Category Archives: hospitals

plague doctors

24 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by in coronavirus, covid, health, hospitals, sevilla, spain

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The Plague Doctors of the middle ages put themselves at great personal risk to carry out their duties, much like any doctor would today. Oh wait, let me revise that. Much like doctors did during the first two years of the pandemic. These days doctors are more likely to be carrying plague (well, Covid) and are not taking any precautions in order to not pass it on to their co-workers or their patients.

Today Peter and I went to the Centro de Salud to make appointments for blood tests and I thought I would pop in to their drop-in emergency room and have someone take a look at my throat. Ever since I got that killer sore throat more than a month ago, which evolved into a big mucousy mess of a “cold” including a non-stop runny nose and chesty cough, well it’s never quite gone away. It’s more like it ebbs and flows, with some days feeling normal and then WHAM it’s back again. But each time it comes back with slightly different symptoms. Lately I’ve noticed a somewhat disturbing pain just above my clavicle on the right side of my oesophagus that I thought should at least be mentioned to a doctor. Since this “cold” first arrived I reckon I’ve done at least eight Covid/FluAB/RSV tests and so it kind of points to a possible bacterial infection.

Anyhow, after a short bus ride from hell crowded with unmasked people coughing and hacking all over the place we arrived at the Centro to find… the exact same scenario. I’d read about health centres and emergency rooms here being overwhelmed by “respiratory illness” patients and so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was completely dismayed that NOBODY was wearing a mask. So the last thing I wanted to do was remove my mask in a small unventilated examination room with an unmasked doctor getting up close and personal to have a look down my gullet.

And so after making the blood test appointments (Feb 3) I decided to hold off and maybe try to see a doctor then if my symptoms are still a concern. But I mean… idiot selfish asshole people coughing all over everyone and not bothering to SIMPLY PUT ON A MASK is one thing, but oughtta-know-better professional health care workers doing the same… is unconscionable, to put it mildly. I honestly don’t know how they justify their behaviour when they are clearly putting their patients and co-workers at risk. THEY should be the ones setting an example but it’s like we’re living in the upside-down now.

For my food tours and wine tastings I require that people be fully vaccinated with the most recent Covid booster. Today a potential client (63 years old) told me that he and his wife went to get their flu and RSV shots a couple of months ago but – AT THEIR DOCTOR’S RECOMMENDATION – they did not take the Covid booster option. Wtf…

People always say that the medieval Plague Doctors looked scary… I say the present day ones are far scarier. Because they have the science to know better but choose to ignore it. And they don’t seem to care who dies or is disabled as a result. Shame on them.

defensor del pueblo andaluz

05 Thursday Dec 2024

Posted by in health, health & happiness, hospitals, sevilla

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

defensor del pueblo

Many years ago I was walking past a very elegant building not far from where I live now and the sign outside caught my interest. I wondered what the Defensor del Pueblo Andaluz actually did. Like, who did they defend, and from what? As luck would have it there was a man standing in the doorway and so I asked him. And he said, well, when people are having difficulties and don’t know what they can do we find ways of helping them find the help they need. I remember thinking at the time, wow, what a wonderful service.

They came back to mind earlier this week when I got in touch with my friend (and ex-GP) Agustín to ask him if there was such a thing as an official Patient Advocate that might be able to help me with this whole medical mess I’ve been going through with my knee(s). He suggested that I register a formal complaint with Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS) but the thought of going through all that without even knowing where to start… well, it made me think of the DPA. 

I got onto their website and there was an easy way to send in a request so I did that. That very evening I got a call from someone from the DPA who also suggested the formal complaint route, saying I could go to any health centre or hospital and submit the form. The next day I received an email with a PDF of my official file number etc but meanwhile some questions had arisen. I’m very familiar with Spanish red tape so what I didn’t want is to show up at the hospital and have them give me the run around.

So today I took a copy of my DPA file over to that elegant building and said to the guy at the information counter that I still had a few questions. No problem. Within a few minutes I was talking to an advisor who listened to my whole story and then… actually helped me! He said I didn’t have to go to a hospital or health centre, that it was easy to do everything online, especially if I had a certificado digital (which I do) and he proceeded to take me through the steps, showing me the SAS website on his computer screen, what to click on, etc. Then he told me that after sending in the official complaint SAS had one month to respond and if they didn’t respond by then, or if I did not agree with their response, then I had a case for the DPA and they would officially step in.

