H1N1 hits home!

Our daughter Frankie is diagnosed with H1N1 today.
That is the bad news.
Good news is that we caught it early, and it was diagnosed immediately, and she was put on Tamiflu right away. Doctor said that if her symptoms do not worsen, she should recover within a few days.

Her friend Bebe was diagnosed with the virus last Sunday, after they had a playdate on the weekend. Her condition was worse but she is improving. I caught a cold also on the way home from HK, but no symptoms of a flu, let alone H1N1.

So far our experience in medical treatment in Taiwan has been outstanding. Here is the timeline:

Frankie developed a fever last nite, less than 24 hours ago. She woke up with aches and pain, and a runny nose, and a slight fever. No school. All kids must take their own temperature each morning, and anyone with a fever is not allowed in class. We took her to a clinic down the street, and her temp was normal so no test could be done. We were told to bring her back immediately if the fever returns. At 3pm, her fever returned. Down to the clinic, doctor saw her rightaway, and did a swap test. Positive. Gave her Tamiflu, and reported to the authority. She must remain isolated with no contact with others, and wear a mask at all times. Doctor said that when the virus is treated within 48 hours, recovery is certain and speedy. It is less than 24 hours for us.

I had a similar experience a few months ago in Canada. I waited almost two hours in the clinic. Swap was sent to a lab in Vancouver, and I would only be informed if I tested positive. I was prescribed Tamiflu, but no pharmacy in town had any. Next day, I finally found one shoppers drugmart who had some.

The clinic here is also fully equiped with Xray, and has its own lab for bloodwork, therefore, results are known immediately and patients are treated without delay. And Taiwan has one of the best medical plans in the world, and also one of the most affordable. It costs us $60Cdn a month for our family of three, comparing to $108Cdn in Canada. The plan here also includes all prescriptions, and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine). What impresses me the most is the efficiency of the clinics, both in treatment and prognosis. When Frankie went for a check up after her broken bone last year in Victoria, we waited four hours. There was one doctor and he looked so tired that I thought he would pass out anytime.

One thing I noticed is that I don't see any Mercedes or Porsche outside the clinics, unlike the doctors parking lot at a Victoria hospital which could resemble the show room of an exotic car dealership........Will it be fair to say that doctors in Canada are grossly overpaid, thus resulting in poor service to the general public?

Unlike the old days when we had to boil the Chinese herbs for hours, nowadays, herbs are grinded to powder and taken with water. This eliminates waste and potential oxidation, and the pungent smell which could remain for hours when boiling Chinese herbs. I prefer TCM as much as possible because herbs have no side effects and do not cause drowsiness. Taiwan's medical plan affords us the choice of free prescription and TCM, which is a wonderful change from the third world treatment we have been getting as patients in the past decade or so in Canada.