World of Health IT in Nice, France

So I just back from a week long trip to Nice, France where I was working as a volunteer at the World of Health IT conference. I almost didn't go on this trip due to my current apartment crisis, but you know what - I am so proud of myself for going, because this trip is just want I needed!

Nice is GORGEOUS! I mean what can I say? It was f*cking amazing- the warm sun, shopping and all the macaroons we could eat. And while I had to do some mundane volunteer tasks like passing out delegate bags :p, I had free hotel, food and access to all the exhibits and talks at the conference. I met great people, exchanged ideas and now may have opened the doors to new business opportunities. AWEsome!

My friend Julia and I finished off our week in the French Riveria with a spontaneous day-trip to Monaco. Wow! That was pure heaven!! Monaco is definietly one of my favorite places that I have ever been to! It was such a contrast to Denmark- see next post for pictures from our perfect day in Monaco :)

So moral of the story is: Keep your word and carry through. What is meant to happen will - keep smiling and keep traveling - XOXO - Ran

Beautiful.

So I totally bought this place.

Seafood by the Seaside - can't really beat this :)

Quaint old neighborhood in Nice, France

Can I move here?

Double trouble - its conference time!

Paparazzi! 

Pink fur on the tram - "pourquoi pas?"

So Business.

World of Health IT Conference Volunteers!

"Danes" in Nice!

Earning my keep - Working hard!

Officially done with work! Now its party time!! <3

Good Doc, Bad Doc: Mystery Illness Solved

This is an update for a pervious blog entry: http://anomadinheels.blogspot.com/2013/03/and-swedish-doctor-says.html

**UPDATE**-After returning stateside, my mysterious itching escalated from "annoying" to "hell-on-Earth". I found myself waking up at all hours of the night and scratching my skin raw. By now, I was pretty damn sure that I had been misdiagnosed in Stockholm so I scheduled  an appointment with a general practitioner who then referred me to a dermatologist. I finally had an answer when the dermatologist CORRECTLY diagnosed me with a case of scabies. After religiously covering my entire body with the prescribed Permethrin treatment and quarantining my clothes for a week, I was cured!! Hallelujah!!@!

Now for those inquisitive souls who are wondering how I contracted this disease/infestation...I must admit I don't know. Not to be confused with crabs(which are an STD), scabies are actually microscopic mites that are transmitted via bedding, clothes, and any physical contact- even babies can get scabies. So due to the highly contagious nature of scabies and my constant traveling while in Scandinavia, how and when I actually acquired this infestation remains a mystery to me. 

Nevertheless, I would like to point out that previous to my initial doctor visit in Stockholm, I, being from a science background, had researched online articles and suspected I harbored scabies. But when I informed my Swedish doctor that I thought I had scabies, he nonchalantly wrote it off as just a stress rash. The doctor's explanation was that he could not "see" anything on my body. Come again?! Scabies are MICROSCOPIC!! so of course he wasn't able see those bad boys with his naked eye. The ineptitude of the Swedish Urologist(why was I sent to a Urologist anyways??) caused me an additional 2 months of unnecessary worry and agony-filled scratching.

Now, with doctor parents and the majority of my friends in medical school, trusting the counsel of health care professionals has been deeply ingrained in me. So when I was so thoroughly let down, the irony of the situation was not lost on me. Lesson learned: this scabies fiasco combined with my recent HIV misdiagnosis has taught me that no matter where you are in the world do your RESEARCH! Doctors are human too, and all humans can make mistakes. So if your gut tells you something is not right with the diagnosis, then trust your instinct and get a SECOND(or third) OPINION!!

Lovely Scabies-The Gift that keeps on Giving!

-Ran-A nomad on the mend..

**Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this post are my own and I do not take responsibility with how you chose to understand the information provided.**

I am listening to:

AlunaGeorge - Analyser

Coming Soon-A Cautionary Tale: The Week I Thought I Had HIV(Part II)

---Coming Soon--

And the Swedish doctor(Urologist?) says...

Soooo sometime last week I started developing a rash(ew) on my body. I assumed it was a bug bite or allergies and would resolve itself in time, but no, how I was mistaken. Ill spare you the details but this initially insignificant "rash" has now slowly but surely spread itself over a significant portion of my body, and the worst part is the itchiness-O GOD THE ITCHiness! (deceptively mild during the day, but horrifically unbearable at night)

Even though I was a pre-med student, I still have a general aversion to medication. But after being severely sleep deprived due to a week long scratch-a-thon, I finally had enough. I went to the pharmacy and was told to purchase "Mildison Lipid 1% kräm"(steroid creme). I could barely wait to get home! I greedily and generously slathered that creme on, and while it did bring me some temporary relief from the itching, it didn't lessen the rash at all. Now a mere 3 days later, I have managed to use up the ENTIRE tube of creme, and like some drug-addicted maniac I have found myself desperately trying to squeeze out the last precious drops..

Nooo..must obtain MORE of this good stuff!

I am departing for Lund on Wednesday, and I cannot in good conscience spread whatever flesh-eating-disease illness that I have to innocent bystanders so under the recommendation of my coworker, I called City Hälsocentral(City Health Center), got a nurse on the phone and promptly found myself scheduled for an afternoon appointment that day.

Now this is where the story really gets interesting-I arrive at my doctor's appointment, and was told immediately to strip down to my panties(wtf) by a male doctor(wtf). This particular doctor turned out to be a Urologist..uh why was a doctor specializing in male genital examining me?! But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I begrudgingly complied but I kept my bra on for some semblance of modesty…

Twenty minutes and an all too very through(ew) visual check later, the doctor informs me that he cannot confirm what I have but he was willing to write me prescriptions for an assortment of conditions. WHAT? No skin scrapings? no microscope? no tests? The doctor explains that they do not have the facilities to run any kind of diagnostic tests. To add insult to injury the doctor demanded an all cash payment of 770SEK even though the nurse had quoted me 350SEK on the phone(I had repeatedly emphasized to her I was American and she had reassured me it was the same price was for everyone-LIES). As I was storming out of the room the doctor piqued a last cursory remark, "I am also going to add in a prescription for antihistamines, because you appear very stressed. This will lower the adrenaline in your system and maybe stop your rash." Really?! I paid 120 USD to be told Im stressed out?!

By the time everything was done(and paid for), I was too tired and angry to fill the prescriptions. So now as I huddle alone in my Stockholm apartment, I am 770 SEK poorer, unmedicated, out of my sanity-saving steroid creme, still itchy, still rash-covered and…more stressed than ever..

Sigh, my friends, I could easily get lost in a sea of self-pity and berate myself for coming to Sweden in the first place…but I think I'm going to instead knock back a couple cold ones and just laugh at the absurdity of my situation, because come on, what is life without ridiculous days like today?

Just stress?

-Ran-Your resident "Ebola Monkey" Nomad

PS. After I obtain another and hopefully more potent anti-itch creme, I will do a followup post exploring the Swedish Healthcare system. Is a doctor experience like mine-short, perfunctory, expensive-the norm? Or was I just an unlucky expat who picked the wrong doctor at the wrong clinic?


City Hälsocentral  (go at your own risk!)
http://www.cityhalsocentral.se/

So what is the lesson here?

Do not go to City Hälsocentral! But if you must go, make sure you 100% confirm the price beforehand and also ask what type of doctor you will be seeing! Last but not least, understand that your hard earned money will only be buying 20 minutes worth of the doctors time-Good luck!

**UPDATE**-http://anomadinheels.blogspot.com/2013/06/mystery-illness-solved.html