A brief return to Japan August 1-3, 2011

Our family arrived back in Japan on August 1. Phillip helped us get our luggage out to wait for the bus. However, then we said goodbye to Dad again as he stayed at Kansai airport to fly to Singapore for meetings. It was nice to get home to sleep in our own beds for the first time since June 8. However, we did all get up at 4am on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! It was also nice for me to be able to put clothes away in our own closets. Ahh, the little things in life.

On Tuesday, I was busy unpacking, doing laundry, paying bills, etc. The kids went down to River Mall to play. After about only 20 minutes, they were back in our apartment, and Matthew's leg was bleeding like crazy. I got him in the shower to clean off so that I could assess the injuries. I called our nurse friend, Mary Gail, to come take a look. We agreed that he would need stitches. Then, the craziness really began. I asked our front reception to call the local hospital to see if a doctor was on call to do the stitches. After about 20 minutes of questions and translations, I was finally told that they had 2 emergencies so I would need to wait a long time. Also, I should bring someone who speaks Japanese. Great. So, then front reception tried 3 other hospitals to find one available. Mary Gail drove us over. A Japanese man met us at the door and directed us to the waiting area. I filled out some paperwork, and then we went in to the exam room. The young doctor spoke some English and consulted his iphone to help with the words "local anesthesia". The older doctor who came in spoke good English and consulted to determine which injuries needed stitches. Matthew ended up getting 4 stitches on his leg (2 on each side of his knee) and then 4 stitches in the arch of his foot. The shots were awful. You could hear Matthew screaming all over the hospital. He absolutely broke my heart! After that, the stitches were easy.

The administration staff was gone, so they asked me to leave 20,000 yen that night and to return the next day to settle up with the exact amount. Funny. So, friends took us back over the next day for the doctor to check, clean, and re-bandage the wounds. Matthew got a tetanus shot, and then I "settled" the bill. One of the nurses spoke English, and our friend who drove us is Japanese so the language barrier was much better.

I am so thankful that the injuries were on the leg and not the face or head. While I really do enjoy living in Japan, it still scares me to think about facing a true emergency.

Matthew began healing, and I started packing. Thursday - off to Singapore!

Peace and Love,

Tina