Hospital Visit

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I haven't been updating the blog lately, but I've been caught up in a whirlwind of things! Happy belated Autumn Festival! We didn't have school yesterday because it was Autumn Festival, and we went to a teahouse to hang out and eat mooncakes.

But, I actually want to rewind a couple of days and talk about what I've been doing. Posted below are pictures of IES (my study abroad program) students as well as Fudan students. Ada and I had planned a big group dinner for her friends and my friends, and we had a wonderful time at this little cafe/restaurant across the street from the international students dorm.

Fast forward a couple of days after that dinner... and we come to Sunday morning. I woke up with hives and rashes all over my body and I thought, "Oh no, not again". I've had this same kind of thing back in the States, and I have no idea what triggered it. I totally forgot to take an allergy test before I left for China, so it was too late. By lunchtime, my whole body felt so heavy and achy because of the hives, and I decided it was serious enough for me to go to the hospital.

My RA, Caroline, went with me to the United Family Hospital of Shanghai, where our insurance is accepted. The place was really nice and clean. It was an enjoyable experience (aside from the hives), and I even got my first IV inserted through my forehand. The IV took about 45 minutes, and Caroline and I were doing homework while I took the IV. Then, we got back to the dorms at around 10:30, and I took Benadryl and slept the whole night.

I woke up the next morning, and my hives were gone. I thought it was okay for me to go out that day, so I decided to go to Qi Pu Road (nicknamed "Cheap Road" for its cheap, but stylish clothing. You have to know how to bargain for it though). I went with Laverne, Jen, Hope and Wendy, and on the metro, I already saw a couple of pocks that would soon turn into another breakout of hives.

I took two doses of Benadryl, but that didn't seem to make it better. It had only stopped spreading, but I was still covered in some hives. It wasn't extreme enough for me not to go to the teahouse, so I went anyway. The rest of the night, the hives just got worse and worse. We finally left the teahouse around 9 PM and I went to bed after doing homework once we'd gotten back.

I had been planning on going to the hospital again this morning, to get another dose of IV. But, when I woke up this morning, my hives were gone. I'm still taking Benadryl though. To this point, I still don't know what I'm allergic to, but I think it could have been a new brand of soap I bought at Wal-Mart here. It was a P&G brand, but maybe I'm allergic to some sort of ingredient in there. I have switched back to Dove soap, and hopefully, this won't happen again.

Thanks, everyone, for all your concern. It's a bit hard dealing with this when I'm not at home, but it will only make me stronger and more independent. I leave you now with these pictures:


Having dinner with Ada and her friends


Judy, Wendy, Jen, and Laverne


Jen D., Mariko, sad Abe, Christina


Michele, Jess, Ada, me


Mariko mesmerized by Abe's new tat


My favorite picture ever, haha. Dance party!


A night out with some of the girls


I loved the music this DJ played!


When we left the club, there was a gorgeous Lamborghini parked outside


Beautiful rims!


Sooo pretty!


Abe falling asleep at the diner!


The girls before Qi Pu Road, pigging out on McDonald's


Turtle Dragon?!


Elephant!


Some of the IES boys at Yu Garden


At the teahouse (this place existed during the Qing Dynasty!)