Teoman woke up with a stomach ache. I didn't think too much of it - figuring he needed to poop - but he came back upstairs crying from his stomach pain. That was new. He'd never cried from stomach pain before and he was showing me his appendix area. I waited a few hours but his stomach pain just kept coming and going. It didn’t quite fit appendicitis symptoms, and I was hoping he just needed to poop. Rather than administer my own solution - I brought him to the doctor.
Because in Turkey, that’s what we do.
There is a public clinic near our house, but after talking with Tolga he didn’t want me to go there. We aren’t registered in Kusadasi, so the doctor is always annoyed to treat our children. The government hospital is large and depressing (but with the best views in Kusadasi), and the private hospitals weren’t necessary better. Tolga directed me to one we visited before because he had liked it there.
It’s a small hospital on a triangulated corner - quiet with almost every type of doctor available. The doctor looked at Teoman and decided to do an X-ray, blood and urine test to rule out appendicitis.
They love doing tests in Turkey.
Teoman was so brave for the blood test. I told him to take a deep breath. We got some snacks and up to this point Teoman was feeling terrible, but around 1 or 2pm, he suddenly perked up - announcing he felt better. We went home and ate. The doctor said they’d give the results after 4pm. I misunderstood that we were supposed to wait there - and she called us back in. We went in and visited another doctor who said - with Tolga on the phone listening - that he thought it was appendicitis and he was recommending we go to their bigger hospital in Soke (30 minutes away) to be observed and possibly surgery.
They took blood again, and this time Teoman didn’t want it done. I hugged him and asked him to be brave again, so he laid down and never cried out once.
Tolga called his youngest brother Hakan - and he came to the hospital. Hakan works the water sports at a big hotel and is non-stop busy through the summer - but he’s always willing and ready to drop everything for anything dramatic as this. The doctors wanted me to go by ambulance or drive to Soke and admit Teoman there immediately. Hakan’s wife was on the phone saying she didn’t like the doctor/hospital I was at. I was texting my friend and our neighborhood who’s husband was a doctor, and they were dissuading me as well - suggesting I get another opinion. Our doctor in Ankara said it was quite difficult to diagnose appendicitis and since there was no fever, vomiting or diarrhea - he was suspect of the diagnosis as well. Hakan brought us to the devlet, government hospital, and we went to the ER for another opinion.
The woman pushed Teoman’s stomach hard and while I knew Teoman was in pain, he didn’t complain and the woman dismissed the diagnosis. She told Teoman to jump up and down - which, if he truly had appendicitis, is a dangerous thing to do - but Teoman jumped up and down like a rabbit - proud to show his skills.
Hakan was relieved. I was only slightly - it wasn’t an emergency, but there was something wrong. And nobody, nobody has asked me the when’s the last time he went poop. Hakan offered to bring me to all the hospitals in Kusadasi. (Did I mention his penchant for drama?) But, there weren’t trustworthy hospitals here - they were overworked government hospitals or money making private hospitals. In fact, what I really needed was a trustworthy pediatrician.
We went home and Teoman wanted to just lay in bed, with me next to him, holding his belly. Tolga was on his way to Kusadasi - he had to drive to Istanbul, then take a plane, and he would arrive around midnight. I stayed with Teoman and he slept, but still woke up every 10 to 20 minutes grunting and groaning in pain.
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