OMG… I almost started crying. I mean, it’s scary to hope at this point, but suddenly I could actually DO something, there were clear steps to take and it made me feel less helpless and alone. So of course I sent in that official SAS complaint as soon as I got home today and… now we wait. Meanwhile I got an SMS from DPA reminding me of how to send in the official complaint and also what to do after I receive a response with corresponding emails and phone numbers. Fucking socialist governments, eh?

shingles vax 2024

19 Tuesday Nov 2024

Posted by in health, hospitals, sevilla, spain

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

shingles

So dammit. For the past few years I’ve been asking at my health centre for the shingles vaccine and the answer was always that it wasn’t available. Until this year! A couple of weeks ago while picking up some papers at the reception desk I asked if I could make an appointment for a shingles jab and they said, sure no problem. Well hey! So I signed up both me and Peter and today we went to get the deed done. Except then we didn’t.

When I moved to the present Casa Azahar in 2017 I didn’t change health centres because my long-time GP and friend Agustín was there. There’s actually another health centre about a 7 minute walk from me, and this one is about 30 minutes away. These days that would take me an hour on the crutches, so instead I take the bus two stops, though this still involves about 20 minutes of shuffle-walking. I know I could switch to the other place, and since Agustín retired a couple of years ago that would seem to make sense. But I dunno. I know my way around this one. It’s small, fairly modern. It’s comfortable.

I have had occasion to go to the closer health centre, a massive 8-storey building built in the mid-20th century, taking the place of the rather splendid Instituto de Higiene del doctor Leopoldo Murga Machado that used to occupy that corner of Marqués de Paradas. And well… I hate it there. It’s… too big? Walls are painted hospital green. It just feels too institutional. And as I say, I’m used to my now pain-in-the-ass to get to one.

But hey, whatever it takes. Got on the bus, hobbled up to the health centre, masked up and walked in, knew exactly where to go. My name was called… then the nurse asked which year I was born. Wut? Turns out the shingles vaccine is ONLY available to people born in 1959. I was soooooooo… wut??? The nurse went on to explain that this was the first year the vaccine has become available and, for whatever reason, they are starting with people born in 1959. She did seem apologetic, but what a waste of a morning.

I’d also had a telephone appointment with my GP earlier and asked if she could fast-lane my upcoming appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon and she said “oh, you’ll have to call the hospital about that, not my department”. Fucking hell, she could have told me this when I asked her two weeks ago during Peter’s appointment (I was there to help translate), instead she said that to look up anything about me I’d have to make a separate appointment. And so now I am on a continuous loop of calling-calling-calling the hospital on speaker. Wish me luck!

marques de paradasInstituto de Higiene del doctor Leopoldo Murga Machado

no news isn’t good news

21 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by in health, hospitals, knee saga, knees

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , ,

no news

I’m already exhausted about writing this post even before starting it. For a few days it seemed like the sudden and excruciating knee pain I first experienced back in May 2023 (left knee), which then extended to the right knee, and then got worse and worse to the extent that I’ve been painfully shuffling around (you can’t call it walking) on crutches since August, was finally about to be taken seriously and treated.

I knew I shouldn’t have got my hopes up.

I arrived at the health centre fully prepared with a typed-out list of the whole saga including every doctor’s visit, every test, every “non-treatment”, thinking it would be helpful for the traumatologist to see it laid out chronologically because, in my experience, most doctors know nothing about you or your case until you walk through the door and then there is the usual them skimming through your files on the computer and half-listening while you try to explain your situation.

Anyhow, my knees were poked and prodded and it was confirmed that I did indeed have mobility issues and PAIN because of the torn meniscus. Then the doctor said she wasn’t going to recommend a knee replacement (wtf?) but would send me to another specialist to see about getting the meniscus repaired. Well okay, better than nothing. I asked how soon I would get this appointment and was told not until AFTER CHRISTMAS. It was like a punch in the gut.

I got the usual ride a bike – go to a pool – lose weight – take painkillers “advice” and when I asked about seeing a physiotherapist the doctor said physio isn’t helpful for a torn meniscus. SO THEN WTF WOULD GOING TO THE POOL OR RIDING A BIKE DO?

