Getting Diagnostic Tests in Italy

The orthopedic doctor I see in Napoli wants me to have an MRI and some additional xrays related to the knee and hip/lower back problems I am having. I appreciate the fact that he is looking beyond the obvious (it's the knees causing all the problem) to see if there is more going on than just the knees, and, most importantly, can anything be done to make my life better.

MRI
So right away I try to schedule the MRI and the flunk the screening test question "do you have any metal in your body?". The Radiology department technician is adamant that the metal disc in my knee is a possible problem, even though I have had several MRI's since it was placed 11 years ago, since the MRI machines in Italy are different than they are in the US.

So I have to get a letter from my doctor who did the surgery stating what is the metal composition of the implant. I contacted the clinic in Oklahoma City where I had the surgery done (thankfully they are still there and the doctor is still practicing) and they required a written letter requesting the information due to the US privacy laws being what they are. So in about a month, I may get back the information and be able to get an MRI here; otherwise I will pursue getting one in the US when I am back in August on home leave.

X-rays
I am thankful my girlfriend went with me as the language barrier is always a challenge. After we got the paperwork in order, I paid my 47 Euro (for several x-rays -- a bargain!) and we waited the requisite 30 minutes. In Italy, even if they tell you an appointment time, it is still first come first served in the waiting room. Eventually a young man (about the age of our oldest grandchild) comes out to escort us in. The equipment looks 1960's vintage and the office area, while not exactly dirty, is not pristine gleaming clean either. The furnishings are minimal and the room just sort of has a "public free clinic atmosphere." Welcome to socialized medicine in Italy!

Next he tells Rosa I need to take off my clothes because he is going to have me lay on the table and get the back, hip and knees all at once. I ask for clarification on the top since he is x-raying from the waist down. o I am waiting for him to hand me a gown to put on and Rosa says, there is no gown. I must have looked astounded. I doubled checked "You want me to take off all my clothes and lay here naked on this table?" Rosa assures me this is normal in Italy. I said, "Well, it is not normal for me! I always get a gown".

He says, I have to remove my blouse and bra, and pants but I can leave my undershirt and underpants on. (They call underpants "slip" in Italian). He mistakes a white insert in my blouse for an undershirt, so when I show Rosa it is attached to the blouse she explains to him and he insists I take the whole thing off.  So she asks the technician for something I can put on, and he hands me a piece of the paper they lay on the bottom of the table. He probably thinks I am nuts. He tells her, "It is just going to fall off anyway when she turns over". I can assure you, the paper did NOT fall off as I hugged it closely to me  when he came in and repositioned me.

At one point he yanked on my worst knee to straighten it out. I yelped! Maybe that was payback cause I gave him so much grief about taking my clothes off. Or maybe it is because he is so young he has no clue what it is like to have a chronic problem like that and is just thoughtless.

Now those of you that have known me for many years know that I am not a particularly shy or modest person.  In any case, it is very disconcerting to have someone the age of my grandson looking at me lying naked on a metal table like a slab of meat! So, one of the things I will pick up in the US when I am back on home leave, is a hospital gown I will take with me for these occasions!