Doctor Appointment

Yesterday I had a doctors appointment so that I could get a new supply of insulin. It was crazy! One of the medical liaisons from the military post setup my appointment, calculated how much it was goign to cost, and would potentially act as a translator if need be. He scheduled my appointment for 9:15 because German doctors only take appointments until noon, and then they make their rounds in the hospital. Before I could see the doctor, we had to go to the international patient office to make a deposit for the doctors appointment since my insurance is not covered overseas. Grr. That still makes me mad, but now I have a job so I will soon have good insurance again. Yay! Anyways... The liaison wanted to meet at the main entrance of this ginormous hospital at 8:30. Lenea and I had no idea where the main entrance was and figured it would take us a little while to find it, so we planned to get there early. We left our apartment at 7:30 AM to walk to the train. Luckily the train has a stop right at the Mannheim hospital so we didn't have to wonder around too long. Did I mention that it was raining and we only had one umbrella? Yeah. A doctors appointment with a new doctor that I am having to pay a fortune for isn't enough, so let's add some terrible weather in the mix. Yahoo. By the time we got inside my feet were soaking wet. I was wearing my Tom's and whool socks, neither of which dried until I got home. I did learn something interesting...

As we were walkig up to the hospital, we saw two girls talking/smoking so we asked if they spoke english. Luckily one of the girls did and she helped us find our way through the maze of the hospital. She was telling us that she was going to be a nurse or a doctor, but that she really didn't want to be either one of those. We then asked her what she wanted to be, and she said that she had no idea because it wasn't really her choice. Lenea and I looked at each other very puzzled and continued to ask the little girl questions. She was only 16 and was doing an internship at the hospital. She then told us that in Germany, the parents and teachers of the kiddos decide what a child is going to do for the rest of their life when the child is in fourth grade. My jaw dropped. Kids go to school from first to ninth grade, and after ninth grade the child starts an internship. Every child does an internship for three years. This little girl had a three year internship at the hospital to decide if she was going to be a doctor or a nurse and then she was going to attend an university to further her education. If it was decided that a child was going to be a salesperson, the child would finish school, do their three years of internship, and then begin working. Crazy. Man I love the freedom of being an American and getting to see all of these beautiful places, but still have the freedom to decide what I want to do. Back to the story...

Through a series of doors, staircases, ramps, and sliding doors we made it to the international patient office at 8:05 AM. At 8:45 we decided to enter the office and start the paperwork without the liaison so that I would not be late for my appointment. As we are sitting down, the liaison strolls through the door deeply apologetic for being so late. I told him it wasn't a big deal, but that we had started on some of the paperwork. It was all simple stuff...Name, height, weight, address, phone number...yadda, yadda, yadda. I then paid the 500 euro. I got a reciept and was told that it would be two weeks until the invoice was processed in order for me to receive any money back. Great. Then Michael, the medical liaison, walks us to the endocrinologist and talks with the receptionist about my appointment. We then walk to the waiting room where Michael informs me that the doctor speaks great english, so I shouldn't need him anymore. I looked at him, and calmly told him that I would appreciate it if he waited just in case I needed something else. For instance, what if I had to go somewhere else to get my insulin because the doctor did not have a supply in the office. He looked dumbfounded that I asked him to stay. I didn't have to wait too long and the doctor escorted me to the room for my appointment. She was awesome. She asked what I was going to be doing in Germany and how long I would be staying. Then she asked me about my family and where I was from. She truly got the time to get to know me. I didn't feel rushed at all. I felt like she genuinely cared for my wellbeing by getting to know me. From there she did her doctor thing... looked over my numbers, discussed my diabetes care in the past, etc. She then gave me two months worth of free insulin. She was amazed that my insurance did not cover me overseas and she wanted to do whatever she could to cut down the cost of my appointment. She told me to call her whenever my insurance kicks in to schedule another appointment to do bloodwork and all of the doctor stuff. She was incredible! I could not ask for a better doctor. I felt like she knew what she was talking about and cared about me.

Today I walked to Human Resources to pick up my pre-employment packet so that I can start my job. The weather today is gorgeous! The snow has melted and the sun is actually shining. I am loving it. I was actually excited to walk all over this place to find the building, until I got there and no one was there. The entire bottom floor was deserted. The rooms were filled with stacked up chairs, desks, and lamps. It was kind of spooky! Then I called to see if I was in the right place, because it definitely did not feel like it. Apparently all of their offices are now located upstairs. Yeesh. This place makes everything way too hard. I have already filled out tons of paperwork just to get my interview and now that I have the job I have to fill out even more paperwork to start working. Oh well. It is a job that pays well and gives me insurance. I am a happy camper! Now I am going to search for some cheap tickets to travel over spring break. First stop Amsterdam, then to Berlin/Frankfurt/Mannheim, and finish up at Paris. I am pumped!!!