Day 16--Switzerland (Hospital visit)

Gracelyn and Donnie enjoyed a one on one walk in the woods early in the morning while Elise and I  slept in.  

Elise’s symptoms kept worsening, even after the new allergy meds. Her ears hurt so badly during the train ride down Mt. Pilatus that she cried. We decided to take her to be seen in the emergency department of the Stalden hospital. I called at 0730 and they told me I could bring her in at 1200. 

This was the least stressed I have felt at any medical appointment. As soon as I walked in the door, the smiling receptionist said, “Ah! You are the tourists, yes? Welcome!” I mean, come on. The paperwork was minimal. We were sent to wait with 2 older folks in a very clean and bright waiting room. Donnie proceeded to open a children’s book and used Google translate to decipher it. He started laughing out loud, which seemed like an unpleasant surprise for our suite mates. Then he showed it to me and I started laughing. I will attach pictures below, along with the translation. No wonder Europeans are so smart, if this is how they phrase their children’s books! Quite sophisticated.

We were called in by a man who shook Elise’s hand and said, “Hallo, I am Jonathan, a male nurse.” Precious. I said to him, “My dad was a male nurse also!” He said, “Ah! But he is not here? Too bad.” 

Jonathan asked all kinds of questions and then had us wait for the doctor. The doctor took us into a huge room and listened carefully Elise’s lungs, checked her ears thoroughly, and asked loads of questions. It was honestly like a full physical. She gave us medications we can get OTC in the US and told us to seek more help in 3 days if there was no improvement. Some of her advice included drinking warm tea with honey, chugging on water, and taking lots of hot showers. The fee was not cheap, but the care was top notch. I was absolutely shocked when the doctor confirmed we were actually in the ED of the town. It was an absolute church compared to any ED I have visited. 

Afterward, we went to a mediocre lunch that cost as much as a full week of groceries in the US (yikes!) and took Elise home to get her started on her meds and let her rest. We took a walk late at night when it had finally cooled down but was still light, and met our incredibly kind neighbor Connie. 

                         Grace in the woods with Dad

 Hilarious children’s book in Hospital waiting room:

The result? Inappropriate laughter and the exodus of the gentleman who had been waiting for his wife in the room with us.

                            The very clean waiting room. 

This place had the most expensive and utterly forgettable food…but a lady came in with her little (unleashed) white dog and the dog immediately came over and sat under our table! Squee! The girls miss their Leo terribly and were so excited. 

                               Here she is! The cutest. 

           Evening walk around 9:30 pm. Seriously looks like a      painting. 

Another sweet dog sighting! I swear they can sense Elise’s love for them and seek her out. She is like a magnet.This was our neighbor, Connie, who was incredibly friendly and let us pet her rescue dog Hannah to our heart’s content.