From The ER to Flinckx – A Good Bad Day in Amsterdam (Part 1)

I woke uo and knew that my cold had decided to follow its usual course and slipped down from my nose, to me throat to my lungs. I get such colds at home and know how they run, so while it was expected, it was also disappointing. At least at home I knew what to do, and where to go. But here it was in Amsterdam on a rainy Sunday and I knew that unless I got to the doctor, I would be spending much of the upcoming week in Paris, coughing and feeling miserable.

I was supposed to meet Herman today so that he could give us a personal tour, instead I called him to tell him that I would be late as I was going to go to the hospital ER that the hotel clerk told me about. A few minutes after I hung up with Herman, he called me back and said that he would drive me to the hospital. I was very grateful.

The Oosterpark Hospital is very modern with an ER waiting room that is right out of the Jetsen’s. Cheery green walls and smoothly rounded glass walls provide a calm and non-threatening waiting area. I was triaged by a nice nurse and then K**, Herman and I waited for the doctor. There were several people ahead of me, so we waited bout an hour.

The doctor who saw me was a young woman who explained that the Dutch medical philosophy is to wait and see what develops in the body, because in many cases the body is able to heal itself better without the intervention of needless medical treatment. She examined me and said that she was reluctant to prescribe anything as I had no fever and my lungs were clear. But she also paid attention to my symptoms and accepted that I was aware of my own health patterns, and so, based on the strength of my prognosis, she prescribed me some antibiotic and wished me luck in Paris.

Herman then drove us to a Pharmacy that was open on Sunday.  In Holland, Pharmacies only dispense drugs, a Chemist is where you will go to get over-the-counter medicines. The Pharmacy I went to was run by two Muslim women. I entered the door and was separated from the drugs and the women by a clear glass wall with a slide through slot that I could place my prescription in and the pharmacist would pull the drawer through to her side to refill it.

I suppose the partition served the dual purpose of preventing drug thieves from getting easy access to narcotics as well as protecting the Pharmacists in side form getting any germs that the customers may have…a thought that worried me a bit being on the narrow germ-ridden side of the partition.

After a few moments my prescription as pushed back to me through the little drawer and I was on my way.