PREFACE: As frustrating as the language barrier was, I am grateful this happened outside of the States, b/c I am only insured for overseas emergency medical coverage... so praise the Lord for the little inconveniences!
Days 5.1 & 6:
I went to bed at 6:30pm on day 5, with the intent of rising early & preparing for classes in the morning before a meeting with colleagues. 45 minutes later, I was in the worst pain of my life. I went from completely unconscious to standing with tears in my eyes in about 3 seconds.
It felt like some internal organ had exploded – so naturally, I assumed appendix. But I didn’t have the internet to talk myself out of it... and I had no credit on my phone. And there was no doubt that this was more pain than I’d ever had. So I knocked on my neighbours’ door (whom I have never met) and explained that I think I need a hospital, but that I want to phone my American “friend”, Sara (whom I had only met 2 days earlier) for advice – she’s lived in Mulhouse over a year. After much panic on (their part) and laboured explanations (on my part), including them trying to phone for an ambulance on one phone & not understanding that I had no credit, but still trying to phone Sara on it regardless... Sara phoned back and we were able to make a plan: Sara would phone M & they would both come get me in a taxi (as neither of them drive) & we would all go to the hospital.
Okay, that’s settled.
Now I have made 2 (maybe 3?) new friends – on Erasmus* study from Germany & Italy, one of whom stayed with me until my ride to the hospital arrived, and one of whom stopped me in the grocery store the next day (day 6) & asked how I was doing... way to make an impression, Stephanie.
M didn’t answer her phone, so Sara phoned the next best option: X**, who had a vehicle, but was a man - & a man who was uber-polite/not fond of hospitals(?) & refused to go into translate for me... so Sara (who’s only recently began French studies, even though she’s lived here for a year... she’s been teaching English) and I (who did not brush up on my Medical vocab before taking this trip) struggled for 4 hrs to explain my pain & understand ER-speak. FUN TIMES.
Ultimately, I was told that their best diagnosis is “colique néphrétique”, which almost means “kidney spasms” when translated into English, possibly “calculs rénals” (kidney stones), but they had no radiology department, so I would have to get that confirmed the next day. They sent me home with an IV of what I think is ibuprofen & prescriptions for the same med plus 1000mg Tylenol. woot...
Day 6
This day was pretty much spent in pain. I had to meet M and Claire (to whom I will devote more time in a near-future post) for some HR paperwork. This is much-needed so that I can get a “carte vitale” and be reimbursed for the medical treatments I am receiving (which are not NEARLY as expensive as one would think – my total bill so far (as I write this) is under 150E!)... after that, M sent me home, made appointments for the radiology centre, and offered to be my translator for the visit – what an ANGEL!
We went to the radiology centre where the differences between French & Americans have been made MOST evident... people walking around semi-nude & all the doors are left open during exams... weird... a little unnerving if you have ANY indication of how modest I am... the two best parts about this visit were: (1) the confirmation of actual stones, so it was not all in my head, WHEW! and (2) the crazy tilt-a-whirl xray table they placed me on: I started out standing and they spun the table until I was nearly completely upside-down – awesome!
Then they sent me to a physician to recommend treatment. Since it was already nearly 6pm, that visit didn’t happen until Day 7. M & I took a taxi to my place, I walked to the grocery store & decided on cheese for supper (vive la france, eh?) – where I ran into my neighbour – and turned in for the night at around 8pm.
* I know I mentioned it in my Irish posts, but for those of you who are new to this broadcast: Erasmus is an exchange program between Universities in all of the EU countries, where humanities (history, languages, cultural studies) students are required to spend a certain amount of time attending Uni in a foreign-language country. Usually one year per each foreign language in your degree. My friend Jonathan did Erasmus in Paris for his French & a work-study in Japan for his Japanese (since Japan is obviously not in the EU).
** X is mentioned in my Day 5 post... I asked him if when he offered to give us a lift any time earlier that day, did he have 4 hrs at “les urgences” that night in mind??? He laughed & said that he hops we can have more enjoyable trips next time... how is this guy not taken? A better question would be why am I not interested??? (I have several theories about that, none of which will make it on this post, haha)
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