Hospital Visits

SURPRISE! I ended up in a hospital. Even bigger surprise: they took incredibly good care of me. No one knows what to expect when they visit a foreign emergency room, but I hadn’t even heard of this country until last December, so my knowledge of the nation, let alone the medical system, was entirely limited – so much that I didn’t know if someone would poke at me with sticks, or if I would be wrapped in golden blankets. I mean, who really knows?

I do. And, shockingly, my experience was more like the second option. Of course, nothing gilded was involved, but not only did I get my own room, I got a team of doctors and nurses, a medical examination, and a CORRECT evaluation the first time around. They attached me to an IV and I immediately felt better. I had to return three times for further treatment, and then I was strong enough to continue treatment by antibiotics after that. Funny enough, one of the medications they prescribed is only available in four Middle-Eastern countries. Pff FDA ShmeFDA, it worked for me! The only unfortunate piece of the experience was that my insurance was not accepted in their system, so we had to pay cash up front and file for insurance once I got home.

-- Katelyn