A Visit to Glen Eagles (Not the golf course) February 12-15

Sunday morning, our first morning in Penang, was hot and sunny. At breakfast, we noticed my right lower leg was quite swollen, with a yellowish tinge. The consensus was that I should get it looked at, so Michael and Sheila quickly consulted some friends and determined that Glen Eagles Hospital was the best place to do that. Michael and I got into a taxi (teksi in Malay) and off we went. The Emergency was quite efficient, I was processed and ready to see a doctor in 20 minutes. As deep vein thrombosis was suspected because of my recent long plane trip, they wanted a specialist to examine me. It took a while for the specialist, a cardiologist, to turn up at the hospital on a Sunday. On arrival, he did an immediate ultrasound of my heart and determined there was no enlargement of the right side – a good sign. He ordered a doppler study of the veins in my right leg for the following morning, and admitted me to the hospital. It was then that I received my first medication, a needle in the stomach of blood thinners as a precaution in case the Doppler study found deep vein thrombosis.I had to go back to admitting to make a credit card payment of 2500 Ringgit ($800) on account before being taken up to my room, an experience that most Canadians are quite happy to avoid. Michael took on the responsibility of keeping our travel insurance company abreast of developments, making numerous phone calls to them on my behalf, thus relieving me of an additional burden at a stressful time, and looking out for my interests on that front. Thanks again, Michael!
Next morning’s Doppler study turned out to be completely normal, which was a great relief to all of us, especially Barb, I’m sure. That left a diagnosis of cellulitis, which required a course of strong antibiotics, administered intravenously. Such was my fate for the next three days.
The one bright spot was the food. There was a choice of Malay, Indian, Chinese or western food. A menu card was brought around each night after dinner so you could choose the next day’s fare. I had mostly fish curries with vegetables, typically Malay. Three days lying in the hospital, getting intravenous antibiotics twice per day is not my idea of a holiday, although I'm sure it's an improvement on the alternative. The staff contrived a schedule to administer them that included waking me up at 6:00 am, which did not help my disposition any. Barb visited every day, and Michael put a couple of movies on a stick so I had something to watch in the evenings. (Red Dog, an Australian comedy about a stray dog, is a great film).
Barb swore that she, Sheila and Michael were eating dry bread and water so that I wouldn't miss any of Penang's fabulous restaurants. I almost believed her except for the time she brought me cream cheese and pineapple jam on a bagel from Amelie, a local restaurant, but more on that later. Dr. Lo, my specialist, came around every day to check on my progress and finally on Wednesday February 15, declared the infection had subsided sufficiently for me to take my leave of the Glen Eagles (the hospital, not the golf course). I left the hospital, glad that I was at least sound enough for new adventures.