Ward room 1127, Apollo Hospital, Madurai

Time 9am

The diagnosis was not the worst case scenario, but a localised bacterial infection. We were admitted overnight to allow the administering of IV antibiotics, to get a jump start on the infection. We anticipate being discharged this morning with oral antibiotics for the next five days or so.

We were brough up to the ward around 2:30am. I was earlier asked to nominate the standard of room we wanted, from a menu of about a dozen kinds. Mindful that this was being covered by health insurance, I chose the cheapest single room with an en suite (about third down the list). It was warmly suggested that I consider going up a level, and was quickly sold when they said the rooms were newer. So, for around R2900 ($58), we have a clean, single occupancy room, with a full length cot for me to sleep on, and a bathroom with a western toilet.

(A woman just brought us a compact toiletries kit, with toothbrush and toothpaste, a shaving kit, soap, talcum powder, and a comb - brilliant. However, it did arrive shortly after the hot water was turned off - hot water is available between 6am and 9am, and 6pm and 9pm.)

A skin test is required before the injection of the antibiotics (abx). The skin test involves injecting a very small amount of the abx into the skin of the forearm, circling and labelling the site with a biro, and waiting twenty minutes to determine whether there's an adverse reaction. The boy does not like needles, so this part was not fun. That the abx dose came in two vials, and required two skin tests, did not thrill him at all. And of course, the whole procedure took around three-quarters of an hour, finishing around 4am.

We both slept fitfully, until woken at 6am by the first of many. The 6am one was the nurse who had administered the abx coming to check the boy's vitals. It's now after 9am and we're waiting for the doctor to come and give us the all clear to go.

Update: Doc has been and gone. The boy has not responded as well as hoped from the abx, so we are required to stay for the day, and possibly another overnight to allow more testing this evening.

Further update: Our driver warns that as a private hospital, it has a vested interest in keeping you there as long as possible, so my parents are agitating appropriately to find out whether it really is necessary/discuss with the consultant/review the test results/advocate generally in the way that a very tired, non-medically trained parent can't. Again, I am so glad that I am travelling with doctors.