Doctors, Hospitals, Insurance???

So today I think will be like any other doctor apt. Most of you know that I have MS, and I have had it for 16 years, and doing good with it. A little limp in the right leg, but other than that, OK. For the past ..almost 3 years I have been on a drug known as Tysabri. I go every 4 weeks, never a day sooner. Now I do not know if the 28 days is a safety issue or an insurance issue, but I do not want to take a chance.
In the states if you are on this drug, you have your blood pressure checked, temperature checked, and then they ask you questions making sure you are in good health before they let you start the medicine. Once you have cleared all the red tape, you have the IV for one hour and then observation for an hour.
My first apt here they put the needle in my arm, put up the IV and in 10 min I was done. I freaked out. "What, I am done? Why so fast? What is going on"? The doctor comes in and says I am sure the states has you there for 2 hours so that they can bill you. hmmm
So today I come in for my 4 week apt and the office says, "no you missed your apt yesterday" I told them for 3 years my apt has always been on a Wed, not a Tues. So obviously lost in translation, the nurse 4 weeks ago made my apt for 27 days since the doctor was not going to be in the office for a week, starting today. I revolve all my vacations around this medicine. It has to be TODAY!! So I ask them to find me a hospital to go to since I have already paid for the drug, 2600 euro of it! Yes convert that! (and yes we are reimbursed for most of it, no worries) So as she is calling I ask her "is there a nurse here that can do the IV"? and she tells me that she is a nurse but there is no doctor here.
That being said she gives me an apt for the emergency room at 14:00 (they use military time here) and gives me the iv, the needle, the saline solution...I can now do the whole thing myself at home...but she cannot do it. WHAT??
So now I am nervous about going to a hospital and what happens there. So 2:00 I show up and they tell me no, its 4:00. I do the math in my head while showing my apt card. 12 + 2 = 14..2:00! But they tell me, no doctor until 4. So I call my friend Jenn to see if she can look after my kids since I have to come back in 2 hours and cannot pick up my kids from school!
She could look after them, bless her heart!
So now I am back at the hospital and in with the doctor. The doctor is unsure of what to do and reads the instructions, consults his blackberry of medicine and starts to open containers. I have not seen him wash his hands, nor put on gloves to do any of the mixing. He then comes to the table puts up the IV, sprays my arm with something and puts the metal needle in (no they do not thread the plastic flexible, walk around if you need to needle here, no moving around with metal, stay still!).
So 10 min goes by and I am done.
Now since I have a cold I ask him about my ear, since I am sure it is infected. Is this too much information? He asks me if I have a temp. I don't know! So he takes my temp, then looks at my ear and low and behold, infected! So he writes me a prescription for ear drops and ibuprofen. (yes you cannot get that over the counter here).
He then tells me that he is not going to bill me for the visit (never hear that in America), but suggests to me that I tip the coffee lady on the way out.
I think he is joking until I pass a little coffee place..does his wife work there? Sorry I do not drink coffee and I am late for my kids, next time.
I tell Ben all my drama for the day and he says "you can't make this stuff up! My clothes, flat tire, speeding ticket, getting sick, now this. You just do this so you have something to write on my blog". Yea I wish that was the case!
Well its been over 5 weeks and I am still alive in Germany! Maybe not my dog for long if she does not learn how to go to the bathroom in the right spot! But that is another blog!

First Road Trip- Heidelberg

Today was my first outing in Germany! It took having guests to get us out of this box infested house. But I also have to say that I FINISHED THE MAIN FLOOR AND UPPER! The bottom is all Ben's! So I deserved a break!

We traveled an hour outside Wiesbaden to Heidelberg.

Along the way Ben was photographed 2 times for a speeding ticket!I told him its Karma's sweet revenge!! Telling me to watch my speed limit! HA!!

So our first stop in Heidelberg was the castle.Now this is a steep walk! Ben cannot find parking so he drops us off as close as we can get and then takes the car to park it, he tells us, he will meet us at the top. So anyway we ( Ben's dad, his wife Gina, and us girls) find a tram that will take us up this steep hill to the top in 1 min flat! Ben calls us on the cell phone panting and asking us, where are we? Ben's dad tells him...oh we are getting there slowly. Poor Ben walking up the steep hill all by himself.

In the castel is the biggest wooden barrl in the world ever to have been filled with wine! Sorry ladies, it is empty now.

Coffee & Kiss how could we not!

This picture here, come on..Fahrtgasse, how could I not!!

