Going to the doctor

Re: back pain. It finally came to a head, and I decided to be a grown up and see a doctor. I choose one that online said she spoke English. A bus and new area of town later, I made my way to a building that seemed to be a doctor and dentist office, but also a house. I found an elevator, and saw enough doctor things to direct me to the 4^th floor. After finally getting in, I met the doctor, a lovely French woman. While English was listed on her profile, she was not prepared for American English, and had a bit of a tricky time understanding my accent. We managed to stumble through together, with me attempting my French and she (pleasantly surprisingly) understanding me and encouraging me! She gave me a list of medications for the pharmacy (ibuprofen, antacid, and basically French IcyHot). She was a one-stop shop: took my vitals, consulted with me, and also billed me herself, leading me to wonder what the gruff man sitting at the desk was for. 

I found my way to the pharmacy next door, handed the pharmacist the script, and watched him promptly disappear. About five minutes later, he reemerged with the meds in hand. What a surprise! After paying, I treated myself to an eggy Danish next door and was on my way to work. 

Very proud of myself for navigating the healthcare system here. Health related things always cause me a ton of anxiety and I find myself often overwhelmed simply at the thought of a doctor (hence this visit was two weeks and immobilizing pain in the making). But I did it. And now will do it again this week to get new prescriptions for my insulin and other conditions. Baby steps to establishing life here :)