This week has been a really busy one. First of all I managed to confront the Portuguese health system. I guess an avarage patient would die by the time he'd meet the doctor.
On Monday, late afternoon my stomach started hurting badly. My 1st thought was, that maybe I ate something which caused the pain, other, that maybe it's from stress and will pass. Unfortunately the pain kept growing, I forced myself to get rid of the bits of food I had left inside but that didn't help. It was impossible to take a painkiller as it got returned in no time. After 2h I was almost about to crawl up the ceiling and bite the solid walls of my apartment from pain. After around 11:30pm I couldn't stand it anymore and asked J. to drive me to the online pharmacy viagra, health centre, whatever. Around midnight, we arrived at the Loule Healh Centre, after all the paper work I've been let throught to some inerview room. Few questions and they put me in some small room with beds, divided by courtains. They took a blood sample (after 20 attempts to find a vein.. like I needed more pain), then I got a drip (Sodium something, to replenish liquids in my body since I said I have been throwing up badly). A doctor checked my stomach, and went away, 20minutes later (it was around 0:40am) a nurse came in, changed the drip (again Sodium something) and said an ambulance will take me to Faro hospital. Hmm... ok. 30minutes passed, J. went to ask, where is the ambulance? "They're going to be here in 10-20minutes, they're just on their way from Albufeira".. OK... 40minutes passed. J. went to ask again, and said, he could have been in Faro with me already 30minutes ago, the only answer he got is, that normal cars aren't allowed to transport patients with drips and we have to wait. I was already really exhausted, napping from time to time and waking up to the pain again. Couldn't lie on my sides, and being all the time on my back started to slowly hurt it. The ambulance arrived (HURRAY) around 2:45am.. At 3am at Faro hospital. Some interview again, waiting room, 10minutes passed the doctor called in. Checked my stomach, took away the drip I came in with. Went through my file... "Did they give you any medication at Loule?".. "Just the drip".. The doctor went silent for a few seconds "No painkiller???".. "No" we replied... Doctors answer: "Idiots". He took me to a back room where blood test, injections etc are made. Requested another blood test (hurray....), urine test and a painkiller. I ended up with 2 needles in my hands but at least finally I got a painkiller. What a relief... Then xray. We got ordered to wait until all results come in.. It was around 4:15am. Waiting room... I could finally nap a bit better, the pain in my stomach was barely there, just my ovaries seemed to still remind me about their existance... 6:15am.. Me and J. got a bit fed up with the waiting and moved to the doctors desk to find - nobody! There was another doctor who took 2-3 patients, looked at us, called my name with a slight questionmark.. "oh my colleague left already but he gave your papers"... "Your results are OK, we don't know what it is".. I thought, how great and lucky I am. I reminded J. that I used to have problems with my ovaries (cysts), so he asked the doctor for an ultrasound, but as an anwer we got that the ultrasound dept. opens only at 9am. Eh.. no, thank you, we will go home and see how it goes. At the moment I am feeling fine.. sometimes I DO feel a bit of a cramp in my stomach so I know I will have to get an ultrasound.. Oh and I look like a drug addict, all broken veins where the needles were, beautifully green - purple shades.
I put my leave notice in on Monday as well.. To be honest I had enough, it was an English Property Management company and the director has the attitue of "I am smart, rest isn't". I am not English, my English will never be perfect, I make mistakes of which I am aware of but everytime I did one, she looked at me with this "You're dumb" look. Also in the end she got a helper who was her sons friend.. She ended up deciding most of the things with him, when something wasn't done (which I had no idea about because nobody told me) it was partially my 'fault'. She once had a go at me that she can't ever rely on me, what's her point in employing me since everything I do has to be checked by her. What I ever did was copying what the previous girl did. That girl was English, everything she did was fine and absolutely accepted. My exact copy of her responsiblities were all bad and wrong. I heard so many times "That's such bad English" and I felt like saying "Sorry, it's what X wrote".
When I started the job my boss was saying there is a chance to stay longer than just part time, in the end, no there wasn't. Everybody knew, nobody told me. Which means in 3 months I'd be unemployed anyway. So on Friday, when I was about to leave already, my boss asked for 10minutes chat.. She told me we can stop now, I don't have to come to work anymore, she will pay me for the whole month of course but I can stay at home. I felt like crying.. So I went to say goodbye to everyone. The girl who is partially responsible for contracts and employees was suprised, she had no idea about the directors decision but she encouraged me and told me to keep my head up.
Also on Friday was my 25th birthday. As you can read from above it was a mixed day, some bad, some good things... J. told me not to worry about the job, especially on my birthday. I received from him 500 piece puzzle with Royo's artwork "The five faces of Hecate N.5", a necklace with 3 little, blue stones from Histoire d'Or and dinner at a very nice Chinese Restaurant in Loule. From his parents a card and some cash to spend just on my pleasures. :-)
Almancil, My Town.