A German MRI

Yesterday was the "final" part of my yearly heart check-up (or at least I'm hoping it's the final part). I went back to the German hospital to have an MRI. This weekend I got a little stressed out thinking about having the MRI done. I've had two MRIs of my heart done before, so I'm familiar with the process. It wasn't the MRI itself I was worried about... it was the fact that (again) I'm in a foreign country where I don't know the language (unless they are going to count from 1-10 or say please/thank you) and I would be going to the appointment by myself. Yes, I am an adult. That doesn't make dealing with all of this any easier.  My main concerns were would the staff speak English (if I would understand), and would they have headphones for me. The two times I've had an MRI it was done in Seattle at the University of Washington hospital. The staff there gave me earplugs to put in, and then had me wear noise cancelling headphones. The headphones helped to block out the noise of the MRI, but the staff also played music (from a radio station of my choice) through the headphones as well. I am a HUGE music person, so having music to listen to while being inside the little MRI tube (to have an MRI of your heart done you are over halfway into the tube... which you may as well be all the way inside because you can't tell that your legs/feet are hanging out) for an hour and half was quite comforting. I was really hoping for some music during this experience as well.

I am a person who is time oriented and punctual. I try my best to always be on time, and if I am late for something it really stresses me out. If I am driving/walking somewhere and I think I'm going to be late I get anxious. The hospital I went to is a University hospital (similar-ish to UW) and it is very spread out. They gave me a map to help me navigate my way to the MRI clinic... but the map only helped so much. I had to get gas before I drove to my appointment, then had to park on the opposite side of the "campus" from where the MRI clinic was... needless to say, I was close to being 5 minutes late and was extremely stressed about it. I was speed walking across campus, head bent over my map, cursing to myself as I attempted to find the MRI clinic. I decided a few months ago (after being an American perpetually lost in Europe), and my experience yesterday cemented my decision: For the rest of my life if I see someone walking and they are obviously confused or look lost I will stop and ask them if they need help. Period. Ugh. However, I think the college students seemed to get a chuckle out of the stressed out American power walking across campus.

I finally made my way to the clinic (three minutes late - blast!) and was delighted to discover the doctor who did my intake information spoke excellent English. This happiness quickly faded when he announced he was going to start an IV for contrast dye. Ugh. Like most people I don't exactly enjoy having a needle put in my arm, but I always seem to have an unpleasant experience (apparently I'm a "hard stick"). Like my last experience at this German hospital, it took a few tries to find a vein that would work. At first the doctor listened to me when I said "They usually can find a vein in my right arm." He tried there, and found the vein... but apparently he didn't... because as he flushed saline through the IV my elbow/bicep started to swell with fluid. Whoops. Okay, try again. The same thing happened on the top of my left hand (unfortunately because that space is more cramped than the arm, the top of my hand is still a bit puffy with fluid). Finally, on the last try, he found a vein in my right wrist (painfully). I just wish I could be one of those people who is "easy to stick" and only had to have one attempt at these sorts of things.

I was escorted to a little room to change. At UW they give you the flimsy hospital drawstring pants and two gowns to wear to cover yourself (since they ask you to remove all clothing and jewelry) and when they do the MRI they cover you with a few blankets. I was prepared to strip down, however they told me just to remove my bra and any jewelry I was wearing. I asked the woman if the button of my jeans would be a problem (since it is obviously metal) and she told me it would not. I was somewhat confused (how this could be?), but I followed her instructions and emerged from the little cubicle feeling more dressed than usual in these circumstances. This feeling was short-lived. When I got to the MRI they had me lay down on the table, and then I was instructed to unbutton my pants and pull them down past my knees. Um. What? Apparently since your legs are left outside of the tube the metal on my jeans wasn't going to be a problem, and that was their way of dealing with it. So there I was... pants near my ankles, shoes on... no blanket to cover myself with... When I told Josh about this part, he asked me the question that all of you are probably thinking right now. "What underwear were you wearing?" As it turns out... not the right kind. I always seem to make that mistake and wear "not the right underwear" to doctor appointments. Note to self: always wear granny panties. Always.

Another difference between UW and Germany: headphones. I was given headphones to wear (but no earplugs), but these headphones were only so I could hear the instructions given to me (hold your breath, breathe). Without music the MRI seemed to take a lot longer (and believe me... an hour and a half is already a long time to lay in there when you do have music, so without...). It was also much, much louder. In fact, when I was done I felt like I had a bit of concert ear. Despite the extra noise, lack of music, and shocking cold of the contrast dye, the MRI went well. To my relief both of the MRI techs spoke English and were very friendly. In fact the highlight of my appointment was chatting with them. One of them was a young girl (I would guess around 21) who asked me if I had had an MRI before. I told her yes, and she asked me where I had the MRI done. I responded Seattle. Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed "OH! Grey's Anatomy!!!" I laughed and nodded. She repeated "Grey's Anatomy" a few times, and I realized she was asking me if I had the MRI done at "Grey's Anatomy." I couldn't help but laugh, and told her it was made up. There is no Seattle Grace Hospital, it is a fake hospital for the show. She seemed really disappointed to hear the hospital wasn't real. It made me chuckle.

