Well, it all started with that fact that Amber has not been feeling well the last couple days. She has had the typical flu-like symptoms: a little temp, aches and pains, headache, some nausea, coughing, etc. Nothing had us really concerned until she started coughing up some blood early yesterday evening. Now, it wasn't a ton of blood, but it was maybe a few tablespoons. Certainly enough to get us a little worried. So to make a long story shorter, after a search on WebMD and a call to the local hospital, Amber and I headed out for our first taste of the Danish health care system.
We should preface everything with a reminder that health care is 100% free in Denmark if you're either a Danish citizen or a VISA holder like us. Even all acute (sudden, with no prior history) ailments are covered for tourists and others visiting the country.
After a short bus ride, followed by two short metro rides, and a short walk, we arrived at the hospital E.R. We stopped at the desk, they took our info, name, CPR#, and ailment and then asked us to sit in the waiting room. After only about ten minutes a nurse came and got us to ask us more about Amber's sickness. She sent us down the hall, where another nurse checked us in, took Amber's vitals, and helped us get a little comfortable. I'd say a doctor arrived about10-15 minutes later and did a more thorough exam. He ordered blood work, and a chest x-ray. Both of these were done quickly. He reviewed everything after 1.5 hours and came back. The main concern was that her symptoms might be consistent with a blood clot in the lungs. They saw a kind of darkish spot on the x-ray and also picked up a possible sign in the blood work (although the higher than normal reading also comes along with an infection in the body). All that to say, he felt pretty confident everything was okay, but wanted to take every precaution (which I am thankful for) so he gave Amber some blood thinner, administered by a needle to the stomach, on the outside chance that there was actually a clot in the lungs and set us up to come back in tomorrow morning so the x-rays could be reviewed by a respiratory doctor and additional tests could be run if necessary. So after only about three hours at the hospital we left again. Not bad considering the amount of work that was done.
Now you don't have to be a genius to know that health care in the U.S. is in pretty sore shape, so I eagerly took the opportunity to compare. Overall I'd say health care here is more of a service than a business. Here, the building isn't a grand architectural wonder, with lavish finishes. The building was quite plain, the paint and flooring very simple, and the beds and equipment not quite as nice as what you'd see in the States, but definitely sufficient. I can't help but think that all those things add up. I think I've said it before, but I've been intrigued to view the differences in our systems.
Despite having a front row seat to view the Danish healthcare system, we were very relieved to be leaving for the night. By the time we walked back to the Metro Station and took a transfer to get to our line it was pretty late. Because of this, trains were running very infrequently which gave us time to hear that some people around us were speaking very clear American English.
So, we struck up a conversation and found out that they were all studying abroad at a school in Spain and had come to visit Copenhagen over Easter break. They were trying to get to our stop, so we got on and off the train with them. From the station, their hotel was on the way to our apartment, so we helped make sure they got to the right place. Unfortunately, when we arrived (well after midnight) their hotel had already closed for the evening at 11:00pm. So, with it being so late, a light rain falling, and cool chill in the air we did what any good American would do...we said "Best of luck finding a place to stay. See you later!" Oh wait...I said "good American" didn't I? Okay, truth is we invited them to stay at our place that night. (No axe murderers in the group, based on our assessment!) From the closed hotel we set out for our apartment and arrived after a five minute walk. Our place is only 1.5 stories up, but we decided to take the elevator since my wife was not feeling well and they had luggage. Turns out that was a bad idea...Shortly after starting, the car came to a hault between floors. So we got to push the little alarm button and wait 45 minutes with our overnight guests for someone to come let us out. Finally, getting in well after 1:00am we talked more with our guests about their travels to Belgium and Amsterdam (where we're going in May). I also got to catch the last 10minutes or so of the Wildcats win over USC. That was a great end (1st tournament win in almost 20 years) to an eventful day.
1 comment:
Thanks for the giggles, Joseph! What a crazy day! And, most of all, thanks for taking such good care of my oldest little sister!!
I think the comparison between the two health care systems is interesting. Your review of the Danish hospital is (not surprisingly) consistent with the memories I have of the country and their wonderful people, so I'm not surprised to hear that their health professionals are the same! That's awesome!
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