I honestly don’t know what I am going to do now. The right knee keeps getting worse and worse and I fear that soon I won’t be able to walk at all, even with the crutches. Meanwhile not working is taking its toll both emotionally (I miss my old life) and financially (so scared about this). And to think that everything is just on pause, yet again, until January… right now I can’t bear to even think about that because it’s just too much. Fuck.

got the call!

18 Friday Oct 2024

Posted by in health, hope, hospitals, knee saga, knees

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

got the call

Well today took a sudden turn! I had planned to go with Peter to see Nice GP because he does better with an interpreter and also because I wanted to ask her what the heck was going on with the “priority” request she made for me to see a traumatologist (made almost a month ago). Then early this morning my phone rang. At first I wasn’t going to answer it because it was an unknown number then I picked it up… and omg I’m so glad I did. It was the Traumatology Dept calling to say I have an appointment NEXT MONDAY. Like wow.

First thing I did was cancel Peter’s appointment. Okay, not really, I moved it to two weeks from now. Why? Well organising medical appointments has become both simpler and more difficult these days as the ease of being able to book some things online is thwarted by long waiting times. For example, the first appt Peter could get is in two weeks, which is fine because it’s nothing urgent, just getting his blood test results and checking his bp meds. And since I go with him the end of October works better for both of us as that’s when I need to ask the doc about my next blood test and also update my bp meds, so then we can do it all at once.

One less trip to the (maskless) health centre is always a good thing.  Especially as Peter was already there yesterday to get his Covid-Flu booster (yay!) and I should be getting mine next week. And now I also have this new appointment on Monday. At first I was worried I might get the same awful traumatologist as before but it’s at a different health centre, so hopefully not. Last time they asked me if I wanted my appointment at Fleming or Marqués de Paradas and I chose the latter as it’s five minutes from my house. I’m starting to think that was a big mistake as both the Evil Endo and Dismissive Traumatologist appts took place there. This time I wasn’t given a choice so fuck convenience. Fleming is about a 40 minute bus ride from my place, but the bus stop is on the corner so that’s okay (the trusty 32 bus, which we may be losing to make Sevilla more TOURIST FRIENDLY).

Anyhow, I feel like I only have this one shot left to get the help I actually need. So I will be arming myself with the entire timeline of THE KNEE(S) SAGA, which began back in May 2023 (though I’d been having knee issues for years, this was the first time it affected my ability to walk).

May 2023 – sudden acute pain in left knee which continued to get worse
July 2023 – X-ray both knees
July 2023 – GP request for MRI (had to plead, wasn’t taken seriously)
Sept 2023 – MRI on left knee (though by this time right knee pain was much more severe)
Oct 2023 – Emergency hospital visit for severe right knee pain, was told that as there is osteoarthritis in left knee then obviously it’s in the right one too (ER doctor looked at previous x-ray not MRI), said I did not have a Bakers cyst, refused to do any further testing – was sent home with a prescription for Nolatil, a drug banned in 20 countries.
Oct 2023 – Started using a cane, could no longer walk without it
April 2024 – Appt with Traumatologist who admits I have Bakers cysts behind both knees but won’t recommend physiotherapy and refuses my request for an MRI on the right knee, tells me to ride a bike, lose weight and prescribes more drugs
June 2024 – GP (a new one) requests an MRI on right knee
August 2024 – Unable to walk anymore without using crutches, pain unbearable, at best I can shuffle-walk
Sept 2024 – MRI on right knee
Sept 2024 – GP requests appt with Traumatologist (again)
Oct 2024 – I guess we’ll find out

Meanwhile I have not been able to work since July and, aside from the physical and emotional stress (I miss my life!), I am also under a lot of financial stress wondering how I am going to make ends meet. Especially as this doesn’t look like there’s a quick solution, even if I start getting proper treatment asap.

Anyhow! One step at a time, so to speak. At the moment it all hangs on the Monday appointment and whether I get a sympathetic and not-too-overworked doctor who actually wants to help me. Let’s hope so. I’m a bit annoyed with myself for not being a better patient advocate for myself all this time but sometimes it’s really hard to stand up for yourself when you’re in pain and being told nothing is really wrong and it’s all because you’re old and fat and otherwise being dismissed as not worth their time. But now I’m angry as fuck. And I really need Monday to work. Wish me luck.