Lab work

This morning, Joe and I went to the hospital in Parvomai to get my pregnancy lab work done. It was quite the cross-cultural experience, to say the least.

I was somewhat of a unique patient because I do not have the typical Bulgarian health insurance. The receptionist at the entrance to the hospital tallied up each lab order and took our payment for the total amount. Then she sent me upstairs to the lab.

I had to go to two different rooms to have blood drawn for the different tests. Neither of the women who drew my blood wore gloves, but Joe made sure to check that at least the needles came in sterilized packages!

I also had to give a urine sample for some tests... and the bathroom was less than desirable. I had to hold the cotton ball on my right arm (where my blood was drawn from for the first set of tests - my left arm was poked later on for the second set) while trying to do everything else one-handed. The icing on the cake was that the toilet was what I call a "squat pot." (But thanks to my study semester in India, I'm quite familiar with how they work!)