October 23 would have been my Mother's 105th birthday. It was also the 23rd was the 68th anniversary of the start of the Hungarian Revolution.
I decided that I wasn't getting enough exercise, so I started walking around my neighbourhood. I scoped out a route of about 1 km. to begin with. The route takes me up or down a small lane which has been no problem for the 10 years I have been living here. However, yesterday, I was bitten by a dog while walking up the lane.
I had seen that same dog with a pack of 2 others on the road that follows the river earlier. The 3 males were chasing an unfortunate female who looked like she had had one litter too many. The pack was led by a black dog.
Two very large black dogs live on the lane. They are normally very well behaved and are walked by their owner without leashes. Yesterday morning, the two big black dogs came charging out onto the lane barking and snarling. There is obviously a break in the fence. They were scary but they did not attack. Then the black street dog arrived and the three of them went into a frenzy. It was the street dog who bit me.
I had a stick with me which I wielded belatedly scaring them off. I was shocked, but not badly hurt. I made it home and washed and treated the wounds. They were not deep, but blood had been drawn which means rabies shots. Another thing I can strike off my list of never wanting to do during this lifetime.
Risvi took me to Kandy General to get the shots. Luckily, they have a supply of vaccine. After COVID, when we went into an economic breakdown, no rabies vaccine was available.
We went during visiting hours which means that the place is a zoo. While we were walking to the rabies clinic weaving our way through the throng, a gurney came by with a sheet covered corpse on it.
The doctor at the rabies clinic saw me right away. She wanted me have a tetanus shot as well as the rabies which I refused. I have since done some research and will have the tetanus shot when I go on Sunday for the second of 4 rabies shots. They also wanted to give me an anti-histamine just in case. I refused that as well and was perfectly fine after the two rabies shots.
Doctors in Sri Lanka are drug pushers. They over prescribe antibiotics to the point where most of them don't work any more. They are also not used to dealing with anyone who asks questions and wants to know exactly what they are prescribing and why.
After getting shot up, Risvi and I went to visit Renuka, my housekeeper who is in hospital for what has turned out to be what Risvi called a urinary stone which is actually a kidney stone. I suspected as much when the symptoms were described to me. She was in a ward with about 30 beds that you got to after walking through countless wards with a similar number of beds or more. Apparently, each patient is limited to one visitor at a time, but it is not enforced and it seems that entire villages turn up to see patients.
There are no corridors, or if there were, they are now full of beds, so gurneys and wheelchairs have to be manoeuvred between beds. Despite these conditions, the medical care is good. She got an x-ray and an ultra-sound in short order and today they are breaking down the stone with laser lithotripsy. She may be back at work as soon as tomorrow.
In the meantime, Risvi has been filling in for her. To be quite frank, he is better than she is at the work, but he doesn't want to do it full time.
No other news.
Here are some sunsets.
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