Bangkok

I just returned from Bangkok where I underwent some tests at Bumrungrad Hospital for some problems I have been having with sleeping. It turns out I have sleep hypopnea which is related to sleep apnea. Hypopnea is abnormally shallow breathing. For me, it causes respiratory arousal which, basically means that my breathing wakes me up. A normal person has UP TO 5 hypopnea events each hour during a night's sleep. When tested, the minimum hypopnea events I had was 52 in one hour. The doctor also said, that according to the tests, I wake up every minute of every hour throughout the night. No wonder I have been tired! Anyway, I brought home a constant positive air pressure (CPAP) machine to use every night. To make a long story short, I should be able to get some rest now.

Some other funny things happened while I was there. I was in a taxi at a stop light and a group of young people where going along washing windows (like they do in big cities). Well, this one young woman came along and washed the back passenger window where I was sitting. Before she started to wash it, I told her "no", but she washed it anyway and asked me for money. I said "no" again and she left. Well, I got tickled and started to laugh. it made the taxi driver start laughing too, and we talked a little bit in Thai. He said I spoke good Thai (which was a culturally polite thing to say, because I don't). While we were talking, his phone rang. It was his wife. He handed the phone to me and asked me to speak Thai to his wife! I told her that it was hot in Bangkok but nice and cool in Chiang Mai. It was a real hoot!

While I was waiting to see the doctor and the hospital staff was passing out New Year's gifts to the doctors. They were baskets filled with food stuffs. One of the baskets that went by had Corn Flakes and whiskey, among other things. I thought how strange it was to give a doctor corn flakes! Try giving that as a Christmas bonus to a doctor in the States!

Anyway, this was my experience while in Bangkok. I am glad, very glad, to be home, even though there is no "Tony Roma's" in Chiang Mai. But I have my three girls.