Despite all of my worries and stress, the appointment went well, and I have yet again survived an experience in a German hospital. As I often remind myself "It's not bad, just different." That and "Free MRI, free MRI."

Eins, zwei, drei...

A revelation!!!

Josh and I were out shopping yesterday, and we bought a birthday present for our niece at our favorite German toy store. As the woman told us what our total was and then counted back our change, it dawned on me. I understood the numbers she was speaking, and it wasn't just because I was looking at the register. I actually understood the words coming out of her mouth. Maybe this learning via exposure/immersion/osmosis is finally working. It was so strange to understand in my head what she was saying. Well, correction, I didn't understand anything she said but the numbers... But still. That is a step ahead. Previously anytime a salesperson would tell me the total, the German would sound like a mixture of buzzing in my head (insert the voice of Charlie Brown's teacher) and I'd just have to look at the register to know how much money I owed. So very strange to have the buzzing replaced by my brain counting along...

Slowly. Slowly I am getting there. Apparently all I had to do was write a post about my lack of German for my brain to suddenly pick it up.

Planning for my Parents

It dawned on me last week that HOLY CRAP my parents are going to be here to visit at the end of the month. They made the reservations a few months ago, and at the time between school and work I had the mindset of "I'll worry about it later." Later has come, and I realize I haven't done anything to prepare for their visit. Not that I have a lot to do... but they will be here for almost two weeks, and I don't intend for them to simply sit on the couch the whole time. I had told my parents to do some research and figure out what they want to do while they are here (I even sent my dad back to the states with my beloved Rick Steves Germany book to help them research). My parents keep telling me they are up for anything, and trust my opinion. Hmmm. Okay.... So I started thinking of ideas for things for us to go do based upon things I want to see. That sounds selfish, however, it turns out the things I picked for us to do my parents liked/wanted to do as well. As I'm planning all of this out, I hope they are starting to save up their sleep now, because they're going to need it. (Hear that Mom? Start saving your sleep). Or as my beloved Uncle Timmy says, "You can sleep when you're dead."

My parents arrive on a Friday in the mid-morning. My plan for that day is basically to keep them awake (that is a KEY when you travel across so many time zones. DO NOT let yourself fall asleep when you get there unless it is night time otherwise you will NEVER get onto a schedule). Nothing too exciting, and they will probably be pretty tired. The first full they are here, Saturday, I signed us up to go on a Rhein River cruise through the travel agency on base. I'm not 100% sure where we get on the river and where we will get off at (things I'm sure I could look up, but too lazy to care. I'm sure it will be wonderful either way), but it will be an all day trip. Even though I'm not sure what our journey will be, here's a taste of the scenery... Thanks Google for the help.

Right now Sunday is a little hazy... we may just hang out... OR we may go to Floriade. Floriade is something I had heard about, but my mom actually found out about it online and sent me a link for it. It is a huge world horticulture expo in Holland which only takes place every 10 years. It goes from early April til October, has five themed "worlds" and over 100 displays and many "cultural" events such as music and dancing. The website says the "average" visit is 7 hours long. To get to Floride is only about a 2.5 hour drive from our house, so it could be an easy day trip. If we don't do it the first Sunday my parents are here, we will go sometime during the week right before they leave. I just had picked Sunday because Josh will be off work and will be able to attend with us, and he would appreciate it much more than I would as he has a green thumb (whereas mine is black).

On Monday, Josh will get up and go to work. Unfortunately, he won't be joining us on our adventure. He wanted to, however his supervisor will be gone at training, leaving him to run things (and well, they both can't be gone at the same time). It's sad, but it happens. When he leaves for work, we are going to leave and go to Rothenburg. Rothernburg is an old, walled-in medieval city. I have mentioned it before as early in the fall we had planned to go there but never made it. It is something I've wanted to see for a very long time. Again, thank you to Google for providing a visual...

We will spend the night in Rothenburg, and in the morning we will drive the Romantic Road. The Romantic Road is really just a scenic drive for a few hundred kilometers in southern Germany. It is something my mom really wants to do, and I think it will make for some great sightseeing. We will end our "romantic" drive at Neuschwanstein Castle (this was another of my mom's "must-sees"). You know what Neuschwanstein Castle is, I promise you do. Of all the castles in the world it is probably one of the most popular, and is in oodles of photographs. It is, supposedly, the castle Walt Disney used as a model for the Disney castle. If you're still not sure what I'm talking about...

