Greek hospitality, hospital style!

After surviving 3 days at sea in storms I tripped in the marina and hurt my elbow. It didn't seem too bad at first, however about midnight I was decidedly uncomfortable and Craig, fed up with my whingeing, decided that we should let someone have a look at it.
We phoned a taxi who turned out to be a lovely local guy called Vassilus who drove at ambulance type speeds to the local hospital and gave us instructions on where to go. What a gentleman!
We wandered into the (very basic, tired looking) hospital and looked for the reception desk where we expected to fill out the usual reems of paperwork. Instead we found an old guy in white scrubs who disappeared behind a door and called out to someone. Very soon afterwards, a young man (quite cute, but very serious and harassed looking) in green scrubs, with the usual remnants of plastering materials approached us. We assumed he was the doctor.
His examination was brief and in a few sentences of very good English extracted the history of my fall. I wasn't even drunk!! He squeezed my shoulder, my wrist and then my elbow just to make sure that I was telling the truth and then scribbled something on a piece of paper and told us to take a seat to wait for an x-ray.
Within minutes a very good looking young lady in a white lab coat approached and apologised for keeping us waiting. Craig cheered up significantly at this stage! I was whisked into the x-ray room and had some plain films taken of my elbow. We were then scuttled back across to the 'doctor' who announced after a brief look at the x-rays (no viewing box by the way) that there did not appear to be anything broken, however he would put my arm in a cast for pain relief purposes and I should attend the fracture clinic on Thursday morning at 9.30 am. The back slab was applied in a practised manner with a nurse who did not appear to speak any English assisting. There was the usual obligatory mess on the floor of course!
Please recall that we did not fill in any paperwork, had no medical history taken and no base line observations. My name was written on the x-rays as 'Lesly Haty'. I was asked if I was on any medication and when I announced that I had reflux he scribbled something on another bit of paper and asked if I had ever had Ponstan and I should take the piece of paper (which I assumed was a prescription) to a pharmacy in the morning. I was told that if my fingers turned blue or black I should return to the hospital to have the cast removed or remove it myself!
I was then asked if I am allergic to anything and was stabbed in the left buttock with something in a syringe and we left. There was no charge and the whole process had taken around 25 minutes. We called a cab and waited, during which time I noticed a large lump about the size of a cricket ball developing in the afore mentioned left butt cheek! Ah well..... it did take my mind off the pain in my elbow.
We went to the pharmacy the following morning armed with passports, travel insurance documents and my 'prescription'. I had a box of ponstan handed to me and was charged about $3! My name wasn't put on anything and the 'prescription' was handed back to me.
On Thursday morning we arrived at the allocated time to attend the fracture clinic. We followed the small stream of people on crutches and with various limbs in slings to stand outside a door with Greek writing on it. We assumed we were in the right place! My lovely cheerful doctor from Tuesday night appeared and confirmed this was the case and told us to wait. There were no chairs, no coffee machines etc etc and there did not appear to be any semblance of an orderly queue that we British so love. Just this closed door with Greek writing. As one person came out, another one entered.
My lovely cheerful doctor (who I assume was a resident or registrar) had told us on Tuesday night that he had been working from 9am in the morning and would finish at 3am the following day and would have a few hours rest before he had to do surgery. He still looked as if he hadn't slept and had merely donned a white coat over the green scrubs. He seemed to be picking who should be seen next and a small child was ushered in with a shout of 'Ella' as we continued to wait. I was ushered in next and a poor guy who had been standing there longer than all of us continued to wait (fairly) patiently.
Behind the mysterious door there were 3 older gentlemen sitting behind 3 separate desks in a fairly small space. No idea what happened to patient confidentiality! I was just happy that I wasn't there to see a gynaecologist..... I assumed that the 'three' were the orthopaedic surgeons. I was led over to one of them who addressed me in fluent Greek and I stood in front of him feeling like a naughty schoolgirl. My young cheerful doctor interpreted for me. The big boss took a quick look at my x-ray (once again no viewing box) and there was a quick dialogue between them in Greek. I was asked if I still had any pain and being a wee jessie I had to admit that I did. The decision was make to leave the cast on and that I should return again on Tuesday to have it removed. The whole thing took about 60 seconds!!
I got bored with the back slab yesterday and took it off. My arm is still pretty stiff and sore but I declined the offer to return to the fracture clinic again. Couldn't stand the excitement! I'll just live with things the way they are I think..........
All in all an interesting experience!
More soon...
xx
Lesley (Shirley Valentine)