12.13.07
BMs
I had to take Lance & Chloe to the doctor today. They both needed a certificato medico in order to be able to play the sports that they started three months ago (we’re a little behind). This was the first time for them to see this doctor, so I kind of wanted to see what she was like.
I’ve been amazed at how much an Italian doctor gets done with so little. There’s no receptionist. There’s no insurance/billing department. There are no nurses. It’s the doctor, by himself in his office, and a waiting room. People wait, and one by one (in the order of arrival) they go see the doctor.
The exam was quick and painless. Height, weight, say ahhh. But the doctor turned to me at one point and said very seriously, “Does he go poop every day?”
I promise I only giggled a little. But Italians take matters of health seriously, and so I responded in the affirmative. I don’t think an American doctor ever asked me about poop. I might bring it up if I had a problem, but only if I really had a problem. In general, I think Italians are way more open about health stuff. I’ve seen old ladies rebuke strangers for not putting on a hat when it’s cold. Jason has been scolded for not dressing warm enough because of his kidneys (how do you know if your kidneys are cold?). And opening a window on the bus is enough to get a person booted off. It’s actually written in the rules that you have to get permission from everyone around if you want to open a window - drafts make people sick.
And so I just have gotten used to people asking me about my personal health issues. And I tell doctors about the frequency of poops. And I sure don’t leave the house without a scarf - who knows what you might catch with your neck exposed.