Tag Archives: German healthcare

Hessen

We chose the wine stand over wine week…

Bill got home from Stuttgart yesterday afternoon. He was pretty tired from the traffic he faced on the drive home. We were supposed to go to Wiesbaden and join people from his company at Wiesbaden’s wine week festival, which will go on through next weekend. But, because Bill was so exhausted from driving, we decided to go to the much quieter wine stand that was hosted by the SPD last night.

Our village square has a communal chess set. Sometimes, people even use it!

We could have brought Noyzi and Charlie to the event, since it wasn’t very busy. I think they would have been fine. We decided not to, though, because I think we just wanted to hang out for a bit. The weather was pleasant– kind of cool with a breeze– and we just wanted to enjoy the ambiance. Other people brought dogs. One guy even had his little white dog in a baby carriage!

After we sat for a short while, and older local couple joined us, and then we saw our American friend and neighbor whose house was being “sat” by the American couple we met last week while she was on vacation with her family. She said they’d gone to Paris and she caught a glimpse of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics!

It turns out our neighbor also had a colonoscopy at the same hospital where I had mine done… but hers was not done by the chief. She described her experience as much better than mine was. I think maybe the secret to decent German healthcare is to have someone more junior do the procedures. Our neighbor also highly recommended the local Hausarzt (family doctor) in our town, although it’s hard to get an appointment with her. Maybe it might be worth seeing her.

We chatted more with our neighbor, who is also fluent in German. She translated a little for us with the older German couple. As it turned out, they did speak a little English, and Bill and I used our budding German skills. Then friends of theirs showed up, and we had a little party going on. As usual, I drank too much wine. 😉

This dog was so cute and well behaved!

After we went to the wine stand, we came home and Bill cooked burgers on the grill. Then we talked for a bit, mostly about how busy the summer has been, and how fast it’s flown by this year!

It’s hard to believe that pretty soon, we’ll be in Iceland, enjoying Arctic breezes and hoping for sunny skies. After that, fall will be upon us once again. I’m sure we’ll get to the wine festival, too. I’m kind of glad we skipped it last night, though. I’m sure it was very busy!

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Hessen, markets, trip planning

Smoked out of the weekly market… dinner plans… and time to plan a short trip in June…

Bill got home from his latest business trip at about 3:30 PM. Because he was home early, we decided to go to the weekly market in our Dorfplatz. It was pretty quiet when we got there, as it was still kind of early. A couple of the usual vendors weren’t there. They were probably taking an Urlaub (vacation).

We decided to have some wine, so Bill got us a couple of glasses. When a table opened up, we claimed it. About ten minutes later, two women showed up and asked if they could sit with us. We said yes. One of them brought a beer with her and it slipped out of her hands. Fortunately, she caught it before it hit the ground.

Two minutes later, she lit up her first cigarette. Her friend joined her. Naturally, the wind was blowing my way, so her smoke was in my face. I said nothing and tried to keep my face passive as I secretly fumed. I fantasized about showing up at the next market with an oxygen tank.

Soon, a man in bright colored clothing sat down with us. He, too, lit up a cigarette. It was like they were trying to smoke us off the table. Another woman showed up. She started vaping. As I sat there, calmly drinking Riesling, then Cabernet Franc, breathing in the putrid smoke, I thought to myself… these are the people who look down on Americans for being fat, unhealthy, and obnoxious. But Americans don’t corner the market on rude, unhealthy, and obnoxious behavior. 😉

Never mind, though. While we sat there, Bill booked us another table at the fabulous Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember we went there the day before St. Patrick’s Day this year. It was a very expensive, but incredibly amazing, dinner for us. I am looking forward to another delightful evening of flavors that blow my mind… even if the menu is the same as it was last time (and I don’t think it is.)

While he was in Stuttgart, Bill managed to call our Hundepension. He left a message, and Natasha, Noyzi’s favorite babysitter, called back immediately. Bill explained that he’d been trying to get in touch. She said they hadn’t gotten his emails… and I’m assuming he had called, but never got voice mail. But, anyway, we were able to book Noyzi for June 7-11, so we can take a short trip. And we booked the first week of September, so now we can go to Iceland. That is, provided whatever is ailing me doesn’t cause a problem… I doubt it will, but you never know.

