Davey Sicky

Wednesday, September 24 2010

Well, it happened.  One of us got sick...and it was Dave.  Our plan was to avoid all medical mishaps over the next couple of years (yeah right).  Don't get us wrong, the medical system here is top-rated.  We simply wanted to avoid it because it's just another thing to figure out in a foreign culture.  Which kind of doctor should we visit?  Do we need an appointment?  Is there a doctor that speaks English?  And so on... (not to mention figuring out the new insurance plan reimbursement process).  But alas, it was bound to happen eventually and better that we could figure it out (somewhat) in a non-emergency situation.

Last Sunday morning Dave woke up with a bad sore throat.  Ang had something similar, just not as severe (or Dave is just a big wuss -- probably the more likely scenario).  He decided to do the smart thing and quarantine himself at home in order to spare our co-workers.  He did this Monday and Tuesday, then the worst morning came on Wednesday and we started to get nervous that he wouldn't be healed in time for our trip to Munich on Friday.  So, time to see the doctor! 

We pretty much went through the same questions as recited above.  Where do we go for a sore throat in Geneva?  Luckily for Dave, Ang was great at playing "Dr. Mom" and figured it all out while he moaned in agony, resisting the idea of getting out of bed.  A co-worker of ours had similar symptoms a few weeks earlier and recommended a doctor about 30 minutes away.  He warned that the receptionist didn't speak a lick of English, however the doctor was very good.

We made our way out to the doctor and when we arrived, confirmed that the receptionist spoke zero English (she did say "name" one time, we think??).  Thankfully a helpful Swiss citizen was present in the office with us and was able to translate, or we would have probably gotten right back on the bus back home.  The helpful Swiss eventually shared with us that the doctor we were visiting was the type you'd see if you had a recurring condition or something that needed monitoring and follow-up visits, which was fine, but perhaps not necessary for quick help on common sickness, etc.  Apparently Swiss citizens just go to the ER for quicker help with colds & flus (yes, they all have their own insurance-- a federal requirement-- and aren't just taking advantage of the system), maybe next time that's what we'll do.

Sorry to belabor a simple story, but we wanted to give an example of a common challenge we get to experience over here. :)  In the end the doctor was extremely nice, spoke great English, and we would definitely go back to him.  As suspected, Dave just had a viral infection, not strep or anything, and we just needed to wait it out.  He got some simple prescriptions and we were on our way.  And in case you're curious, Dave is just now back to 100% (violins, please).  It was over 2 weeks of crapiness, but he survived!