So I called...Leonardo! At 7:30 in the morning. And he, bless his heart, was already on the road. But he had his mother call to make an appointment and came to pick us up (he had the name of the pediatrician in Ponte Rio, not the one in the city center; we could have ridden the bus, but given all the circumstances...).
We sat in a rather dark hallway (remember energy conservation is very important here) for a few minutes and then a jolly-looking gentleman in his mid-fifties came out and asked if we were the...well, words failed him, but we agreed that we were indeed they. I explained the situation, said that I hadn't measured his temp (which in the meantime had of course gone down), but that it had been a decently high fever. Told about his symptoms, etc.
The dr. was adorable. He palpated, gave a pretty thorough exam except for the two litmus tests we invariably encounter in the States: temp and blood pressure. Of course, he could feel the kid and tell that his temp was a bit high. Anyway, he was completely sweet with James, talked to him in Itenglish, and did a rapid strep test.
We concluded virus, and off we went on our merry way. Fee? "Tranquilla" -- when we have our insurance situation worked out, let him know & we can talk. And I have to show you James's records:
Before we left, he gave me his card. On it? His home number; he had to handwrite the office number (yes, he answers his own phone and was delightful in the conversation I overheard), and even gave me his cell number. The card has his hours printed on it, but he told me clearly that these hours were more suggestions -- if we need an appointment it will happen.
All in all, the entire saga (from our house & back again) took 30 minutes, of which a full 20 were James's exam.
Love,
Alexandra
No comments:
Post a Comment
We love to hear your comments! They encourage us to write more!!