Bill said while he was in Stuttgart, the folks said they wanted him to come back June 11-13. He had to tell them he couldn’t, because he had “family business”. Part of that is wherever we’re going, and the other part is him dragging me to the doctor after 14 years. He really has to be here for it, because otherwise, I won’t be going. I know that sounds crazy… and if we were in the US, it would be less of an issue. But he’s already had to reschedule this appointment, which was originally scheduled for today. So he begged off on another TDY.

I still don’t want to see the doctor, but I’m somewhat less stressed about it right now. That will probably last until the day of the appointment. I have a feeling on June 13th, one week before my birthday, I will be freaking out a lot.

I actually do have a good feeling about it, though. I expect this doctor will be a decent one. He’s supposedly the chief of staff. And I expect whatever is wrong with me can and will be fixed. However, I also have a feeling that surgery might possibly be involved, which could really fuck up our plans. But maybe it won’t. Maybe I’ll just get some medications and a brief lecture with requisite German sternness. Or maybe the doctor will be the medical equivalent of Jimmy Buffett and just put a smile on my face. One can only hope, right?

If anything, I can write about it. People will read it, too. That’s one of those topics people are interested in… like wife spanking and nude spas. Don’t ask me how I know.

BWAHAHAHHAHA….

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blog news, dental, German lifestyle, Health, Sundays

Mother’s Day in Deutschland, 2024…

We had big plans to do something fun this weekend. The weather is fine, with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures. Unfortunately, we never managed to get out yesterday, because we got bogged down with chores. By the time they were done, it was mid afternoon. So we ended up enjoying the backyard, which was freshly mowed and trimmed.

Bill cooked burgers on the grill and we enjoyed lots of beer and my ever expanding music catalog on the HomePod. We weren’t the only ones who stayed home yesterday. Our neighbors on both sides were also enjoying the weather in their backyards. The featured photo is of Deschutes Black Butte Porter, which was a welcome find in the Class VI store on post. I miss American craft beers.

This morning, I woke up with a horrible crick in my neck that really hurts. It’s somewhat better now, since I took some Advil. Fortunately, we can get Advil on post, as it’s not available without a prescription in Germany. The painkiller took the edge off the crick, but it still hurts to turn my head to the right. My stomach is also still bothering me a bit…

Bill finally made me an appointment with a gastroenterologist at the local hospital. Because we have Tricare insurance, they automatically give us the chief of the service. I guess Tricare is considered private insurance here, which means we rate the so-called “best” doctors. I’m nervous about the appointment, which happens a week before my birthday next month. I haven’t seen a physician since the spring of 2010. I saw a military doctor (who was a civilian) at the now defunct Fort McPherson in Georgia for what I’m sure are gallstones… Nothing was done then. This time, I don’t think I’ll be as lucky. 🙁 I expect this doctor will want to do some rather unpleasant tests… but maybe he won’t. We’ll see. Either way, there will be drugs involved.

I truly hate going to doctors. I was severely traumatized by one years ago, and it’s caused problems for me ever since. I pretty much have to be dying before I’ll go see one. Consequently, I have no recent medical history whatsoever, other than COVID-19 vaccinations. I am a little afraid this visit will prompt a cascade of medical attention… or, at least, they’ll encourage it. SIGH… and I am now at an age at which shit starts happening. Anyway, enough boring shit about my health. At least I don’t feel too terrible. The stomach thing is mostly just an annoyance. The crick in my neck is more of a nuisance on this Mother’s Day.

I was thinking maybe we’d go somewhere today, but again, it’s Mother’s Day, and that means a lot of people will be dining out. We once made the wrong decision to go out on Mother’s Day without a reservation, and it was almost a disaster. So, since it’s a big restaurant day, and because I don’t feel that great, anyway, I think we’ll stay home and enjoy the weather in our backyard. Or, I will probably do that after I take a nap. Right now, Bill is in the kitchen, cleaning up the oven. He sure is a sweetheart… Below are a couple of photos of lunches he packed for himself this week. Everybody gets a kick out of how beautifully presented and healthy his lunches are. Meanwhile, I would prefer to eat junk.

