If you read my work here you already know that I was involved in a bad bicycle accident that ended up taking out of action and forcing me to miss a trail endurance run that I had been training for over the past 3-4 months. As devastating as that was it was even worse to look at my X-rays, see that my shoulder is broken, and then being told that unless I am very careful, I will have problems with mobility for the remainder of my life.
This is not news that you want to hear and it is especially true if you live in a country that doesn't exactly have a world-class reputation for health care. I got worried because this is my body and I have to live in it for as long as I can so I asked for a little help in finding the best Orthopedic doctors in the city. One result came through with a nice resume including international certifications and 15 years of surgical experience.
now when you book an appointment with the head of department of general surgery (his real title, check here if you wanna) I was expecting this to cost a lot extra because well, dude is the head guy. I was prepared to pay more to get a guy that can eliminate my intense fear of not having full use of one of my arms later in life because I decided to be frugal when I was the age I am now.
I'm not going to lie and say that this is the greatest hospital ever because that is not true. it is really good though especially if you consider the crazy prices that are charged in my home country of USA (don't want to argue about that!) I think the best hospitals for the money that I have ever been to are in Thailand but anyway, let's stay on point.
I made an appointment with this surgeon knowing nothing about him other than the fact that he is highly regarded and has the top spot at what is considered the top hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam. I was actually surprised that I was able to get an appointment with such an important man in just 2 days but there I was at 1pm on a Monday, waiting outside his office to see him.
When I went in I showed him my X-ray from the accident and briefly told him my fears about how I would
- like to avoid surgery if possible
- want to have full range of motion
- want to heal fully
- am prepared to pay almost any price to ensure that this ends up being the case
Now, in a for-profit hospital, which is what Vinmec is, one would think that this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to take me to the cleaners and just charge me for everything. That is kind of what they did to me in the ER the day that I actually had the accident when the largest part of my bill was "doctor consultation" when the doctor barely spoke to me and was rather dismissive of my pain.
This doctor though, I am just so impressed with him
He put me at ease, carefully assessed my x-ray and then just explained to me what he saw in layman's terms. I don't like it when a doctor tries to show you exactly on the x-ray what is wrong with your bones... I didn't go to medical school and I have no idea what my bones are supposed to look like. Just tell me about it ok? It seems as though this surgeon has been doing this long enough that he realizes what people are comfortable hearing, and what is a waste of time. When I am getting a diagnosis, I want there to be very little, if any, Latin involved in the conversation.
He calmly and completely explained the situation, what paths we have going forward, and understood my reluctance to have surgery.
I then told him about my day-to-day life and how I have gotten this backpack sling thing from the ER crew, but haven't been wearing it because I don't feel like it does anything and it is uncomfortable.
Nadi, keeping watch
Instead of just telling me "you should wear that, he explained in easy to understand, but not patronizing terms. He said,
"if you don't wear that, there is a good chance the bones will grow back properly anyway, but there is also a chance, a small but real chance, that the bones could grow back in a slightly wrong way because of the lack of isolation. If that happens, 10 or 20 years from now you might not have full range of motion."
he then went on to exhibit with his own arm about not being able to reach the top shelf or not having the ability to move in certain directions. He didn't try to scare me into it and he did explain that most of the time this doesn't happen, but when it DOES happen the only solution at that point is to intentionally re-break your shoulder and then carefully manage it with titanium screws exiting your body and a much more annoying apparatus than the back sling.
He did this in a way that was kind and treated me like an adult rather than an idiot subject. He also pointed out that I will get used to having it on and after a few days I wont even notice it is there "trust me" he said "i've done this hundreds of times."
That was really all i needed to hear because while I am a hard-headed dude at times, I do know when I am out of my element. But I am also always on my guard about people trying to fleece me, and this is where the best part comes in that really makes me appreciate this man, and this hospital.
He told me that the plan of action would be like this
- since I had already paid for the consultation and x-rays in the ER (which he called "overpriced ER") that there would be no charge for the consultation today
- I am to come back once a week for additional x-rays where I will ONLY pay for the x-ray, not for the consultation with him
- if the surgery is necessary after that time, then and only then would we pursue it
- the surgery average price is 50 million VND or about $2000
He then got me another back sling, and had a nurse put it on me properly, then he checked it to make sure it was done correctly. He then asked for my Zalo (the common vietnam messaging app) and gave me his personal number. Then he sent me several youtube videos later about how to get in and out of the thing on your own, or with the help of a friend.
Can you see where I am going with this? This guy totally went above and beyond the call of duty. I don't expect this sort of personalized treatment and by the time I left the hospital I had a bill only for the back sling which was about $8.
I know a bunch of American friends of mine are going to be super-jealous of this.
I'm not saying that all medical care in Vietnam is top drawer, I know for a fact that it is not. However, I have to sing the praises of Dr.Le Quang Minh
I went to the hospital worried and not knowing what to do. After leaving I had a bit of a "spring in my step" because I felt confident about what the future holds and really felt secure that someone that genuinely knows what he is talking and also actually gives a damn about my recovery. I did not feel this way about the ER doctor I dealt with a few days ago.
So if you are in Da Nang or I would say Vietnam in general, and need something done with bones, I've met a few in the world, but none as good as Dr. Le Quang Minh.
The global medical system is full of crooks. This guy, he is one of the good guys that took the Hippocratic Oath seriously.