the saga of the compressor nebulizer

What, you have never heard of a compressor nebulizer system? How is that possible? Well, we have a little story to tell...

A week or so before we came to Chicago the three of us were diagnosed with bronchitis. Nothing very serious, but serious enough for our doctors (yes, in plural) to put us on antibiotics. But that wasn't all, we were also supposed to do an 8-day treatment with a few products that you have to inhale into your lungs. This is done with a compressor nebulizer. A tiny machine that pumps air into a tube, and then turns liquid into mist (mistifies?) for efficient absorption by the lungs.

We brought one of those humming machine-bugs to Chicago in the hope that the plug adapter would be all that we needed. But on arrival we soon realised that the voltage was different (110V here, 230V in Europe) and that our nebulizer was, sadly, no more. It purred, and then it stopped. So, we decided to go on the hunt for nebulizers! Bring in Harrison Ford for reinforcements, please!

At our neighbourhood's Walgreens, a sort of grocery shop, pharmacy included, they told us that they had one indeed but we needed a medical prescription. So they advised us to go to Micro Center (I can't really remember where, I just know it was miles away...) because they might be able to get us a voltage transformer. Our friend Ed guided us there (thank goodness for that!). There they told us that they only sold "computer stuff". So they advised us to try The Home Depot, a sort of Brico for those of you familiar with Brussels (they sell all kinds of things for the home). The funny thing at The Home Depot was that the young man who was assisting us was very supportive of us being a gay couple with a child and even cited the research that one of his friends was doing showing that "we" (I suppose he meant "the gays") were very tolerant and patient parents.

OK, OK, sorry for the detour... anyway, at The Home Depot they told us to try Radioshack. We did, and they had voltage transformers, but only for 40W, which was way too little for our machine-bug. But the vendor was very friendly, and cute, and we ended buying two very cheap mobiles to use during our stay in the States. It makes life easier. Now, don't think that we did that because he was friendly and cute, we really wanted those phones. Those features were just an added bonus to our purchase.

We finally managed to get a nebulizer at Master Medical Supplies. A funny store if you ask me. They sold watches, and fuzzy animals, and 600 bandaid boxes, and erection pumps (yes, you read that right), and walking canes, and wheelchairs, and ties, and you name it! We found the shop's motto quite interesting "Established in 1983, Woman owned since 2003". A bit of identity politics can always do you some good!

Of course, to get the nebulizer we needed a medical prescription (are you still reading this? You are brave!). With our friend Becky's help we managed to get an appointment with Dr Lindeman, who happened to be Georgie's doctor in Chicago before we became her fathers. He checked Georgie's lungs (still a bit of mucus in the right lung, but overall her lungs were doing great) and gave us the prescription, or did he call it the order?

Now, why a prescription for this humming machine-bug that you can get in Brussels just over the counter? Well, according to the owner of Master Medical Supplies, people usually get the nebulizers via Medicare and Public Aid, and then when they don't need them anymore they sell them in the black market and this creates liability problems. She also told us that there is a big black market for prescription drugs in the US, because many people are reluctant to go to the doctor if they aren't insured (which happens to many, many people) and thus prefer to self-medicate. I must confess that it all sounded a bit too much for a bunch of spoiled Europeans who live in Brussels, the capital of easy access to medical care and products.

OK, but we have the nebulizer, it works, and Georgie can now do her treatment until the end of the week, which is all that matters for us. Long live the compressor nebulizer system!

Oh, by the way, you can't imagine how friendly people have been throughout all of this saga. I mean, Americans really know how to empathise with total strangers and say what you will, it makes life so much more pleasant. And then our friends here are just like little angels watching over us. And that makes life much, much, much more pleasant. Wings. Flutter. Wings. Flutter. Thank you angels in America.

(L)