Out of the Hospital

They let me out of the hospital on Wednesday. I was very relieved to get out of there as it was very boring. I knew I was also running up a big bill that somebody was going to have to pay. The previous day, Tuesday, they did another X-ray of my hip. Apparently I was healing as expected, so there was no longer any reason to keep me there. They prescribed some pain meds, gave me a pair of crutches, and sent me on my way. Ralf, my boss at the hotel, came and picked me up to take me back to my room. Right now, I am hardly in any pain. My leg has been improving quite a bit. Now I can kind of limp around my room if I leave the crutches too far away. I can actually turn on my side when I sleep, a real luxury I will never again take for granted.

I was also relieved as I was leaving the hospital to find out the bill. I was worried my crappy traveler's insurance was going to be insufficient. I wasn't sure what to expect regarding the cost of 8 hospital days, with X-rays, CT scan, meds, physical therapy, crutches, etc. I figured somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000 euros! Turns out my bill was just under 1,500 euros!! Amazing! Which means my insurance should cover it and I won't have to pay a dime.

As for my plans, I will be leaving Austria next week on the 1st as originally scheduled. I think I will be able to carry my backpack. Ralf will give me a ride to the train station, then I will just have to carry it when I switch trains a few times on the way up north. Maybe I will find someone to help me if it's a problem. I think I will FedEx my skis, depending on how expensive it is, unless I am able to sell them in the next few days. I will most likely be pushing the date back for the start of my travels with Maren. Not by more than 2 weeks though. That would be 6 weeks from the date of the accident, and I doubt I will need crutches then. So that is not a huge setback, we will work out the plan next week.

The weather here is incredibly warm, I have been walking outside in just a T-shirt. Most of the snow has melted already, and it feels like summer. The whole town has cleared out quite a bit, only a handful of tourists and locals left. I am getting very anxious to finish my recovery and move on to the next adventure!