You remember that scene in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" where Muriel insists on seeing an English doctor? After having had my run-around with doctors of various ethnicities, I'm happy to announce that I now have a GP whose name I can actually pronounce: Dr Ziergiebel.
Never mind if every time I type "Ziergiebel" into GOOGLE, I'm given the photo of a decorative gable: if that gable comes with a handle as long as "MD, FRACGP, FRCS A&E (Ed), MRCP (Lond.), MRCGP (UK), DFFP (UK), JCCA-accredited Anaesthetist" and graduated from Rostock University in Germany, I'm happy to be his patient and even attempt to pronounce his full name - in fact, I may be his only patient who can do so correctly.
On my first visit, with typical German "Gründlichkeit", he went through my entire medical history and looked at all my battle scars, had my blood pressure checked (125/75), my heart rate (89), oxygen saturation (99%), and body mass index (20.9), and also booked me in for an electrocardiogram next week, before sending me off to my favourite phlebotomist with the wonderful Irish name of Seana, to test me for "B12 & Serum Folate; Vitamin D; CRP; ESR; EUC; CK; Glucose Fasting; LFT; Lipids with HDL (Fasting); Triglycerides; FBC; PSA; Microlbumin Urine; FT3; FT4; TSH", of which I only understand the "Fasting" bit.
All those many thousands of dollars I'm paying each year in Medicare levy are suddenly springing into action, and I'm feeling better already!
