Health care

We are required to have health insurance to get official identification, which is a challenge since in order to get health insurance the company wants to be able to automatically withdraw from your bank account, but most banks require you to have a official identification in order to open a bank account. Where D. works they deal with a lot of people from out of the country and he was able to open a bank account, but it wasn't easy.

The good news is that we have health insurance and I was the first to use it.  I take thyroid hormone replacement, which is fairly common.  I had brought enough to get through almost the first six months, which was lucky.  This month I needed to renew my prescription.

D. figured out a place that was close and accepted our insurance and I called for an appointment. They apologized that the thyroid specialist was in town just once a week so I couldn't see someone for a few days.  I thought there was no need to apologize.

I figured out the right place to check in and the right place to wait.  The doctor was not impressed with my language skills. ("You should learn the language.  It is easy.")  He ordered ultrasonic imaging of my thyroid and a battery of blood tests.

The ultrasound was done at the same location and afterward they gave the results to take to my next appointment.  I guess that cuts down on worries about where to store files and who will look at them.

The lab for the blood draw was in a different location and had to be done after fasting.  I was welcome any time between 8-11am M-S.  There was no line and I could pick up my results a week later.

sample of both units

I was given the results to take to the doctor and they were listed in both US and 
Système international (SI) units.  The US measures many things by weight (e.g., mg/dL) and SI is by concentration (number of micromoles/liter).

I was able to get a follow-up appointment the next day the specialist was in town.  I spoke as much of the language as I could and was able to understand most of what he said. I sat while he typed in all the results, which were good enough to get a prescription.

from Google maps

I took the prescription to the pharmacy across the street and used my best Spanish to ask how long the wait would be to pick it up.  They were confused.  How long does the medicine last?  I asked a different way.  How long after taking the medicine can I eat?  I put the question into Google translate and still got blank stares.  She looked at the prescription, repeated the question, and put the medicine in her hand.  I guess the concept of waiting for a prescription made no sense.

That was it.  The process took a little while and the only thing I paid for was the medication (5.85€). The whole thing gave me great sympathy for anyone coming to the US and trying to figure out that system, which would be a challenge in any language.