AI image today…

Yesterday was a big day in our house. I got my new computer, and am now writing my very first blog post on it. It took hours to set everything up on it, mainly because I forgot how the VESA arm works. I was also alone, so I had to wrestle the screen on the faceplate by myself. Everything was made more difficult, because I forgot that the arm can be taken apart, and all you have to do to get the arm to function is just push hard on it.

It took several hours for my files to migrate from my old computer to my new one. As I sit here right now, I’m moving music onto the new computer and adding apps that had to be deleted from the old one for want of space. The new computer has twice the amount of space and twice the RAM, so it should be good for awhile.

Bill went to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor yesterday about his “extra juicy cough”. It was the same practice he visited last year, when his ears were bothering him. Last year, they discovered his ears were full of wax, so they cleaned them out for him, which ended with immediate relief.

This year, he saw a different doctor, who saw that he’d come in for ear cleaning last year. So the doctor cleaned the little bit of wax he saw. Then he ran a fiberoptic tube down Bill’s nose to look at his throat! 😳

Bill said the guy was actually very professional, and treated him respectfully. Originally, he tried to look at his throat via Bill’s mouth, but Bill has a strong gag reflex. So he sprayed anesthetic up the nose and Bill said he couldn’t even feel the tube until it got past the nose. The doctor showed Bill his voice box and everything… I think I would have fainted dead away!

He also got a blood test that required just one drop of blood. The blood test was slightly abnormal.

The results were that there is a slight bronchial infection, so the doctor prescribed antibiotics, which Bill doesn’t need to take until a week has passed. If he’s not better next week, he should fill the prescription and take the meds. If he improves, they aren’t going to be necessary.

The doc also prescribed a steroidal inhaler, which the local Apotheke didn’t have in stock, but will have acquired later today. And he got a scrip for more Bronchipret, which doesn’t actually require a prescription. I guess he said there’s a more powerful preparation he can get. All told, the exam cost 300 euros, which Bill paid on site. He can submit the bill to Tricare, if he wants to. I don’t know if he’ll bother.

As Bill was telling me about all of this, I couldn’t help but remember my shockingly bad experience with the German gastroenterologist two years ago. It’s good to know there are professional doctors in Germany. 😏 I know there are professional doctors here, but I seem to have a special knack for running into the jerks.

Anyway, I think the conclusion is to let Tricare help us find doctors here, and avoid going to the hospital. The Medicum next door seems to be better. In fact, they even had a nice waiting room, strictly for private insurance/private paying patients.

Bill was actually sounding somewhat better yesterday, before he saw the doctor, but he’s still got that wretched, noisy, annoying cough that doesn’t let him sleep and causes him to wake me up with his rattling lungs. All this, stemming from that TDY trip he took to Spain in late May! He’s really been sick all summer, and he got me sick, too. Fortunately, I eventually got over my sickness.

Bill still has an appointment next month with his “GP” at Landstuhl. Meanwhile, I probably should tend to my own health, but my mental state forbids it. So, I think I’ll search for a nice spa hotel to visit, next time we have some free time. Too bad we couldn’t take advantage of the July 4th long weekend.

I’m glad Bill managed to get competent, respectful, and effective help. I hope if I ever darken the door of a doctor’s office again, I might manage to score the same!