Ghana be fun...

Do you have Insurance?

I do and I am very glad about it!  Health care here is insane.  The whole city seems to be one big hospital.  I started off at the WARA health clinic, got sent somewhere else entirely for x-rays, a different building a different clinic, and another person to pay, then I had to take my own x-rays back the doctor I started seeing and pay her too!

All in all I suppose given the US costs I had gotten used to, this was incredibly cheap, working out at about 160 Ghana Cedi, which is about $100, or  £63.00; all of which I will get back from my insurance company. When put into the context of a months wages for a lot of people here I guess it makes sense as to why you see so many people with badly heeled injuries on the streets.  A whole months salary to see the Dr. and to get a few x-rays is a ridiculous amount.  Much as I whinge about the welfare state, I really do think people should be able to access basic medical care provided free at the point of need.  I had no worries other than making a detour to the ATM and still found it was one of the last things I felt like doing.

So, what have I been doing?  Nothing that my usual clumsy self would not be getting up to, having talked about the trip to Ada Foah already, I should maybe mention that the weather has been very pleasant of late, sunny, warm and cloud free skies.  All of which means that the sticky clay and mud you often find underfoot had solidified and formed a nice crunchy hard surface… or not.  It had a crunchy hard layer on the top of slippery, slidy goop; consequently I went sliding- banging my ankle nicely in the process.

Long story short I have been sitting on the sofa doing very little but nursing a poorly ankle since then.

I refused to have it in a cast or anything cause they are a real pain, but the nurse at the Drs office kept trying to help me move about- seriously I have been managing since Monday I am fairly sure I can hobble the 10 steps from the waiting area to the office on my own- yet she still insisted on half dragging me.

X-ray was funny too. First the radiologist tried to tell me I had to undress in the middle of the room, with the door open, and then he took the photos with the door still open! I'm not certain if I was more worried about the undressing with everyone being able to see or the fact that I was sat in the waiting area being exposed to everyone else's radiation! I was also a little disturbed that my dentist in the US feels the need to check whether I am pregnant on not before cleaning my teeth, here they don't even ask before bombarding you with radiation.

I also had issues that he kept wanting to take pictures of my knee- other than the bruises on it- just your regular garden variety there is nothing wrong with it! Then he kept moving my foot/ ankle into a bent up position- which made my eyes water- AND THEN kept telling me off for not holding it like that! If I could move my foot and it didn't resemble a cannon ball stuck on the end of my leg I wouldn't be there in the first place! Did he think I liked him making me cry.

What does make me cry is I can't get any of my shoes on! I thought I might try running this morning (yeah I know) and my foot is too fat for even my socks to go on! Even my toes are fat and deformed. It is really quite sad.