uncomfortable

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In keeping with my apparent need to experience all aspects of South African society, I woke up with a slightly sore right ear Tuesday morning, which only got progressively worse with time. Last night, the discomfort was approaching unbearable, so this morning an appointment was made. It was time to get the down low on South African medicine, I guess. 

In case you're wondering, that wasn't one of the top things that I wanted to experience while abroad.

Anita, our campus coordinator, was extremely nice. She called around for an appointment for me and drove me there when the time came. I didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't much different than how things go in the U.S. I still had to wait past my scheduled appointment time. I guess that's the same everywhere! :)

The only difference I really noticed was that there weren't any nurses to take you back and do the preliminary check. The receptionist simply called me when it was my turn and took me back to the doctor's office, which was literally an office. I sat down across from him at his desk while he made small talk about my experience in South Africa and asked me about my ear problems and allergies (it's Augmentin, just so you know, if I'm ever with you in a dire situation!).

Then he took me back to the medical area and checked out my ear, which apparently is infected both in my middle ear and in my ear canal. Just lovely. He wrote me my "script" (prescription), told me to come back on Monday, and off I went.

The only major difference from home is the way that payments and insurance work. My appointment cost R270 (about $34), and everything has to be paid upfront. Not only that, but I had to pay cash! It was the same when we went downstairs for my three prescriptions, except I could put those on my credit card. Later, I can submit the receipts to insurance for reimbursement. So, in short, it's up to the patient to deal with insurance, not the health care provider. A little different, but thankfully the costs weren't too much of a burden. 

It's a bit of a bummer since I'm in the middle of a SCUBA class. We were in the pool all weekend, which is probably the source of my medical woes. I don't think I've ever been in the water for that long before. This weekend, I was supposed to do my final dives in Sodwana to get my certification, but clearly that won't be happening with a plugged up ear. I'm still planning to go and hang out at the beach, but I'll have to do my dives at a later time. 

Sorry for burdening you with my recent medical history. Hopefully life will get more upbeat soon!