The 20th floor smelled like cooked cabbage for the entire first week we were here. We blamed it on the Irish boys next door but they said it was the Hungarians, and then we suspected it might be a plumbing problem. After all, a plunger was on the required gear list we received from the hospital (no joke).
I waited until after 8 pm, past the dinner rush, to brew the medicinal tea. I had just gotten the instructions by email from Greg…this was going to be no ordinary pot of tea.
At lunch today Lua brought us a beautiful clay pot for brewing the tea. Unfortunately the convection hot plate only works with metal pans so I used the clay pot for soaking the herbs.
The herb formulas come in folded brown paper packets, and each packet contains about two cups of herbs, roots, bark, and other botanicals. I was praying that there was no una de gato or valerian in there or I’d be banished from the 20th floor! There’s another small folded packet that contains turtle shell. The turtle shell needs to boil longer than the other botanicals, so I put them in 5 cups of water and got the water boiling while the other herbs were soaking in the clay pot.
Then in come the Italians to cook their dinner. So as they’re whipping up their pasta with red sauce and cannellini beans on THEIR burner, I’m simmering turtle shells on mine. “Chinese medicine” I say, trying to explain. “Ah, yes,” they answer and I can hear the pity in their voices.
Two hours later the tea is ready: Four cups of deep brown liquid that surprisingly does not smell that bad at all. This is a two day supply for Jim.
Since starting the tea yesterday Jim has taken no pain meds and one problem he has struggled with for the past few months seems to be under control. This is strong medicine.
August 1st, 2007
Our dear friends in Hangzhou offered to put us in touch with a very respected Chinese doctor and professor, Dr. Wu Bo-Ping, who would evaluate Jim and prescribe any Chinese herbal medicine that he thought would be beneficial.
Early Monday morning President Meng sent a car to the hospital to pick us up for the 45 minute ride to the doctor’s office. Temperatures would climb to 100 degrees by 11:00 and with 50% humidity, it seemed more like 120. Greg had come early to the doctors office to get in line and get us a number to be seen.
The doctor’s office was in an older building with a large, open air courtyard on the ground level. We sat on long wooden benches similar to church pews waiting for the doctor to come down to see us. (Jim could not navagate the steep stairs to get up to his office).
Several Chinese pharmacists were located here in the atrium, blending personalized prescriptions from large glass jars and bins of dried herbs, barks, botanicals, mushrooms, roots and other interesting looking substances. This is an ancient science, and quite a contrast to the modern frontier of stem cell treatments. We were quite surprised, however, to find out that Beike (the stem cell company) does not incorporate Chinese herbs, diet or massage into their treatment protocol here in Hangzhou. We are very grateful to Greg and Meng for making it possible for Jim to be seen by such a gifted physician as Doctor Wu.
As we sat in the sweltering heat, Greg warned us about heat stroke and Casey immediately went and purchased a straw cowboy hat for Jim from a street vendor outside the doctors building. People here are very careful about sun exposure. Women riding their bicycles wear lightweight shawls which go down their arms and attach to their fingers, covering even their hands. Everyone wears hats, and some bike and motorscooter riders wear full face visors…like a single, giant sunglass lens which covers their entire face.
We drew quite a curious crowd when the doctor came down to examine Jim in the atrium. After reading his MRI’s in the natural light, he held Jim’s hands, looked at his tongue several times, and asked many questions about the extent of Jim’s symptoms. He seemed to have an innate understanding of how the disease was manifesting itself in Jim’s body.
Greg asked if I’d like to have the pharmacy brew the prescription that the doctor would write, or if I’d like to do it at the hospital. I agreed to do it at the hospital, as we have a tiny kitchen and convection hot plate on the 20th floor. It would prove to be quite an involved process….
We had a lovely lunch with President Meng, Lua, Casey and young Sam (Meng’s son) at the Holiday Inn across the street from Huisong’s corporate offices. The hotel is beautiful and the food was the best we’ve had in China so far. Jim had one bit of bad news from the doctor: No more alcohol (not even wine) and no more spicy foods. So Meng and Lua ordered carefully and the food was just delicious, including freshly sqeezed orange juice. It was touching to see how attentive and considerate Meng was with Jim, gently helping him steady his tea cup, requesting small bowls for Jim instead of plates, serving him and even putting food on Jim’s spoon for him. We are surrounded by such exquisite acts of kindness and concern and feel so blessed to have these wonderful friends.
August 1st, 2007
