“Well, I have a bit of a strange question for you,” says K. when we run into each other in the morning. “I have a spot on my leg, it itches, maybe an insect bite, a tick or something, but I can’t see it. Would you mind taking a quick look?”
It could indeed be a tick bite
Because yes, of course I’d like to take a look. “I can take a photo, then you can see it for yourself,” I say, as K. drops his pants, “just stand still and smile, please!” “Yes, that is important,” laughs K.. “on the back of my thigh!” It turns out nicely in the picture.
“Well… is that a tick bite or not? And is that that infamous red ring that’s supposed to be around it?” We hesitate about it. It does look quite impressive. “If it is a tick bite, then it’s probably better to have it checked out.” “Where should I go then?”
“The hospital,” I answer decisively. “We do have a small medical center here, but a GP can’t do anything about it either. And there is a sort of emergency room in Soure, but I believe they only put on bandaids there. If you really have something wrong, it’s best to go to Figueira.”
I show him the way on Google Maps
“Bring a book, because this is going to take a while!” I warn. “Oh really? Oh dear. Well, good thing you mentioned it …” “And maybe something to eat and drink too, because you really won’t be finished quickly.” I prepare him. Not that I’m such an expert by experience, but I’ve been through the system a few times, I heard things, and seen enough to know that it’s better to set aside a whole day for it; then it’s a pleasant surprise if it takes less time.
If you’re half-burned, or something is broken off, or you come in bleeding, you naturally get priority. When I came in with my severed finger, I didn’t have to wait; I was allowed straight in. But a potential tick bite isn’t life-threatening – although a severed finger isn’t either; it only makes a mess.
After lunch, I send a text
“Everything ok? Any progress?” “Taking a very long time,” it comes back, “Now I still have to get my blood drawn. That’s going to take another hour.” Towards the end of the afternoon, he is finally back. “What an inefficient situation … I had to have my blood pressure measured by the nurse … and when I finally sat down with the doctor, he went ahead and did that too. I thought: surely you can look in your computer?!” K. is a bit shaken by all that waiting, but for me it’s no surprise.
“I sat next to an old lady who was already there before I arrived, and she was still there when I was leaving. I couldn’t say anything to her other than: ‘Miséria, miséria,’ and she would say it back.” He can already laugh about it a little. “And I was given antibiotics. They aren’t sure if it’s a tick bite, but I’ll take them just to be safe.”
The Portuguese love antibiotics
“If you go to the doctor for a cold, you also run the risk of getting antibiotics.” We agree that that isn’t okay – because the bacteria seem to become resistant to that stuff, and then we’re getting 18th-century conditions again, with nights spent watching over beds and wiping foreheads and such.
We aren’t fans of that. We’d rather stay healthy.
“But I might as well take it anyway… just to be safe. Because I certainly don’t want to get Lyme…”
.
(Disclaimer: I’m a bit tired of the keyword stuff and Google’s dictatorship. So here they are, and I’m also hoping for the cleverness of AI in this matter that it will still be found and read, but that I don’t have to force myself to use the right terms in the title and headings. #tickbite #antibiotics #Lyme )
We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal. We started to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa.You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere. Since Covid we rent the houses for a longer period of time, not as holiday houses anymore.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation.
In the weekend we publish it on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.