Falling off a bicycle

A bicycle helmet is a great thing. On Sunday I flew off my bike head-down, temple against a rock, I thought that was it, but no, nothing happened to my head. Just a dent in the helmet and my neck ached a bit afterwards, though that was nothing compared to my arm...

For the first time I decided to ride down the slope to the concrete road along the sea. On the steepest stretch it turned out there were a lot of rocks, I managed to brake, but the bike kept sliding on the rocks and I flew off it downhill, it seems most of the impact landed on my shoulder.

The skin on my shoulder was noticeably scraped even through my sweater. Then I noticed that my elbow hurt badly and I couldn't bend or straighten my arm, that same evening I went to the emergency department on the city bus. I forgot to take a mask and at first they wouldn't let me into the building, but then they did.

Then they refused to let me in for an X-ray without a mask. I asked the nurse for a mask and she gave me one. Although I was first in line, behind me there were two children with bigger similar arm injuries and they were seen first. I turned out to have a crack in the head of the radius bone in my right arm.

The doctor said that in such a case they don't put a cast on and you just have to not move the arm. He wrote out a prescription to buy a special bandage to hold the arm in place and told me on Friday to book an appointment with him at a private clinic and to get a referral from a personal doctor so that the visit would be covered by state insurance.

I didn't have a personal doctor, so I went to the nearest one the next day, having filled out the forms for registration in advance. It turned out the doctor had their own forms, only my data was copied from mine. The personal doctor was displeased that I registered with her when the need arose, and not right away

I didn't know it was a simple process, because on the internet they wrote that you have to get the forms yourself at the state insurance office and then bring the filled-out ones back to it. But here it turns out I gave the nurse my data and that's it. If not for the referral to the orthopedist, I might not have had to wait in line, though you have to book in advance.

For the referral I had to pay an extra 2.9 lv, almost 60 hryvnias. It's interesting that for medical state insurance I have to hand over 6% of my salary, but on top of that you still have to pay extra for a referral to a free examination under that insurance. Strange logic.

Then I waited another half hour for the lunch break to end, because I had a fever with the crack in my arm. The doctor examined me, found nothing, she immediately suspected covid, then wrote out an antiviral, vitamins and a painkiller. This examination was already without an additional fee.

Among the interesting changes I noticed, the special terms for Russian speakers disappeared. Earlier for them the first examination was 30 lv, the second 20 lv, and subsequent ones 10 lv. Now for everyone without state insurance the initial examination is 30 lv, a repeat one 20 lv. Right now you multiply lv by 20 to get hryvnias.

But on the doctor's phone ringtone there's Gazmanov's "Moi Yasnye Dni"... It's a shame to see how widespread Russian culture is in Bulgaria, especially among the older generation. The personal doctor and nurse know Russian, the orthopedist knows English, and his nurse already knows Russian.

Then I went into town to the medical supplies store for a sling, in the same building I bought the medicine the personal doctor prescribed. I asked at the pharmacy which medicines are dispensed under state insurance, they told me that those are only for chronic illnesses.

Since the private clinic where the orthopedist sees patients is in the building next to the medical supplies store, I went into it and scouted out where the orthopedist's office is, on the office door it was written that appointments are only from 11 to 12. It's interesting how much medical stuff there is around the regional state hospital.

It's also interesting that the personal doctor saw patients out in the yard, the ones who had positive covid tests. But I sat in line in the building with them O.o Good thing at least they wrote me out an antiviral and vitamins and my body's fighting it off right now anyway.

If I had known that the process of registering with a personal doctor was simple, I would have done it last August right away, instead then I also went for an examination in Sofia at a private clinic, where everything was at my own expense without insurance. In winter I didn't want to visit doctors any extra time, and then there were other things going on

I really need to learn Bulgarian well enough though, right now I can say basic phrases and mostly understand it. But there's little practice, I hardly talk to anyone. Besides, the older generation here knows Russian, and many young people know or at least understand English.

My anxiety has really lessened right now, since I got the crack in my elbow. A problem that I experience and feel firsthand at the same time, it all comes together. But when you live in peace and see what's going on with relatives and friends in Ukraine, then it comes out as strong anxiety that grips you and won't let go.