Oh the joy of having strep throat!

Last weekend I had one of those Catch-22 moments that make you hate socialized medicine. Now, before anyone flames me and reminds me of how expensive healthcare in the States is and how I should count myself lucky that I live in a country with subsidized medical care, please note that most of the time I haven't got much to complain about when it comes to the Swedish healthcare system.

For the most part, my experiences with Swedish doctors and nurses have been quite good--my husläkare, Dr. Mohlin, is great. He's a first-rate doctor who listens to his patients and doesn't treat us like we're imbeciles. Ditto for the district nurse at Läkarhuset. I've only met her twice but both times I've really been pleased with the level of care and service she gives.

The same can't be said, however, for my experience with gynecologists in Stockholm, which has been less than stellar. Of the five I've tried, only two have been good. The best of the two retired and left me in the care of a replacement who had no bedside manner and made no eye contact with me during the two hours I was in her office. She also ignored the notes the first doctor had made regarding the cysts on my ovaries and refused to give me the medicine I needed to continue the prescribed treatment, claiming that I didn't really need the medicine. It wasn't until I was forced to return to her office on three more occasions because of problems related to the cysts that she finally relented and extended my prescription. She was the worst of the three really awful gynecologists--the other two...well, let's just say it was like being in an office with cardboard cutouts who didn't seem to understand what PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) was and didn't care.

But I digress. I was talking about last weekend and socialized medicine.

On Saturday, I woke up unable to swallow and covered in sweat. I had a very high fever and my throat felt like it was crammed full of barbed wire and glass. I thought, Christ, this feels like strep throat. I wasn't sure immediately so I figured I'd see how it went the rest of the day. Well, I was feverish--with my fever peaking at around 39.3C--and my throat worsened. I called Närakuten at the neighborhood hospital. You see, if it's not a serious emergency, you can't just drop in at the weekends. You have to make an appointment. And, since my husläkare isn't on duty at the weekends, I have to follow Närakuten's protocol. I spoke to a male nurse and gave him all the necessary information regarding my illness. Here's the spirit of what was said after I told him how ill I was:

Him: You have a cold.
Me: My tonsils don't normally swell when I have a cold.
Him: You should drink plenty of water and eat some yoghurt if you can't swallow.
Me: Can I come in for a throat culture?
Him: No, because I think you only have a cold.
Me: Even with this high of a fever, you think it's only a cold?
Him: Yes. Drink plenty of water, eat some yoghurt and call back tomorrow if you still think there is something wrong with your throat.
Me: So I can't come in even for an examination?
Him: No,because I think it's just a cold. It will go over in a few days.

What could I do? I couldn't go to another Närakuten. I had to go to the one in my neighborhood. And they wouldn't let me come in. So I waited until Sunday morning. My throat was even worse. My fever was high again (and had been for most of the night). I called at 8:00 a.m. and spoke to a female nurse this time. I told her about my throat, yada yada and she said....

Her: I think you have a cold.
Me: I don't think it's a cold. I've had strep throat before and this feels exactly the same as the last time I had it.
Her: Your throat can feel like that if you have a cold, too.
Me: I'd feel better if someone would at least examine me.
Her: I can hear that you have a cold.
Me: Uh...how exactly can you hear that?
Her: You sound nasally.
Me: I always sound nasally, I'm from the East Coast of the US.
Her: What?
Me: Nevermind, look, couldn't I come in for a throat culture? I'm pretty certain this is strep throat.
Her: No, call your husläkare tomorrow. I don't think there is anything wrong with you other than a cold.

So I gave up. I called my doctor this morning before I went to work and told him all about my symptoms. And what did he say? "It sounds like you have strep throat. You'd better come in for a throat culture."

I went to his office this afternoon. He took a swab of my tonsils and a few minutes later he confirmed that I had strep throat. Now I am on penicillin for the next ten days.

Why the hell does it have to be so difficult sometimes just to get an exam? I had all the classic symptoms of strep throat--and not a cold--and yet these nurses at the hospital refused to listen to me.

Sadly, this is a story I often hear from friends and colleagues.

Ah well, thank God Dr. Mohlin is there when you need him.