Yesterday in the morning I went to a private clinic. When I arrived to the front desk I waited for the receptionist to acknowledge me. She was clicking behind the screen, pretending I did not exist. I don't understand why receptionists do this, if I'm focused I will tell someone "just a sec", while I reach a focus re-entry point.
It took her around two minutes to say "qué se le ofrece" (what do you want?) without even greeting. I thought this warranted a lecture, but I bypassed by telling myself this was free ego training, so I said "I need an HIV test" while showing her the paper that the fertility clinic gave me. She instructed me to sit down while she came back with a quote.
The blood draw was unskilled—I'm a connoisseur of blood draws—and it lacked politeness. I left the private clinic I walked to the public clinic.
I had originally scheduled a consultation at the public clinic, but they wouldn't have the results in time, so V. suggested going private. I kept the doctor's and nurse's appointment because I needed some other stuff checked—my hearing and a gash I made on my head during the company retreat—and the experience could not be more different.
My doctor is serious but kind. I reminded her that in my first consultation with her (and my first one in Spain) I had complained that I had difficulty hearing, and that she had looked inside my ears and found wax plugs in both of them. She instructed me on how to remove the earwax, but my hearing got worse after that. My theory is that my left ear is kinda ruined. It's not that I don't hear, but what I hear has bad quality, so when the plug was removed my brain is just getting worse data. It was better plugged.
After looking in my ears and confirming I had removed the earwax she gave me an appointment to see a specialist. She warned me that it would take months, but she told me some hacks I could do to find earlier appointments (by trying to pick up slots that free up from people who cancel).
Immediately after this I had an appointment with the nurse. This was originally for the blood draw, but I showed her the gash I made in Orbaneja as I stood up and hit my head with an overhead lamp (I was kinda drunk, but it was clearly a problem of interior design and not alcohol consumption). I would have never gone to the nurse for this, but as I already had the appointment I thought it was good.
She looked at it and said it didn't require anything, but it was good I had made the appointment because—since it was my first consultation in Spain with a nurse—she could ask me some questions. From memory it went like this:
—"Is there any history of heart disease, cancer, or diabetes in your family"
—"No".
—"Do you smoke?"
—"I quit a week ago"
—"Well congratulations on that! How is it going?"
—"Pretty good actually, it's been mostly effortless"
—"Great! Any drugs that you consume?"
—"Well, I'm partial to weed, but I'm also making a run at it while I quit tobacco"—I saw she didn't write down anything, I suspect when they ask you that here they mean harder drugs.
—"Do you drink? How much?"
—"Well, on a recent trip I drank too much, but that's not habitual. I must drink about two glasses of wine per day".
—"How often would you say you drink more than six drink per day?"—I had to think about this one.
—"Perhaps every two months".
—"Great".
—"How many meals do you have per day".
—"Two"
—"Two? Which one do you skip?"
—"Breakfast is usually just a coffee"—She seemed to want to give me advice on this, but she kept it to herself.
—"Do you eat vegetables?"
—"My diet is mostly vegetables and meat when I can, but I must eat a Menú del día so that's not always possible".
—"Great. Do you consume olive oil".
—"Exclusively. It would be foolish not doing so while living in Spain"—She seemed to gleam at this remark.
—"Do you drink water?"
—"Almost no liquids to tell you the truth. My liquid intake usually just wine or coffee".
—"I don't understand how people do that, I need a bottle of water next to me at all times, you should drink more water".
—"I agree, but I just don't get thirsty".
—"You can put some lemon in water to make it taste like something if it tasted boring".
—"I will do, it's something I know I should be doing more".
—"You obviously exercise, how much?"
—"Yoga about six times a week, I recently added the gym into the routine, about three times per week."
—"That excellent. What other hobbies do you have other than exercising?".
—"Well, lately I'm into dancing. I read and I write. I go to the pool".
—"That's good. Do you have a partner or are you single?".
—"I'm single".
—"Do you have a sexual partner?"
—"No... unfortunately"—she looked at me kindly and said ya vendrá "it will come".
—"Do you feel down often? Are you anxious often?"
—"That's a very good question. I wouldn't know how to answer that... I feel that—given my circumstances—I feel down for no good reason."
—"Is there anything difficult going on in your life right now?"
—"Not really. No deaths, not divorces, no lost jobs. I guess that's what puzzles me about feeling down so often"
—"Let me ask you directly... do you think you are depressed?"
—"I must admit... I don't think so".
—"And about anxiety, are you anxious?".
—"No, anxiety is not usually a problem".
—"Good".
After this she took my blood pressure, remarked that it was perfect. She weighed me and said my weight was perfect. I asked my height to be measured. I had the suspicion that I have improved my scoliosis. It has, I'm half a centimeter taller than I was in my twenties (or better said, half a centimeter better at standing straight).
When I left she said to me "It was very nice to meet you Mark" in a very genuine way. I turned around and said "I think the same about you, thank you for your attention, have a great day!". It wasn't flirtatious, I think she thought I was pleasant and I thought the same about her.
In any case, this dispelled any perception I have about public vs private services. Spaniards indeed have a great thing going on regarding health care.