Hospital Visit

Sorry about the lack of any update. Although this one should be a bit interesting. I am now much more familiar with the Hungarian medical system than I was a week ago. On Wednesday I had some abdominal pain so I went to the CEU medical center. There are two doctors at the on campus medical center, one tried to book an appointment for me for the next day with another non-ceu doctor, but could not get a hold of the place by phone. I left with instructions to come back later that day so she could call again. I left, took some Advil, then the pain got worse, went back, she then examined me, and decided to send me to the hospital. Of course the pain happens to be on the same side where my appendix is, and it hurt enough that I actually cried out when she pushed down on the area, so the whole hospital thing makes sense. I freak out a little, but not too much, considering. So I get instructions on how to get there, and try to find someone from my department to inform about this and let a professor know that I would be missing a very important meeting. This was around noon, and the meeting at four (I assumed I wouldn't make it and was correct).

Off to the hospital I go! Taking the blue line, and not getting too lost. I had a paper with the address of the hospital which helped, since I could stop random people, point to it and get instructions. The stop was further away from the hospital than indicated by the instructions/map. Thankfully after getting off at the correct stop (I was at the point where it was a bit painful to walk) I ran into two English-speaking girls who were very kind and gave me very accurate and clear directions. (On that note, I would love to redo the maps that the medical center gives out, if just to make them clearer!) They said it was about a five minute walk, and realizing where it was even asked my if I could walk the distance, because there's a bus I could take instead. It ended up being about a 3-4 minute walk, even at my slower pace so I was fine (the pain magically subsided for the walking, enough to, well, walk). Enough about the journey there. I found it.

The check-in desk had no one there. There was just a security guard who told me in Hungarian to wait. (A very nice man translated, saying the woman was at lunch.) Pay attention, this is a theme of non-full-blown-emergency medical care in Hungary. (Or as I've heard from other students, perhaps a theme in general here.) The hospital is older looking, there is noticeable damage to walls and doors. Very different looking compared to the shiny, overly well lit American hospitals that I'm used to. I sit, I wait maybe 20 minutes. She comes back from lunch, knows some English, prints out a form in English, and even accepts my temporary Hungarian student ID! (Never forgetting my passport in my dorm room again!) She deals with 4 other people while I'm trying to fill out the form. The proper format for a Hungarian address seems to vary by type of form/context but I have issues telling what to use when. The safest seems to be Zip Code, District Roman Numeral, (Either name of district or not), Street, Building Number, Room/Apt. Number. Odd since in Budapest the district is the middle two digits of the zip code anyway. Forms done, taken upstairs a waiting room. Wait. Wait some more. Look lost and scared making eye contact so they notice me. (Very useful technique indeed.) Nice med student asks me a few questions. I'm in a teaching hospital so there's a lot of med students here, which is good because it is mostly the young people here that speak English. Although if you act non-intimidating I've found that a lot of other people will speak some English, or French, or Chinese. (Although my vocabulary is quite limited in the later two languages.) I finally get into the examination room and meet one of the best doctors I've ever met in my life. He spoke English well too, and was willing to explain everything that he was about to do. After the physical examination, he was fairly certain it was appendicitis, he sent me to have blood drawn and an ultrasound, with strict instructions to not eat or drink anything in case I would need surgery. Neither of the women taking blood spoke English. Nem is no in Hungarian. I said "nem" a lot when they couldn't find the deep veins in my arms and started looking towards my hands. They even looked at my wrists which I've heard from American doctors is a major don't. So after whacking the crap out of my right arm they got me the first time. (Perhaps only the third time in my life I remember that happening.) And then they filled a vial, and then another, and another ... all in all, 6 vials! Vampires! I don't ever recall having that much blood taken before. Then they sent me to the room for the ultrasound. I took a moment at that point to try to make some international calls on my cell phone, which, much to my surprise, worked! I blew threw about 2500 ft in credit that day though! Got ahold of David, and had him call my mom. (For some reason calling her didn't work the first time.) The ultrasound tech spoke English and even showed me what he was doing on the screen. Couldn't find my appendix though.

Next they send me back to wait, and then from there to the building next door for a gyn consult. (I have a history with ovarian cysts so this has to be considered also.) I go to the doctor, Mr. Nice Doctor sends me to and am told to come back tomorrow. I go back to the first building and Mr. Nice Doctor gets annoyed with them. He then calls, has another doctor specifically agree to see me, makes sure the guard over there will help me get to where I need to be and then sends me on my way. The guard doesn't speak English, and I don't know enough Hungarian to communicate effectively yet. He takes me to another door, presses a buzzer and gestures that I should wait. No one answers for maybe 3 minutes or so. He is down the hallway at his post and gestures for me to press again. I do. A very very grumpy man answers, and speaking quite excellent condescending English informs me I should wait, implying just like everyone else. /facepalm Thankfully I didn't have to deal with him. Although he might have been the supervising doctor for the med student that saw me. Waiting game again. This time the waiting room, was a more typical Hungarian waiting room. Aka a hallway with benches in it.

A very nice female doctor came over to me, and I got yet another physical exam. You know how in American doctors offices they provide you with gowns or those thin paper coverups? None of that here. Well once in first ultrasound. After the exam I get sent for another ultrasound. This one was less fun, but still had an English speaking tech who was nice. Again another hallway waiting room before the ultrasound, this one in front of a marked locked door. Apparently you just sit down and wait. No check ins. This time he had a monitor he could turn on to show me rather than turning his screen. This one was the more invasive, "Can I please take a shower, a bath, and then maybe another shower?" kind. Went back upstairs, waited some more. Ms. Nice Doctor came by and said there was an emergency she had to run to. After she got back she came over and discussed the results, including blood work with me. Yay, white blood cell count normal, no sign of infection! She recommended I see an endocrinologist. (It is quite possible the severe pain I was in can be attributed to the side effect of a medicine which she says they don't prescribe in Hungary for that very reason. Yay, American medical establishment. /sarcasm) So she sends me home around 6:30.

I run instead to the departmental welcome party in hopes of finding my professor so I could explain in person about the missed meeting. She is very nice, although I know that she'll be tough academically. (Which is a good thing!) She left the party before I got there though. I ran into some people, explained that I was fine, and then left with Claudia to head back to the dorms after scarfing down a slice of pizza. Got back to dorm and had dinner in the cafeteria. (Until I got to the welcome party at 7 I hadn't really eaten or had anything to drink since about 8 that morning!) Got on skype to let everyone know I was okay (I think, I don't remember the rest of the night, except showering, a very very nice long shower). Sleep.

The next morning I got up to see the doctor I had the appointment for. Again, doorway in the basement of some medical building with benches in the hallway. Still having trouble getting used to this system. No reception where I go say "Hey I'm here for my appointment!" Also the office is pretty much one room, not much in the way of modesty either. He and my CEU doctor are of the opinion that my problems are something I should just deal with and wait out. Grrr... I disagree, and thankfully I have that referral to the endocrinologist from Ms. Nice Doctor from the hospital. If things don't get better in the next week (I'm being fair I think, giving it a week, especially since the pain is quite manageable now) I'll go to see this other doctor. I suspect the medicine I'm on has my whole body screaming WTF?!? at me.

Sorry for the really long post and all of they typos, but I figured this would make explaining easier. Also, it lets me sort everything out in my own mind. All considered, I'm doing fine, even with a small 200mg Advil the pain is gone. Yay! (It does give me a good potential thesis topic if the one I have doesn't work out. Although I'd really have to work to make it fit the History requirement...)