and how these people really have to hustle to make a living. Little street food stands are of course a staple in SE Asia, and the lady in the picture above opened my mind to the deliciousness of deep fried bananas. I need to figure out where to find these in Thailand! Lastly, the picture with the barwire shows a shut down carnival.


For those of you following along with my journey, you know I just recently suffered a concussion. This border run happened less than 48 hours after the incident and needless to say it was a rough day for me. I had to wake up a 5am to ride my bike 45 minutes to the bus station. Then I spent 10 hours on a bus riding through bumpy mountainous paths at points to only spend two hours in Myanmar. But I’d do it again, because I love the adventure! It’s cool to see another culture even if for just a short time, and of course I did need a new entry stamp!

For my medical update, I attended a doctor’s appointment this morning. This appointment cost me 870 baht ($26.32) for a one on one consultation with a Western doctor, Dr. Scott is ironically Scottish, and two new prescriptions. The diagnosis is that my head is still fine, but what I thought what might have been nerve pain down my arms could just be muscular soreness from the initial trauma. So we will give the new meds a go and I will return to light working out and see if my condition improves. We have a follow-up appointment scheduled for Wednesday!

Not sure what’s up next on the blog. I will be continuing relaxing the next couple of days before I return to training. I will have an opportunity to watch a full game of Monday Night Football which really excites me, especially since my fantasy football matchup relies solely on this game. I still haven’t talked about how my procurement of additional income streams has gone… I have some exciting opportunities unfolding there, so I may wait for that blog post. Either way, I’m sure I’ll have some news sooner than later! Thanks for reading!

Burma Border Run and Concussion Updates

Thailand Healthcare

wildboom

This blog post is a bit unfortunate that it has to be written, but it only adds to the adventure. Essentially, I got knocked out in Muay Thai training and had a fun little visit to the emergency room for some stitches. This is the story:


So I was sparring in the afternoon session of training. It was around 5:30pm and I was sparring against this big guy I had sparred before. He’s probably 6′ 4″ 240 lbs. He’s a pro fighter from Canada. Real nice guy. I’ve had a lot of great conversations with him. Being that big he generally takes it easy sparring and it helps.me learn a lot. Today was different. Right from the get go his punches were heavy and he was putting some real gusto behind his hits. I was doing well.. Like literally getting destroyed. I was backpedaling after each blow. I remember he had me almost off the mats and I was trying to fight back on and he was just obliterating me. That was the last thing I remember.

Then I woke up. Not sure how long I was unconscious for. I apparently fell and hit my head on the concrete. There was a puddle of blood next to me and there was a crowd of people around me. My skin pads, ankle supports, handwraps, gloves, and mouth guard were already off me, so I must have been out for sometime. Then people started asking my name, where I was. Next thing I know the ambulance is there. I couldn’t remember anything, but people helped me gather my stuff and I got in the ambulance. When I got up I realized how badly hurt I was. I don’t know if anyone reading  this has been knocked out, but every nerve and my neck and arms down into my chest even was killing. Like this throbbing pain that just makes you want to roll around with a strained face.

Then, at the hospital I laid there and and I started to remember things. I remembered in the ambulance I was trying to figure out how I was going to get home that night and I couldn’t even remember where I lived… Literally no relection of how to get there. Another scary thing was they had to cut some of hair to make room for stitches. No idea how much, I just know some is gone. Then I got some stitches and they gave me a shot. I tried to ask what the shot was for and all they said was “bacteria.” Seemed like a decent thing to get a shot for I reckoned. A guy from the gym rode with me and he paid for all the medical expenses because I had no clue what was going on. The gym manager showed up to.

I got some X-rays done and my skull wasn’t fractured so that’s good. Then I was handed some pills. I left shortly after with the gym manager. I honestly don’t have a good idea of what I’m supposed to do. No idea how long I’m out for.. How to shower with the bandage on my head? General procedurial stuff couldn’t be communicated because of the language barrier. So there was no consultation. I’m  just left to figure it out I guess.

When leaving with the gym manager, I got on the back of his moped and we immediately got onto the highway. All I was thinking was, I’m not wearing a helmet, and I just had a major head injury. If I fall off I’m dead… Luckily I made it home, and at this point I am at home and the pain meds are starting to kick in so the throbbing is easing a little.

When I first looked in the mirror at home I noticed a new black eye. It’s not that bad but adds to the story! The next day I wlaked to the gym to talk to people and check out the blood stain on the concrete. They already had it mostly cleaned, so that was a bummer. I also found my blood stained mouth guard in the pocket of my shorts so just by looking at that I could tell I didn’t do that well sparring…


All in all, the trip to the emergency room which included an ambulance ride, x-rays, stitches, a shot, and 4 different types of meds only cost me the US equivilant of $113.11. In the United States an accident like this would be enough to bankrupt the rest of my trip. So thankful for the inexpensive, yet still quality Thai healthcare. I’m also thankful that it wasn’t any worse. It could have been much worse, so I’m thankful just to be alive!

3 days removed my shoulders are still killing me and I’ve been advised by my doctor sister-in-law to get an MRI done to make sure the spine is all good and see what is the cause of this potential nerve damage. I guess there are potential long term consequences at stake. So tomorrow morning I’ll be handling that.

Check back at some point for an update on my ever evolving health situation.

Thailand Healthcare