Doctor Doctor

I had my first introduction to Mae Sot's hospital today. I had developed a very painful swelling at one of my finger joints, which was making it difficult to carry out simple actions such as opening a packet of crisps or a bottle of water, writing, and using the front brake on my bicycle.
Mae Sot has two hospitals - the General Hospital and the private "Mae Sot Ram". VSO recommends we use the private one. So off I went on my bicycle (the back brake works fine!), armed with a carefully pre-prepared essential phrase: "I need to see a doctor who speaks English." It turned out not to be necessary, as pretty much everyone there seems to speak some English, but I said it anyway - one has to make the effort!
The doctor diagnosed an infection of the subcutaneous tissue, and prescribed some antibiotics and ibuprofen. It was good to have the chance to check out the system there with something that was not too serious. In fact, that's another of VSO's many pieces of advice - make sure you have checked out the local medical facilities before you get ill!
Tomorrow I officially start work - early get up!