All around town, the trees and shrubs are blooming, and so are Randy's allergies. He was in pretty bad shape yesterday so I needed to get him in to see a doctor here for a prescription. My french is coming along, but I am more fluent in familiar situations. So, Laurel brought over the information on a doctor she has seen here, and it was on to the computer to Google translate so I knew what to say, back to our french grammar review book so I could spell our name using the french alphabet and give them our phone number in french. I'm glad it wasn't an emergency, as this took some time.
I made the call and was shocked to hear that the doctor would see him at 7:30 p.m. - I kept repeating the time, and saying "tonight?" (in French). "Oui, oui, Madame!" - yes, yes, was the response. Everyone here raves about the French healthcare system but this was our first experience, and I couldn't believe someone had evening office hours. Andrew offered to drive us over, and when we arrived, the office was open but empty. The doctor came out from the back and ushered us into an examining room, where he took the information (inputting it into his computer), examined Randy, took his blood pressure, etc., discussed which medications worked, and gave him a prescription for the one Randy has used successfully in the past. Office visit rates are posted in the waiting rooms here and are standardized. 23 euros (less than $35) for an office visit. The prescription Randy pays $130/month for in the U.S. was 12 euros (less than $18) - same drug, same manufacturer.
OOOOOH! Before I became fluent in French, I was referred to the same doctor. Discovered that he was a vet. No, he didn't fight in the war; he graduated from veterinary school. Surely, if Randy diligently takes all of the prescribed pills, his hooves should clear up nicely.
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