Let the Healing Begin...

Hey all! As many of you already know, Brian was released from the hospital on Monday and we were finally able to return to Germany, after spending 10 VERY long days at the hospital in Austria. Needless to say, we were both EXTREMELY excited to get back to the comfort of our own apartment! :)

As happy as we were that Brian was finally released from the hospital, I have to admit that we were very pleased with the care that Brian received while there. The staff was extremely knowledgeable in the area of orthopedic matters and they were very attentive to Brian's needs. Overall, they provided excellent service!! We were also quite amazed (and very shocked) when we received the bill for Brian's stay... We figured that the bill would be outrageous when you consider that Brian was in the hospital for 9 nights, in ICU for one of those nights, he had multiple x-rays, 2 CT scans, a major orthopedic surgery, plus all of the medications, etc. they provided for him. We were expecting the bill to be somewhere in the vicinity of $90,000... Nope! Instead, we received a bill for 4,533 euro ($6500)!! Crazy!! Brian received all of that care for $6500... Very impressive! Now, why exactly is it that the U.S. is unable to provide services for such a low cost?? Hmmmm... Doesn't it make you wonder how such an affluent and powerful country can have such a poor health care system?? Let's not get started on that debate! :) Either way, after all was said and done, Brian and I found ourselves quite impressed with the health care system over here...:)

Brian has been doing well since we returned to Germany. He is much happier being at home, but he's still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that he can't move around like he's used to. However, I have to say, he seems to be getting around quite well with his crutches. :) He went to the Dr. here in Germany on Wednesday. We thought that they were going to remove the stitches in his foot and leg, but when they looked at the wounds, they decided to wait a few more days. So, he has to go back to the Dr. every two days until they decide to remove the stitches... Oh joy! Thankfully we only live about 1 1/2 miles away from the hospital, so it's not too far to drive. :)

I'm gradually adjusting to my new job of nurse/waitress/maid/chauffeur/doting wife/etc... :) (Actually, he's not too bad of a "patient", so I really can't complain... :)) The only thing we're really having an "issue" with is trying to figure out internet time... Hence the lack of posts recently! :) Similar to when he was home on vacation, Brian now spends most of his day on the computer (Not that I can really blame him, considering there's not much else he can really do at the moment!), making it rather difficult for me to get online to blog and/or check email... So, I'm asking that everyone please remain patient... Things will return to normal eventually, and I'll go back to updating my blog more often than just once a week! :)

After spending the past 10 days in Zams, Austria, I wanted to share some pictures of the town with you. Unlike poor Brian who was confined to a hospital bed, I was able to get out and explore the town on occasion. I have to say that I was quite impressed! It was such a charming little town, nestled in a valley, and completely surrounded by mountains. No matter where you went in the town, the view was magnificent! :) I spent one afternoon up in the mountains. I took the cable car up to the top of the nearby mountain (I would have hiked, but unfortunately, all of my hiking gear was back in Germany...) and spent the afternoon wandering around and enjoying the spectacular views... It was absolutely beautiful up there! The rest of my time in Zams was spent either at the hospital or wandering around the downtown area... I have to admit, I was quite fortunate in that the town was quite charming and it was a very nice place to spend the time waiting for Brian to be released from the hospital... It definitely could have been alot worse! :)

On that note, I'm going to head to bed... We have to be up early tomorrow for Brian's Dr. appt. Maybe tomorrow will be the big day when they take all of his stitches out... Let's keep our fingers crossed! :) Enjoy the pictures of Zams!! Miss you much!

Me on Sunday night (around 2 a.m.) after all of the chaos of the previous 2 days... This is what stress and a serious lack of sleep looks like! :)

The church tower in downtown Zams...

The room I stayed in was very close to the hospital... About a 3 minute walk. My room was in the gray house on the right and the hospital is the yellowish colored building at the very end of the road...

This is where I stayed... It was a cute house with a very nice room for only 20 euro a night... Not bad! :)

The view from the top of Krahberg Mountain...

The view of Zams from the cable car...

St. Vinzenz Hospital...

A view from atop Krahberg Mountain...

Breathtaking! :)

No matter where you stood, the view was spectacular!! :)

A view of Zams from a side street...

The river that flowed through the town... Notice how white the water is??

Brian chillin' in the hospital... :)

I was walking downtown one evening and came across this concert in the park, so I stopped to check it out. They were a small, local group that played authentic Austrian tunes... They were actually very good, so I stayed and watched the rest of the performance. :)

A side street in Zams...

The view from Brian's hospital room... Not too shabby! :)

This is what I witnessed on Sunday morning... A parade passed directly in front of my window. The parade consisted of bands (the members dressed in a variety of costumes), the priest of the local church, the members of the church, and a variety of other groups... They paraded down the street and ended at the Catholic church, which was connected to the hospital where Brian was... Very interesting!

Another shot of Sunday's parade...