December 5 (my Birthday!). We took Grant for his medical exam this morning. Ashley asked me to write this post because we don't even know how to describe that event. Fortunately, our guide (who is great) was wise enough to get us there when they opened. Actually, he seemed to know someone and I think we actually went in before they opened. There is a special wing of the clinic set apart for adoption checkups. Mr. Li led us there and we started with some basic stuff... weight, height, etc. Then about 15 more adoptive families showed up and the chaos began. Everyone was being shuffled in and out of rooms. We would follow our guide and pass people coming and going. We would sit in a room. They would speak to our guide in Cantonese for long periods of time. We would be totally unable to tell what was going on. We would wait expectantly for our guide to translate and finally he would look at us and say, "he's fine. Follow me." And then we would move again to another waiting room or another clinic room. Given the fact that Grant's special need is an ASD (a relatively minor congenital heart defect) the doctors spent some time studying his heart. After studying him for some time, however, the doctor looked at us and asked us a question in Cantonese. He did not seem very pleased with us when he asked. Our guide translated and told us that he was asking why we claimed he had a heart defect. We said... "We don't know. It was in his file." The guide then pointed to the medical record (which was in the doctor's hands). He studied it (seeming confused). He then moved us to another room where another doctor listened to his heart and checked him out some more. He and the other doctor discussed everything and then they both just left. At that point, our guide said come with me. We went back to one of the waiting rooms and sat down with some families from Seattle. We asked the guide what the doctors said. He told us that they believed his heart sounds normal and they don't think anything is wrong. That was obviously wonderful news, but to be honest we will feel a lot better when our pediatrician has a chance to examine him. Not that we don't trust the doctors (in fact, we suspect they are quite good), but I wouldn't say that this was a thorough exam. To put it in perspective, when it was time for the "hearing test" we were sitting there and the doctor grabbed a toy Grant was holding. He squeezed it causing it to squeak. When Grant looked at it, he moved it to the other side and did it again. When Grant looked at it that time (basically following the toy the doctor had just taken from him), the doctor announced that he had passed the test and heard very well. Clearly, this is not intended to be a thorough physical exam; rather, it is intended to cover major issues and be able to answer questions for the US checklist. Though long, it was not a terrible ordeal. The only hard part came at the very end when Grant had to get three vaccinations required by the US. As we learned, this was fortunate. Many of the children from different Provinces needed 5 or more! Fortunately, the Sichuan Province apparently gives more vaccines than some of the others. After we went back and let Grant recover, we had a fun rest of the day. There is an outdoor park here. It is so interesting to visit. Parks here are not just for kids They have exercise equipment and adults use it all the time to exercise and do things like Tai Chi (spelling?). In any event, we took Grant there to play with some other children. This was really nice. We visited with one of the couples from Seattle. The dad was a financial consultant and we had an interesting discussion about family offices in his area versus in the South (more similarities than differences). Later we went to dinner at a local restaurant and had some really good Cantonese food ("Guang-Dong Style" according to the sign in the window). After that, we met up with a family from Texas who was adopting a little boy about Grant's age. It was really fun to compare notes from our different Provinces and our different experiences. The families we have met have been so kind and interesting. It has been quite an experience. Thanks to all of you for the Birthday wishes. If you had asked me when I was 20 what I thought I would be doing on my 40th birthday, I never would have guessed that I would have spent it in China. What a great birthday present I have had!
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Guangzhou Medical Clinic