To Market, to market to buy a fat pig...or at least rotisserie chicken

Today I experienced my first outdoor market in Wiesbaden.
It was filled with local farmers with all their fresh goods. My friend Tricia (the blond) goes here every Wed, so today I tagged along. Jenn (the brunette) arrived here in Germany the same time as me, and also got her 100 boxes of crap from home the same day as me. And yes, in case you were wondering I am still unpacking, and still finding items that were supposed to stay in CT! Idiots!
So after walking through the market for an hour my basket was getting full and heavy. Now for someone that goes to the gym at least 4 times a week, I consider myself strong. I guess I am not grocery bag strong! I am hobbling on the cobblestone carrying a huge bag and tossing to and fro to keep on my arms, shoulders, hands, anything to keep it from dropping to the ground with all my goods. So after my good friends see me struggling they grab my bag and carry their own. What is up with that! They told me I should get the grocery bags that have wheels on the bottom to carry all my goods. Great now I am going to look like a hobbling grandma...wait that probably is an insult to grandma's, the grandma's I know are pretty buff.
Ok so my plan is to walk around my house with weights in grocery bags to get my arms shopping ready!

This is a picture of a German lady giving me the typical German
I am not impressed look. I see it a lot! Is it me?

Golfing in Germany...could you pass the test?

Ok, I found my clubs and they were all still intact, with no help from the movers. Today would be my first and last time playing golf this year in Germany. Ben and I headed out to Golf Club Idstein-Worsdoft to play with other parents and faculty in a small school tournament. So as we drive to the course it starts to rain...Ben and I look at each other and say "We are not playing in the rain"!

So anyway it stops raining long enough for us to get a cart and get to hole #3! Out come the rain pants, top, hat. Ben called me Grandma...like I care, I am warm! We were playing only because we had to play. Those crazy German's that were not in the tournament were out in full force, walking around that course and enjoying every minute of it! Not us! Get me out of here!!

Between all the rules that were listed on the first tee that I could not understand, having a letter from your home club pro to prove that you could play golf, and having to reserve a cart before you play (since most people walk...highly over rated), it was a cold, cold day...but fun.

For most of you that do not know if you are German and you want to play golf in Germany you need a golfing license.

The Licence Examination

The Platzreife examination comes in two parts:

• The practical test: tests driving, putting and chipping skills. Golfers must complete an 18-hole round in 108 strokes or fewer with a DGV-certified golf pro
• The written examination: tests knowledge of the rules of golf and golfing etiquette. A minimum of 24 out of 30 correct answers is required to pass. The test is in German

Good thing this is not in American! No one would play!

Speeding

Did you know that you can get a speeding ticket for going 7 km/h over the speed limit? That is only 3 m/h over! Ben got a letter in the mail with a fuzzy picture of me driving at 8:09 PM to be exact. ( I mean really, are you sure it's me?) It was taken 3 weeks ago when we first got here. I can only imagine how many of these tickets I might have! I know I never go exactly the speed limit, who does? If you say YOU, I do not believe you! So it will cost me 15 euro to pay, so not too bad. Just before I moved here I got a $200 ticket going to pick up by B.I.L from the Westchester airport, going 13 above the speed limit. I guess the roads were just not made for me. Well maybe the Indie 500 road is made for me, but who wants to keep driving around in circles, I am sure I have better things to do.

Can it get worse?

Ok, still unpacking. Not sure when that will end. Still amazed at how these movers packed my items. I am finding our recycled papers, now to be recycled in Germany. I am finding my pile of Goodwill items, that I could not find in my house in CT so I assumed that I had already taken them in. Deer repellent (that really stinky spray) in with the winter clothes! Keeping that in the garage for now. To top it all off I find one of their tool bags, filled with tools, a t-shirt and a rechargeable hand held drill with all the bits! Who packs their own tool bag? Idiots!
Then as I go get my girls from the school bus I get a flat tire! Yes this car is only 1 week old. The grills on the street are not flush to the sidewalk...as I know know, and the corner tore my wheel! The cars park 1/2 on the sidewalk so that other cars can get by on the narrow roads. So that is what I was doing, what I have been doing for 3 weeks now. I guess I will not park there anymore. So since I do not have a cell phone yet (thank you iPhone back order) the girls and I had to walk home, straight up our big, monstrous hill! Then I have to find someone that fixes tires (Ben is in meetings all day...like he could fix one anyway). So I get a tow truck and he speaks English! yea me! I told him call me when he was 10 min away so that I could walk back down the hill. They came, they got, I walked back. Really can my day get any worse?

Oh the pain!! The agony of defeat! Pain of my back, and of my feat!!...get it de feat..haha, too tired to joke. The movers came today. Boxes after boxes! Paper stuffed and stuffed in boxes, bubble wrap up to my arm pits! I would start on one box, empty it, and think to myself "you can do this" only to turn around and see that they have put another 3 boxes in my room! Then to top things off, the stupid movers in CT stuffed my items in a box like they had never packed before! They told me to put my "unmentionables" in a box. So there I put all my lovely VS bra's with all the cups facing the right way, all the padding perfectly in place ( I need all the help I can get) so after 3 weeks I open the box to find that they stuffed a laundry basket into the box and shoved all my items over to the side! Now my boobs will look lumpy and deformed! I know the least of my problems! Sweaters wrinkled like paper, a toilet plunger and cleaner with my kitchen items. I mean really come on! Oh my back!! Diet Coke #4

Sandwich

Ok, to those who know me, lunch is my fav! Here in Germany they make fresh bread every day! In fact if you buy a roll today, its it hard and dry by the next day. So I frequent the bakery every day. So today I get a loaf of bread for 3 euro. It is still warm when I take it home! I have asked for 3 different kids of meat..ham, ham and what was suppose to be a chicken..I think more like a spicy baloney. So I get home to my spread of sandwich supplies thinking to myself...how am I going to cut this bread? I still do not have my shipment of kitchen items! So out with the butter knife I slowly cut away at this crispy loaf of bread with a soft inside...yum, yum!! My Dad's mom was German and she always made us the best lunches, I felt like she was there making this with me!
Who's coming for lunch!!

