Medical help in Burgos please

[zolarose]

It seems I probably have either shin splints or, more likely, a stress fracture on my left lower shin. Nice to have a nurse practitioner and a physical therapist for a daughter-in-law and a daughter, respectively. I’ve given them as much info as I can to describe the situation. They separately suggested an x-ray may be in order.

I’m at a hotel in Burgos for my rest day. Any suggestions on how to find urgent care here? I’m from the US so I need to use my travel insurance.

Thanks

 

[mspath]

Sorry to learn of your problem. Ask the concierge or desk person at your hotel for assistance in locating a medical centre.
Good luck and do report back as you progress.

These earlier threads have good tips and links
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/doctor-in-burgos.43672/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/in-burgos-help-needed.43235/

 

[Robo]

Good luck. Medical services in Spain are outstanding...........

 

[HeidiL]

Centro Médico Santiago, Calle de la Igualdad 17, seems directed towards pilgrims and open until 9 PM today, according to their website, https://www.doctoralia.es/centro-medico/centro+medico+santiago-1078371

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Based on my 2015 experience Castile and Leon's health services will bill you and not your insurance company. It will be much easier and cheaper for you to pay your bill while you are at the clinic.

 

[wcsjms]

It seems I probably have either shin splints or, more likely, a stress fracture on my left lower shin. Nice to have a nurse practitioner and a physical therapist for a daughter-in-law and a daughter, respectively. I’ve given them as much info as I can to describe the situation. They separately suggested an x-ray may be in order.

I’m at a hotel in Burgos for my rest day. Any suggestions on how to find urgent care here? I’m from the US so I need to use my travel insurance.

Thanks

Take the taxi to the university hospital, they are good and will bill you at home. Wife went (2017)for what sounds like what you have. Total cost 180euros for x-rays and Doctor

 

[kwrightmpa]

Based on my 2015 experience Castile and Leon's health services will bill you and not your insurance company. It will be much easier and cheaper for you to pay your bill while you are at the clinic.

You are correct. When I needed medical attention in Burgos, I was required to deposit money into their bank account before being seen by a doctor. The cash had to be deposited directly into the medical clinic’s bank account. They would not accept payment directly from me. I was given a receipt to submit to my Traveler’s Insurance for reimbursement.

 

[Ricardo Moretti]

It seems I probably have either shin splints or, more likely, a stress fracture on my left lower shin. Nice to have a nurse practitioner and a physical therapist for a daughter-in-law and a daughter, respectively. I’ve given them as much info as I can to describe the situation. They separately suggested an x-ray may be in order.

I’m at a hotel in Burgos for my rest day. Any suggestions on how to find urgent care here? I’m from the US so I need to use my travel insurance.

Thanks

Buddy, simply search for hospital or doctor on Google and you'll have the closest options. I reccomend a hospital. You could also simply ask the front desk where the nearest medical/radiologist is located at. Some may accept your insurance or you may have to pay and request reimbursement from your insurance company. From a recent experience, cost to visit a doctor can rage from $250 to $500.

 

[Penbaysail]

Based on similar experiences, may I suggest the following:

- Write out your symptoms in Google Translate unless your Spanish is good enough to explain your symptoms. You can hand your phone to someone to explain (sometimes repeatedly) your problem.

- Try the university hospital rather than a private hospital or clinic. I believe the former will bill you, and the latter will make you pay upfront.

- Also write out a phrase requesting a document that states your diagnosis and the treatment provided. As I found, my travel insurance wouldn’t pay without it, and it took a lot of correspondence to finally procure it. Once you obtain it, scan it & email it to yourself.

- Ask to look at your digital x-ray at the time of your visit and have them point out the pathology, if they see it. If so, take a picture of the screen with your phone so that you have your own evidence of the problem.

All in all, I was pleased with the quality of care provided. Good luck

 

[zolarose]

Thank you all. I went to Centro de Salud Santa Clara as it was closest to my hotel. Within 30 mins I had paperwork filled out and had been seen by a doctor. I was not asked to pay a thing.

