We arrived at the doctor's office around 08:00. It was located on the second floor of an old building, but once we were inside it looked quite new and clean. Almost immediately after showing my passport, I was handed a tiny vial and pointed towards the women's toilet. I could figure out the object of that task, no problem, but it's funny because for the first time I kinda wished someone would give me some direction in how to do something I'm already a little bit familiar with. It's been a long time, maybe since I was 17, and I just didn't want to mess up. They had a stack of clean, disposable cups in the WC, and so I managed okay after all :)
Next we waited...then I paid 183 Euro (much less than I had originally expected to pay)... a little bit more waiting... then I was called into the blood room. First I had to sign a paper to say I'm not pregnant, then they let me lie down on a little bed while a nice older lady spoke sweetly to me as she strapped a tight band around my arm and cleaned the inside of my elbow. I understood her when she said, "baby, baby, baby, baby!" (or at least I recognized the words) and after awhile I figured out that she wanted me to flex. Miška explained later that the nurse didn't want to hurt me because I look so little! Awww :) They told me to finish my water bottle and pointed out some more water to drink if I need it. I was worried they were going to have me pee again, but it was just a precaution for my own comfort since they took blood.
Next I went to another room in the office with a female doctor who spoke English. She asked a few short questions about my current health, and any previous health issues I've had. Then she had me take off my t-shirt so she could take my blood pressure and do the stuff with a stethoscope...procedures I'm used to experiencing with my shirt ON, but I guess it was a good warm up for the next procedure.
We later walked across the street to what appeared to me to be a complex of different medical infirmaries... our building was the letter A. It was an old building, and once inside I started to imagine it as something you could see in an old war film. A dim, narrow corridor with white walls, and plain old doors and wooden benches for sitting and waiting; plus a nun and a man in a wheelchair to complete the scene. I knew that here they would take an x-ray of my lungs. X-rays are easy though, right? Sure, there are no needles or giving up bodily fluids, but after today I can't imagine I'll think of x-rays in the same way. ( Don't read that and be worried though! Nothing bad happened!) An older man in white scrubs called me into the x-ray room. He insisted he speaks English and that Miška can't join us. His English wasn't very good though... I barely understood when he told me to close the door behind me. Then he told me to take off my shirt, but the words he used where not English, and the gestures he used also weren't very helpful. By the gestures alone and with no prior ideas about this procedure, I would've thought that he was asking me if I'm pregnant- he just kept repeating the same phrase and moving his hand over his body from his waist to his neck with a rounded motion, like he was sliding it over a hill (not sure if that makes any sense). I hate to ask such things, but I wanted to get it over with, so I said, "You want me to take my shirt off?" and started to lift it up a little bit. "Yes, yes" he said, and walked away. I had heard that the shirt wasn't the only thing I would have to take off, but I didn't want to seem too eager to expose myself, so I left my bra on and entered into the bigger part of the room. Nope, not good enough- he sent me back to remove the rest of my coverings. It was at least a comfort that he seemed to be careful to not look at me much. Actually, after he sent me to take off my bra, he turned his back and didn't hear that I was standing next to the machine, waiting to get the procedure over with. So I stood uncomfortably for about 20 seconds, telling myself, This is only weird for you. He's a medical professional and he does this stuff all day and sees lots and lots of topless women. Just be mature about it. He's just like your gynecologist, seeing things like this all the time, but this is less invasive anyway, so don't be scared... Finally, he motioned for me to stand in front of the square part of the machine, but I was facing the wrong direction and he had to motion for me to turn around and rest my chin on the square board. (Those awkward little details that can really drag out the process...) He left the room to operate the machine (to protect himself from whatever harmful rays he was shooting at my bare body?), and soon came out to tell me I could get dressed. Or at least that's what I took his words to mean and quickly acted on the hint of such a suggestion. Then I waited with Miška again in the dim hallway while we waited to make sure the x-ray was okay. At last, the technicians emerged from the room and said we could leave.
I was home again around 10:00, and eagerly enjoying a big breakfast of banana pancakes :)
Today, in a few hours, I'll be meeting Heather at the train station. We're taking a weekend trip to help out at an outreach camp for Roma people (ie gypsies).
