Cast Off
Ile Jeudi
Bob and Lin Griffiths
Thu 8 Nov 2012 17:45
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Thursday 8 November 2012
Not casting off from the shore
unfortunately.
The hospital telephoned today to say something in
very rapid Spanish which I didn't understand. After a minute of each of us
speaking in our own languages and not comprehending eachother they transfered
the call to an English speaking doctor. It seems they were just trying to
confirm the date and time of my follow up appointment next week! Duly
confirmed.
I took advantage of this first opportunity to speak
in English with a medical person to explain that my arm was swelling under the
cast and was becoming more and more uncomfortable. He said, 'but it's
getting better isn't it?'. I said no, it's getting worse and he told me to
come straight back in to the hospital.
I did and had the usual challenge of getting past
the administrators who couldn't see my name on the list of appointments and so
felt I shouldn't be there. I managed to move this conversation
to within earshot of the doctor I had spoken to on the phone earlier and 20
minutes later the administrator came out again to take my papers to book me
in! I was official again.
It was some time later before I was seen by the
doctor which was fine as I erm.... didn't have an appointment, but when I
did get to see him his first question was 'is that a cast?' I
was just thinking that a doctor really ought to recognise that sort of
thing when I realised the question was rhetoric. He went on to say 'for
bursitis? A cast?' I explained that the conversation with the
last doctor took place in two languages and a lot of arm waving but
I had understood that they wanted the elbow to be immobilised. This
doctor thought that was rubbish and said he wanted the elbow moving to help
disperse the fluid that was building from the infection.
So the cast came off and I have a new appointment
to follow up with this doctor in a week so I can understand what is
going on. This will require another extension at the marina which will be
more difficult to achieve without the plaster cast as a stage prop for
dramatic effect.
I have to say that all the doctors and nurses I
have been dealing with have been unfailingly polite (I think, based
on voice tones rather than words) and it is not their fault that I do not
speak their language. I try to look up key words in the language
dictionary before I set off but they are never enough in technical
situations. Also, with the EHIC card I have not had to pay for any of the
visits or X-Rays.
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