Apologies

Wednesday  19.01.11

Wow.  I really left you all hanging there, didn’t I?

I had so much more happen while I was there, and now that I am home.  Where do I start?

No – I don’t have a contract yet.  And I think I have a wonderful agent, but I haven’t heard from her in a while…

I’m back in the States and teaching – my studio is *slim*.  Ouch.  Money is tight, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything!

So – apologies for being absent.  Thanks for your patience!  I will now try to highlight the – well – “highlights” of the remainder of my trip!

After Berlin I got sick.  Really sick.  Sicker than I had been up to that point!  Complete with a fever that lasted a couple days and was antibiotic resistant.  Even the normal 10 day course of 500mg Amoxicillan didn’t knock it out!!!  So I needed professional, local help -  I got to use the health care system!  It was A-MAZ-ING!  What is our problem here in the US????????

I asked my landlady for a referral to her doctor and hoped I could get an appointment (I was calling on a Monday morning – we all know how that goes here in the States!  Call on Monday, wait on the phone forever, then you might be given an appointment in a couple days.  If the doctor knows you and likes you.)  She gave me his address and phone number but told me I should just go.

What?

Just go.  No appointment.  I had to wait until he had time.  “Sheesh” I thought, “how will he fit me in between his normal patients?”  But nope -I was mistaken.  Everyone has to wait.  There are no appointments. Seriously.  Everyone is equal.  If you have an emergency you go to the hospital.  Specialists make appointments.  Other than that you just wait.  This I can do, and am familiar with from the States!

So I prepare to spend the day in the waiting room.  Monday morning,  snowing, sick, and public transport.  Whee!  It took a little over an hour to get to the office, but I didn’t have any transfers so I could just sit back and look at the scenery.  I brought a book and my knitting to entertain me in the waiting room, but I didn’t want to “waste” them.  The bus stop for the office was in the middle of suburbia.  I had no idea what direction the office was in from the stop, or how far.  I wandered a bit in the snow and only fell once!  I did lose my earmuffs somewhere along the way…

Anyway, I found the office.  I go in and wait to see the receptionist, who speaks no English.  But by now, my German is not too bad!  But still – health care?  Not a point of fluency.  I had hoped to arrive when they opened, but I was there almost an hour and half later than that – and they take lunch.  I was in for a dollar if I was in for pound (WTH does that mean?).  I asked if I could pay with my EC card (the micro chip card).  Nope.  They asked me for my passport.  Whoops.  Left that at the apartment.  Batting a thousand here!  They agreed to take my driver’s license as ID, but I had to walk to the nearest bank to withdraw cash.  I tried to ask how much, but they kept telling me they didn’t know – it would depend on what the doctor did and said to bill me.  Could they give me an idea?  No, not really.  Well, crud.  Ok.

So I walk to the bank (only about 15 minutes away.  But the snow really really really sucked.  Oh yeah, and I was sick.  And I fell again.  Balance goes with infections) and withdraw 150EUR.  Surely it can’t be more than that – right?  I trudge back and settle into the waiting room.

I had to wait a little over an hour.  THAT’S IT!!  And the receptionists were terribly apologetic that I had to wait that long – they were overloaded that morning.  Can you imagine??  We have to wait that long *with* an appointment!

The appointment itself was great – he was thorough but not invasive – listened to my lungs but didn’t make me disrobe.  We did it all in German (I couldn’t believe he didn’t speak English – maybe he was stretching the truth when he said he didn’t?) and he prescribed a stronger course of antibiotics, a throat tablet to reduce swelling and soothe, and a chamomile/anise spray. Holistic AND traditional medicine from the same person!!

After the appointment I had to pay.  Again, the receptionist was apologetic – I had to pay the full-fee since I didn’t have insurance.  I had to pay (wait for it) 22Eur. About $26-28.

The new antibiotic kicked the infection and the other stuff really made life bearable.  I finished that antibiotic 3 days into Melissa’s visit.  Which, if the tea kettle doesn’t boil over and scald the edge of the Wedgewood causing Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy to exclaim in concern, will be the topic of my next post.  Hopefully in less than the time it took me to do this one!

BTW – do you know N. J. Fuzzy-Wuzzy?

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