They Said It Could Not Be Done

Yes I Kara, queen of bargain shopping (for high end items), lover of all children (as long as they are mine), work out machine ( so I can eat everything!!), have finished my first wardrobe of 100 x 239 cm!! (only 4 more to go). With a little help from a 5 & 8 year old, we were able to lift this monstrous wardrobe high into the air and have it stand all on its own! As I jumped up and down expecting everyone to high five me (kids were like "what the crap mom, how many diet cokes did you have"?) I realized, yes Kara you can do anything! You will learn German and be fluent in 4 years. You will know where all the speed traps are for speeding and never get caught. You will find someone to clean your house for 20 euro and not feel guilty about it. Yes Kara, as my good friend Bob the Builder always says "Can we fix it? Yes we can".
Ok back to earth, just remembered that I left all the clothes in the stinking hot german drier! What is up with that! It steams the clothes so hot, you can barely touch them. I am surprised that all Germans are not walking around with flood pants.

Seriously IKEA!

So here I am thinking I am a super woman, no nuts and bolts are going to get me down. No S curvy European tool thing going to throw me off my game. I will build this desk, for if I build it, my Mac will come! So after stopping last night because of a wrong piece I head to IKEA this morning. I type on my iPhone, "I have two doors, I only need one. I need a back piece". The guy behind the counter did not understand. So out comes my iPhone photo's of what I need. No, really you still do not understand? Ok so I hand thrm their pamphlet of their great black and white, Ziggy do it yourself diagram of what I am suppose to have. Got it? Oh, now you need a receipt because people just come off the street slowly trading in pieces of wood every day to eventually build a house? So long story short I get my right piece.
Come home start building, got my Coke Zero, my cookies, my music playing in the background, ...something with Miley Cyrus and Fly on the wall? hmmm
I am now getting to the end and I am thinking "this does not go together" yes people another part! I took it to a friends house tonight to get a 2nd opinion since I did not want to explain to the German's that their Swedish counter parts, got it wrong in English! So yes I will be making a trip to IKEA Monday!! But I now have a power drill, will try and accomplish putting together a wardrobe tomorrow. Maybe

Missing Piece

Really? After all that? A missing piece? Come on IKEA, you make me kill my back, rub my hands raw, by screwing in each little screw, only to find out 2 hours into making this thing that you gave me two doors! Not one! Now I have to try and translate "no you blond headed fool, I do not need two doors, I need a back! No not my back, my back hurts though thanks for asking...My desk's back"!

IKEA

What is up with IKEA and all the bits and pieces that go into making something? The desk was 130 euro, I would have paid 200 just to have it be put together! Where is my diet coke? Wait...its only coca light here! Oh the pain and sorrow of it all! 6 pm...do you think I can finish before I go to bed? Wait I think I smell chicken nuggets burning. Oh man!

Life in Germany Thus Far

I was told to do a blog, I guess my posts on Facebook were just not enough for some of my faithful friends! I have been here in Wiesbaden, Germany for 3 weeks now. I have learned that you cannot get a box spring bed, they do not use sheets, and that pillows are 80 x 80 cm. 1/2 the size of my children. German homes for the most part do not have closets...why? German's have clothes? Why do they want to fill their rooms with wardrobes?
I have been living at IKEA..I swear! Everyday I go there to fill my little German home. Every day I come home and have to put something together. Don't even get me started on that. Later.
Another thing that I learned here. When you walk into a room you say good morning (guten Morgen, tag, whatever) to everyone..waiting room at doctor, elevator.
Garbage! Ahhh You have paper, plastic, glass, Bio (banana peels, apple cores, leaves, grass clippings, etc) and then everything else. 5 bins and all on different pick up dates. Ridiculous!
They are very eco friendly here...hence the garbage.
Grocery store. Bring your own bag or you have to buy one there to put your groceries in. Also grocery carts. You cannot just take one from the group. They are all connected by chains. You have to put in a euro to make the key come out and set the cart free. Did not know that as I ask a young girl if I can have her cart as she was finished with it. She looks at me and says something...something that I had no clue about. Then she returns her cart and shows me her euro. ohhh Of course I do not have a euro on me, so I guess no cart. I have no found that the bigger shopping markets give out plastic coins to act as euro to open the carts. I can tell ya this, you never see a stray cart in the parking lots here!
Ok thats it for now, lets see how this looks.