An Unexpected Adventure - Mongolia

 

The thunderstorm was coming and I was thinking about where I was going to set up my camera equipment for the lightning.  Joseph yells at me to come quick. Erik has fallen in the shower and hurt. Erik had been drying himself in the shower, and the rail holding the shower curtain fell on his head, knocking him over.

Erik in a ton of pain, thinks he has dislocated his shoulder. Batbayer (our guide) after giving Erik First Aid, gives us the options. Drive 1 1/2 hours to Kharkhorin for an X-ray, or drive 4 1/2 hours to Ulaanbaatar to the hospital.  I went and packed up all our belongings, and wondered what the next 24 hours was going to be like.  Scary being in a different country, and being injured.

We decide to drive to Kharkhorin. We also arrange for an ambulance to start driving from Ulaanbaatar, at the cost of US$550 per hour, for a doctor, nurse, and driver.  The thunderstorm had started, and I absently watched the lightning storm through the van's windows, as we slowly drove towards Kharkhorin. Batbayer sat next to Erik, supporting him. 

After 1 1/2 hours of driving, we made it to Kharkhorin. The medical facility was similar to the ones we were familiar with in Rotorua, New Zealand. Basic emergency facility.

Looks just like any medical facility.  Erik got an X-ray within 15 minutes, and it cost approx NZ$65, which was way less expensive than I thought it would be.

The X-Ray showed that the fall had snapped the top off Erik's humerus (upper arm bone). We would need to go to the hospital in Ulaanbaatar for surgery to fix it.

The medical team contacted the en-route ambulance, and we would be drive to meet them somewhere between here and Ulaanbataar. Erik's shoulder was wrapped securely for travel,  he was given some pain relief, and we drove off into the night.

We met up with the ambulance after 2am. I had no idea where we were. I just trusted in Batbayer and our driver.  

The doctor built Erik a cast on the roadside. The journey back to Ulaanbaatar was going to be rough.

The other van from camp met up with us, and transferred our luggage.  The bike will come back with the others when they return to Ulaanbaatar. The crew have been so supportive, it's a bit scary leaving them behind and we go off to the unknown alone.

The ambulance was cramped. Our luggage was piled in a corner. I was squeezed on a hard bench, so I leaned onto a medical supplies bag, and dozed. Every time there was a bump in the road, Erik groaned.  Sometimes the bumps were so large, he became airborne on the stretcher.  

We arrived on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar about 8.00am. The roads were blocked with commuters and roadworks. Unexpectedly, the ambulance drove on the other side of the road, straight into oncoming traffic. The traffic gave way, and within about 30 minutes we were at a private hospital.

After another X-ray, the news wasn't good from the orthopaedic specialist at the Ulaanbaatar hospital. Erik has a comminuted fracture of his upper arm, which means the ball joint is broken in multiple places and the ball is out of position. It’s going to require advanced surgery to fix, as they basically have to dismantle the shoulder joint to get to the bone. — and to make it worse it’s Erik's dominant hand.

After discussions with the orthopaedic specialist, the best decision was to return to New Zealand, and have the surgery at home in Rotorua / Hamilton / Auckland.  Lack of medical support and facilities at Ulaanbaatar was a factor in this decision. Always have medical insurance.  This was the bill for the ambulance, and half a day hospital stay - approx NZ$10,500.