We'll be staying for most of the week at Edelweiss Lodge, which is a military "retreat" of sorts in Bavaria. We have never been, but a lot (a LOT) of people we know have, and we've always heard great things about it. I found a really good deal online, and it made it hard to find a hotel that would be cheaper (even with all of my super online searching skills). We're going to use Edelweiss as our home base and then head out to other locations during the day. One day we will go to Dachau concentration camp (again, something I've wanted to do for a long time and we were going to go to this fall but weren't able to). Another day we're going to take the train (a quick hour-ish ride) into Munich and try to see the "highlights" of Munich. Edelweiss offers "adventures" (aka tours) you can sign up to take. One of the tours they have is called the "Three Country Tour" which takes you from the German Alps, to the Austrian Alps, through Lichtenstein, into Switzerland, and then back to the resort. I thought the tour sounded neat, and like something my parents would like, so I told them about it. They agreed. It will be a long day, but I'm sure it will be wonderful. On Saturday we'll leave Edelweiss and drive to Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is where they filmed the Sound of Music. My mom loves that movie, and I know she would really like to see Salzburg (and so would I). We're just spending a quick day there (I'm sure it deserves more time than that, however..).

Then Sunday will be a bit of a loooonnnngggg drive back to our house. My parents won't leave until Thursday, so there are still a few days I could fill... but I'm thinking they will just be day trips if we do anything. By that time they may just decide to nap on the couch, and maybe by then I would let them. They may be Germany/castled out by then too... But I'm getting really excited for them to come visit, especially now that more of our trip is set in stone.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Do you speak German? Nope, no I don't. I wish I did. I have the best of intentions, I truly do, but I always seem to come up short in my German. Even when I do make/take the time to do some computer learning for German, it all seems to go in one ear and out the other. I can never seem to remember anything I learn. At the moment, I can say hello, please, thank you, good morning/day/night, good-bye, I can count from 1-10 (although some of the numbers get a bit hazy at times for me), I can do some colors, I can ask for a menu, I can ask for an English menu, I can order food (very important)... and that's about it. Pretty pathetic for having lived here for 10 months. I know my family has these ideas that I am simply immersed and surrounded by German, therefore I'll just "pick it up." It doesn't really happen that way. I'm not surrounded by German speaking people 100% of the time, and frankly most of the Germans speak English anyways. Which is another reason why I haven't learned anything... I haven't had to.  Although I will say, I do much better when I can see the German, as in reading signs or things like that. But still. I am always thinking to myself "WOW I need to learn German!" I thought that again yesterday....


I had my appointment with my German cardiologist, and my co-worker and friend Kristy was kind enough to come along with me as Josh couldn't get off of work. When I arrived it took us a bit of work to find the building we wanted. Once we made it inside it was pretty easy to follow the "Kinder Kardiology" signs. I checked in for my appointment and was handed a stack of forms that were in German. I took them, attempted my best to look them over (I was able to figure out where my name and birth date went) but handed them back to the nurse blank. She didn't speak English, and I didn't speak German. I waited (and waited and waited!) before I was called back, where they did and EKG. It was another situation where I didn't have the language skills to tell the women I'd already had one done two weeks ago. After another long wait (seriously, what's up with that? I work in the dental field, I understand having a schedule and patients... I stick to mine and I'm on time) I got to see the doctor, who did a partial echo. Again, I was a touch confused as I had just had this done... I mentioned to him all the tests which were done at Landstuhl and explained I was told they would be sending a copy of things to him. He seemed a bit surprised by this news. Hmmm. I told him I would take care of it. The doctor reported that things look good, and then said a bunch of things my regular cardiologist has said for a long time. So, a good report, and I am a bit more trusting of this doctor since he seems to have the same philosophies of my other doctor (and he speaks English). At the end of the appointment the doctor said he wanted me to have an MRI of my heart (something I've had before, and am suppose to have every 2 years, and 2012 makes it time for a new one) and he wanted some blood work. I was more upset about the blood work. Maybe that is because I never seem to have a good experience with my blood being drawn. I am a "hard stick" and unless someone is quite experienced, it can be a challenge to find a vein in my arm. Most people like to try to move down to my hands/wrists, which never turns out well. Yesterday was no different. It took 4 attempts to get some meager looking blood samples. 


I am attempting to be positive about my appointment. The doctor spoke English, and really that's all that matters. I really did have a good check-up (well, good in I had a good report), and I am being taken care of the way I needed to. It's just frustrating to spend so much time sitting/waiting on my day off only to have to go back to have more things done. Thus far just to have a "usual" check-up I've had 5 separate appointments. Mind you, those all took place on 5 different days off. I'm a little tired of it. 


On a completely different and much happier note, my final grades were posted for this semester of grad school. After all the work, stress, and juggling, this girl got a 4.0. That deserves a happy dance.