On that note- I did not need an x-ray. I was diagnosed with tendinitis. Thank heaven! 3 days of rest, elevation, cold compresses, ibuprofen and Traumeel. And a promise to start back slowly!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I wasn't asked for a payment at the time either but I did eventually get billed (I remember it being about $100 for the same diagnoses.) Try to pay your bill from SACYL in Burgos, Sahagun, Leon or Astorga or else, again based on my experience, you will get a bill from them at home (in Spanish) expected to be paid by an interbank transfer (typically done for free by EU Banks but probably costing you about $40 at your US bank and they have to fill out paperwork so the government will know that you are not transferring funds to terrorist groups.) They don't accept credit card payments.

 

[Holly Mitchem]

So glad it was tendinitis and not a stress fracture! I had the same fears, diagnosis and same treatment protocol by a orthopedist at the hospital in Santo Domingo de la Calzada in 2016. I took a rest day in Santo Domingo, bussed ahead to Burgos and had two rest days in Burgos, then taxied to Hornillos where I met up with my friends and continued walking all the way to Santiago. Essential to my recovery was ice! I had a readily accessible a quart zip lock bag with me at all times and EVERY time we stopped at a bar or cafe, and always at the end of the day at least 2x, I would take the zip lock to the bar and in addition to whatever we were ordering, I requested a bag of ice and offered to pay for it, then elevated my leg on an adjacent chair and iced my shin. I was never charged and to our amusement, often times the bartender or waiter/ress would dig through the freezer and find a reusable ice pack for medical application, left by a previous pilgrim. I would use it an then return it to the wait staff, who popped it back into the freezer. I wish you all the best in continuing your camino. I now know how to use KT tape as a prophylactic measure, and will have a good supply in my pack when we do the del Norte next summer.

 

[Madamjoy]

Thank you all. I went to Centro de Salud Santa Clara as it was closest to my hotel. Within 30 mins I had paperwork filled out and had been seen by a doctor. I was not asked to pay a thing.

On that note- I did not need an x-ray. I was diagnosed with tendinitis. Thank heaven! 3 days of rest, elevation, cold compresses, ibuprofen and Traumeel. And a promise to start back slowly!

Glad to hear it’s not a fracture, I too had tendinitis on Camino, I too went to a clinic in Burgos, No charge. When I asked the young docotor how much do I owe, he said, “nothing, I didn’t do anything, I only told you the diagnosis”. I shed some tears because of that kindness. Buen Camino to you, and do rest up for next couple of days.

 

[travelgirl409]

It seems I probably have either shin splints or, more likely, a stress fracture on my left lower shin. Nice to have a nurse practitioner and a physical therapist for a daughter-in-law and a daughter, respectively. I’ve given them as much info as I can to describe the situation. They separately suggested an x-ray may be in order.

I’m at a hotel in Burgos for my rest day. Any suggestions on how to find urgent care here? I’m from the US so I need to use my travel insurance.

Thanks

My hotel in Burgos told me a hospital that took care of foreigners. I don’t know the name, but your hotel or a nearby pharmacy should be able to tell you. I actually left with no charge—not sure why except I just got a steroid prescription from the doctor. He signed off and told me zero charge!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I was diagnosed with tendinitis.

As the doctor probably mentioned, tendonitis does not improve with movement. Total rest, ice, and NSAID will work after a bit. Once you start walking, take it easy. At the first sign of recurrence, stop. You cannot "walk it out" like muscle tiredness.

 

[Lisa HS]

On that note- I did not need an x-ray. I was diagnosed with tendinitis. Thank heaven! 3 days of rest, elevation, cold compresses, ibuprofen and Traumeel. And a promise to start back slowly!

Excellent! Make sure you take their advice. I was on the Portuguese this past Spring and developed shin splints (damn cobblestones!). Physical Therapist did all the things to my leg (ultrasound, electrical stimulation, massage, etc), gave me a compression bandage, said to keep it on ice and then sternly told me to "Stop Walking!" For. Three. Days. I did, and was then able to continue on to Santiago and even Finisterre. I met more than a few others who continued to suffer greatly because they didn't give themselves that needed break.

On a side note, those 3 days were spent sitting in a cafe Camino-side in the 17th century fortress at Valença , so....not too hard a forced-stop, I think.