Gout, H1N1, and Me!

Picture yourself on a long road trip that is about to come to a successful end. You are situated comfortably in the driver’s seat and you have a nice iced-coffee keeping you refreshed and awake. You have several gigs-worth of your favorite music playing in the background and things cannot get any better, plus you’re almost to your destination. It’s been a long journey but you have just come from a very good place and your spirits are high. Then all of the sudden, your trip takes a cruel detour…

That’s the way I was feeling last Saturday evening as I was packing up some last minute items to take back to Vietnam with me. I had just spent about 5 weeks traveling all over the US visiting family and friends as well as sprinkling in a little work to balance out my time. It was an enjoyable and fun-filled vacation that was going to be topped off by upgrading my international flight to Business Class. I had acquired enough miles to finally take in this luxury that I’d been saving up 3 years for.

All was good as I boarded the flight scheduled to depart at 1:30am. As the plane took off, I glanced at the time and was delighted to see it was only 1:41am…an on-time flight for the most part…things were looking good, time to go to sleep. About 3 hours later, I woke up to a sharp pain in my ankle. Unfortunately, it was something that I have been accustomed to lately…another gout attack. I had an attack about 2 weeks prior and they usually do not come that close in proximity together. This was not a good sign as I knew I had another 10 or so more hours before landing in Taipei. The swelling got increasingly worse and the pain likewise followed suit. By the time I landed I couldn’t walk any longer. I needed wheelchair assistance to my connecting flight… but it was still another 3 hours away. Luckily, with my Frequent Flyer membership I was able to relax in the Business Lounge…albeit still thriving in pain!

Ahhhhhh, if only the pain in my gouty ankle was the sole reason for my displeasure! My problems were only just beginning. You see, due to the immense pain I needed to take some medication to reduce the swelling and ease the pain. I am guessing my body temperature was a little high because I may have had a slight fever due to the gout attack. This would prove to be the most inopportune fever I’ve ever had.

Upon disembarking the plane in Saigon, all the passengers had to walk through a temperature machine to insure that no one was carrying a fever into Vietnam for fear of the H1N1 virus. You guessed it, I DIDN’T PASS!...and either did 7 other passengers on our flight. We were shuffled away to a not-so-remote location in the middle of the airport, pretty much in everyone’s plain site in the airport. We were looked upon as having some sort of bubonic plague. Our temperatures were taken and anyone who so much as had a temperature above 98.6 degrees F was set aside to be quarantined at a local hospital.

They initially said we would have throat cultures taken and the results would be available within 8-12 hours. They gathered the 8 of us together (me in a wheelchair) and drove us in an ambulance to the hospital while the ambulance sirens blared full-blast (see video below). They put 6 of us in a room together (at least there were 6 beds), one fan and no air conditioner. Now I’m not a genius but I am guessing quarantine means to isolate the individual so as not to spread a potential virus. The whole quarantine floor was essentially "open" with people having free access to enter and exit each other’s rooms. If only one of those people had the virus we all would have gotten it!

After a few hours, we were notified by other quarantined people that we would be here for a minimum of 24 hours. It was the longest 24 hours in my life as I lay there with my ankle thriving in pain…with no medical assistance from any doctors or nurses. We all eventually passed our throat cultures and were released 24 hours later. A shower, a home cooked meal, and sleep never felt so good! Enjoy the video and pics of the hospital room below:





Heading to hospital in the back of an ambulance:



Quarantined friends:



My release papers...Swine Flu free!

In Memory of My Grandmother

Maria Nguyen Thi Trinh

August 18, 1918 - June 9, 2009

It had been a normal day last week for me as I was finishing up at work when the dreaded phone call came. It was my cousin on the other end of the line, “Something’s wrong with Grandma…you better come home right away!” My cousin couldn’t elaborate more because she had herself just received the same phone call from her sibling. “OK, I’m on my way now” I said, as I raced out the door to catch a cab home. As I hurried out of the office I received multiple phone calls, almost simultaneously, from 3 different cousins telling me the awful news of my Grandmother’s passing.

I immediately called my parents after getting in the taxi to give them the news. It was just after 6am in the States when my Dad answered the phone. “It’s Jerome” I said. I really didn’t know what to say next but before I could even get my next breath out he dejectedly said “I know, its Grandmother, your Uncle just called”. My Mom then got on the phone and there were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence before she said “Just continue to pray for her.” After hanging up the phone, I sat in the cab silent and disheartened, thinking about how one of the main reasons I decided to work in Vietnam was to spend time getting to know my Grandparents – and now they were both gone.

For the past four years my maternal Grandmother had been bedridden after suffering a stroke. Her health progressively had gotten worse as the days went by. She didn’t talk at all anymore and any mode of communication with her was basically non-existent. We could still make eye contact with her but more often than not the stares we received back were blank, confused, and perplexed looks. There were however, rare times that we could gaze into her eyes and truly feel she was fully cognizant and aware of us. Her eyes sparkled and one could just tell that she was present at that moment. Those warm looks began to dwindle once my Grandfather passed away 8 months ago. I guess it’s true that people who have spent so many of their years on earth together have an unbreakable spiritual bond. When one departs this world the other typically is sure to follow soon…I believe my Grandmother and Grandfather are in a happier place now--together again.

Funerals for the most part tend to be events where people mourn the loss of a loved one and where the environment and mood are melancholy and depressing. My Grandmother’s funeral (like my Grandfather’s) was all of this but it also proved to be an opportune reunion of sorts for my family. It was another chance for my Mom’s siblings to all be together again with all of their cousins and the rest of the extended family. There were at least 200+ people during the first night of my Grandmother’s wake service. I would venture to guess that 80-90% of the attendees were family, directly related to my Grandmother. And just like at my Grandfather’s, there was a 50-band orchestra that performed traditional Catholic Vietnamese songs and music.

The week proved to have the expected low points of grief and bereavement but it was also was filled with great memories and being able to hear my family tell stories of the past. Seeing my Mom with her cousins and extended family laughing and reliving the good times with my Grandmother and their childhood really helped me to appreciate the great bond of family and tradition. I am glad I have this opportunity to be here, to learn and to understand the family history and to help bridge the gap between my family here and the ones living Stateside.

Thank you to all for your words of encouragement and condolences during this time. They were very much appreciated.

Below are some pictures of the funeral and wake services. They are quite similar to the ones I took during my Grandfather’s funeral. I took them with my iPhone because I haven't gotten around to getting a new camera yet so the quality isn't perfect. Enjoy the pics anyway.


Preparing the casket:



My cousin's lining the casket with roses:





The Youth Choir singing and praying:



Sisters from a local convent:



As you can see, Buddhist rituals (incense sticks) intermixed with Catholic traditions:



Getting on their motorbikes:



Other Sisters:




My Mom's Cousins, their Father was my Grandmother's older brother:



Anyone with a headband (white, yellow, or red) is a relative:





Sitting outside:






Wake service mass:






Buddhist friend's pig offering:




My Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins:



Viewing:





With my Mom and Dad in front of the casket:



Doing the incense thingy:



My Uncles (the two youngest sons):



My Mom, her sisters and their cousins (somehow my Dad found his way in this picture with all women):



Just a few people taking a midday nap:





50 member orchestra:



Getting ready to close the casket:



Procession to the Church:











At the burial site:





Filling the grave:



Buried next to my Grandfather:




40 tables for the reception (400 people):



Here's some pics of the elders telling stories and having a very good time:













We found some of my Grandparents stuff with old report cards and paperwork from my aunts and uncles from many moons ago. It was funny to read the comments and look at that stuff: