Sinus infection, enfermedad, visit to the médico, olé!

This weekend has been very low-key as I have another lovely sinus infection and not much desire or energy to go out, which brings me to my new favorite story about my first use of my Spanish medical insurance. I thought it deserved its own blog entry, plus the last one was already too long. After steadily medicating an unrelenting fever with paracetamol (spanish tylenol) and blowing my nose every minute, I decided I needed a doctor and antibiotics. After lots of talking with my host mom and people at the Hamilton Centro about where to go, we found the closest clinic to my house. Or at least I thought it was a clinic, but it was actually just an apartment building with a tiny gold sign that said "Jose Peru, Medico." Naturally I had a bit of trouble finding it because there was no sign or door or anything that looked remotely like a clinic or doctor's office. It's only open one hour a day, so I showed up early to beat the rush. I was mistaken in my belief that this medico was popular, so after I rang the buzzer half an hour early I was told to wait outside until it opened. Still skeptical, I told myself I would reserve judgment until I was inside the office. This was probably a good decision because once inside I discovered this clinic was in fact was a septuagenarian Spanish doctor's apartment, straight out of the early 20th century, I kid you not. This is what it looked like:

I found that picture by googling "19th century doctors office." I was kicking myself for not having my camera the whole time. Everything in the waiting room would definitely classify as antique, all the books in his huge bookcases were leather bound, the exam room had a table and instruments that would have been at home in a horror film about organ harvesting or maternal death set in the 1920s. You think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. Everything was metal and cloth, no sterilized pre-packaged plastic here. His stethoscope was made out of rubber. Actual, harvested-from-a-tree, rubber. But it's not like I experienced any of these instruments first-hand because the extent of his medical exam was the command "Dígame." So I did. I told him, I have a sinus infection and I want antibiotics because I get these all the time. Before my trek to the office I looked up the Spanish name for Azithromycin, my favorite sinus infection drug, and told him that's what I usually take. It's called Zitromax here in case you're curious, but it's still manufactured by Pfizer. After he looked it up in his drug reference book CIRCA 1997 (THAT IS TWELVE YEARS AGO) he asked if I wanted it in 500mg or 1g pills... yes because I am the one with the medical degree and all. Then he tried to convince me to take amoxicillin because it was much cheaper, after he quoted the price to me in PESETAS. I've never even seen a peseta, they were the money used here BEFORE THE EURO. After I got over this I tried to explain that, thank you for taking a medical history and all, but I am actually allergic to amoxicillin, so no thanks. This didn't seem to phase him very much, as he talked about the peseta for awhile and then his childhood. Then he mentioned his interest in black and white photography and something about the faded sepia ANTIQUE photograph on the wall of a philosopher-looking man who was a professor of his dad's. In the 1920s. I could not even make this stuff up. But it's okay because it all ended with him handing me not one but TWO prescriptions. The extra is in case I need to go back for a refill if the drugs I picked out for myself don't do the trick. He also pointed me in the direction of a very, very cool pharmacy that's been around since 1895. It was the bomb. Riding the metro is also really fun right now because everyone gives me dirty looks and LOTS of space. Gripe A (Swine Flu) is a major concern here. I also FINALLY

So since I've been sick I've been forcing myself to stay inside more or at least come home earler, so I went to a movie theatre the other night with my friend Alice! It was really great, we saw The Informant (the new Matt Damon movie, it's called El Soplón here). It was Version Original which means English voices, Spanish subtitles which is really fun because I learn new words. We had some interesting new experiences at the Spanish cinema: we learned the word Palomitas! which means popcorn, and we learned that you get a seating assignment like in a real theatre.

But now I'm starting to feel the sinus infection going away and I'm hoping the full-blown cough will soon be gone too. Tomorrow I'm heading to the outdoor market, the Rastro. The 75 degree and sunny weather is really helping me feel better. Suck it, Minnesota! First snow today in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, sorry guys!

Hope to hear from you soon,
Natalie