The kindness of strangers and the wickedness of corporations

Or why I keep crying.

I awoke this morning to excess heat and the light shining on me.  While I want to be able to roll with it I can't. Even before my accident im not sure the histle life is for me anymore. There were two guys sleeping on the floor in the hallway.  People were making noises all night. The ac did not work the way it should have. The wifi stopped working.  I felt gross. I swallowed my pride and opened my wallet and found a hotel. 4 star. For $100 a night.  Nothing super fancy but private room with ac and closer to the center.

I went back to my hostel to see about getting a refund. I tell them the ac didn't work and the wifi didn't work which is why I needed to book a new place. The older woman starts to get angry essentially telling me that I shouldn't have higher expectations in a hostel. I ask for a refund. She says no. I show her my leg to show her why I need the ac and she freaks out. "It's infected" she repeats a few times. I start to cry.

Before I know it I'm in the back room getting seen by a young Argentinian doctor who happens to be on vacation staying at the hostel. She cleans my wounds, takes my temperature and confirms I do have a slight infection, but no fever. The hostel owner comes back with better bandages than I was using and they redress everything. Then she brings me to the pharmacy and is able to get me an amoxicilian prescription which the Argentinian doctor suggests.

She gives me money back for 2 of the 4 nights I booked there (I did stay there one night) and puts me in a cab. I'm floored at her generosity of spirit. Even if at first she seemed to have no compassion.

Then as I wait in reception for my hotel to be ready I call kaiser to figure out how to navigate the insurance. The billing person seemed the most callous. Telling me that removal of stitches or any follow up care will not be covered unless it's with a kaiser doctor. Then I talk to the claims department and while sympathetic meeely takes down the information needed.  Finally I speak with a nurse who is trying to help. I'm trying to confirm that cleaning the wound and taking amoxicilian is the right course of action. She also seems sympathetic but once she talks to the doctor he says simply that I need to see a doctor there. Yet as I know from the billing lady I'll be lucky if I get it covered and only if it exceeds my $100 copay.

So I cry. I always cry when I feel like I'm being taken advantage of.  When I feel like people are passing the buck. When I feel like they don't see me as a human. When I feel like they stop seeing themselves as a human and see them as entitled to take advantage of people who don't have the skill, knowledge or resource they do.  When they have no compassion. But also because I think I have to spend more money.

I continue to cry all the way up to my room. At least the women at my new hotel also have an idea what is going on and seem to want to assist.

I don't know what to do. Do I sit in a clinic for a few hours, shell out money not knowing if I will get refunded and get the same prognosis as the Argentinian doctor on vacation? Do I just sit in my room afraid to leave, lying in slight pain but overall comfort and just take the medicine and see what happens?  Do I grin and bear it and tour barcelona the best I can?  Or should I just cry?  I'm good at crying. Recently I've had some practice.