Getting ‘glued’

9:30 on Thursday morning Matthew slipped on some water on the bathroom floor and fell straight onto his chin.  I was right there but didn’t exactly see it.  I just heard the cry and looked back clenching my teeth preparing for what I might find.  Yep, blood… and a cut that was a straight, a half inch long and wide open.  I called Chris and asked if anyone over at the clinic could do stitches because Matt needed them.  The Heidelberg Clinic is no longer a hospital and hasn’t had an ER for over a year now.    Nope.  If only Chris were still doing IR cases then he’d have everything he’d need… but, as it was, we had our first (and hopefully only) trip to the local Heidelberg German hospital. 

I had saved the address of the hospital into my GPS just in case… but in retrospect I should have driven there right when we moved here and figured out where to park etc. just in case of an emergency.  Instead I picked up Chris, since his schedule is getting lighter, and brought him along for the ride.  I’m very used to having him with me for all my medical adventures.  Matthew had stopped crying in the car but was still in his blood stained pj’s and definitely still aware that he was hurt. 

The Heidelberg hospital is a large medical campus with different buildings all over the place.  It took us awhile to find the Kinder Clinic and once we finally did, the front desk gal looked at it and said, ‘we don’t do that here, go find the “ ? “ which was the German word for surgery clinic which we asked them to spell for us since there was no WAY I was going to find the sign without it written in front of me.     Then back in our car and over to the surgery building where Chris dropped Matt and I off while he and Luke parked.  They don’t really have Emergency Room’s like in the States, which I thought was interesting.  You go to the specialty that you need.  I suppose if it was REALLY an emergency you’d call for an ambulance and they would know where to take you – likely surgery.

I just love the universal language of pointing.  When approached by a couple of people anxious to help me I just pointed as his chin while Matthew instinctively stretched out his neck and then they pointed a couple of rights and lefts and I was off again.    After we met with the insurance and check in office they directed us to which clinic would see us and then we waited in the waiting room.  The boys were very excited when two ladies pushing a cart full of drinks and snacks gave them free Capri Sun’s and packages of gummy bears to eat while we waited.   Like most Germans, the Doctor told us she spoke only a little English and then began to speak perfect English.  She had Matthew ‘glued’ in a jiffy and kept calling him ‘Superman’ because he was such a champ and laid so perfectly still. 

Then we decided to complete our day’s adventure by going to our favorite Thai place for lunch right down by the Heidelberg Old bridge and Gate.