I don’t know how I ended up with a military veteran husband who is so in touch with his feminine side. But we sure do have a lot of fun together. I was hoping to book a short break somewhere this month, but we can’t seem to get the Hund Pension to answer email… As soon as they do, we will start building our next vacation, which looks like it will take place in Iceland. So… we’ll see what the next week brings.

Hopefully, whatever is causing my stomach issues won’t be anything serious… and I won’t run screaming from the room when I meet the doctor. I also hope he’s not the type to lecture… either way, I’m sure I’ll write about it next month. Tomorrow, Bill goes in to get the next part of his dental implant done. It will involve some minor surgery. Hopefully, that will go well for him. My own implant experience was not quite as traumatic as his is turning out to be.

We also heard from Bill’s younger daughter and her children. One of them made Bill’s day by saying he wanted to say hello to “Papa”. If you know our story, you know that is a very big deal. If you don’t know it and are curious, you can check the main blog… or just understand that parental alienation after divorce is a real thing and a huge problem. But, fortunately, Bill’s younger daughter inherited her dad’s capacity to forgive, as well as his good sense.

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Health, Military

A stem to stern skin exam… German style…

I don’t have anything to report travel wise this week, as Bill is away on another business trip. He left for Bavaria on Thursday and will be gone until this Friday. I hate it when he travels without me, but at least we have a trip upcoming. I’ve been trying to make the best of my alone time by sprucing up the garden furniture. Yesterday, I put teak oil on it, and I have plans to add a sealant. However, it looks like it’s going to rain, so maybe it’s just as well that Bill isn’t home.

Before Bill left for his trip to Bavaria, he visited a doctor in Mainz. Several months ago, I noticed a spot on his skin that looked weird. He showed it to his military doc, and she referred him to a dermatologist. Or, she told him to go see one. He had to find one on his own, since he’s retired from the military.

Bill scheduled a visit with a doctor in Mainz, but she had to cancel his appointment because she was sick. I believe the original appointment was supposed to happen in March. The appointment was rescheduled for May 3, and Bill dutifully went in on Wednesday morning. He said the waiting room was full of people.

When he made his appointment, he was advised that he could either pay 50 euros for a spot check, or pay 120 euros for a full exam, complete with high resolution photos. As Bill is a very white guy who’s of a certain age, he went with the 120 euro option. Bill described the procedure to me after it was all done.

He went in, met the doctor and showed her the spots that were questionable. She had him strip completely naked (though I don’t know if he had to keep wearing a face mask). She stayed in the room while he disrobed. Then, she methodically checked his entire body, to include all of the places the sun doesn’t shine– between his toes, on his gums, under his balls, and probably between his ass crack, too.

She took photos of four or five places, then had him get dressed, again while she was in the room. The whole thing took about an hour. Afterwards, she said the questionable spots were not of concern, but she had noticed that he had fungus on his feet. Bill probably blushed and said, “Yes, I have a problem with athlete’s foot.”

“I’ll prescribe you something for that. You must apply it three times a day until the fungus is gone, and wash your socks in hot water.” I think he should just get new socks, if you ask me.

After the appointment, he paid the 120 euros, then went to a nearby pharmacy and got the foot medicine. That was another 17 euros. He’ll file the bill with our insurance and probably get the money back. Still, I thought that was pretty affordable for such a thorough exam. I probably should visit her myself, given that I’m as white as he is. I don’t like doctors, though.

It was a lucky thing that he had enough euros on him, though, because the doctor’s office only takes EC credit cards (European). Our cards are American. I tried to get Bill to open a German bank account so we could get local cards, but he ignored my advice. Of course, now German banks don’t like messing with Americans, thanks to our crazy ass tax reporting laws.

Anyway, I’m glad his skin is healthy, for now. I ordered him a couple of new Irish flat caps to help keep his scalp skin cancer free. I’m sure they’ll come in handy on our trip next month. He sure can rock a flat cap! The ones in the photos are summer weight, as opposed to the wool tweed one he usually wears in cold weather. Aran Sweater Market for the win.

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