Healthcare Update: Good News, Bad Scheduling, and a €553 Meniscus

Time for an update on the ongoing saga of The Knee.

When I wrote the last post, I was somewhere between hopeful, frustrated, and heavily medicated. We had just entered what I assumed would be the next phase of the adventure: lining up with the Spanish national healthcare system to start getting answers.

Well. Things took a turn.

I had an appointment scheduled with my assigned doctor at the public clinic, which was a crucial step to get the MRI ordered and start moving things forward. I arrived the morning of the appointment ready to go… only to find the clinic doors locked.

National holiday.

My appointment was still dutifully listed in the system, even though the building itself was taking the day off. The appointment auto rescheduled itself another week out, but between the pain and the déjà vu, I decided I was finished waiting.

Although I really wanted to work within the public system as much as possible, pain was a strong motivator, and we do have private insurance that we can use when necessary. So, I booked an appointment through one of the providers on our coverage list. They got me in within two days. Cost of the visit: €100.

The orthopedist examined the knee, listened to the story of cats, baskets, and the airport bus, poked, prodded, twisted, and confidently declared: “Probable meniscus tear. You need an MRI.”

Good. We were all aligned.

The insurance company approved the test quickly, and then scheduled both the MRI and a follow-up orthopedic appointment automatically. That alone impressed me greatly.

The MRI clinic was spotless, efficient, and extremely professional. In and out in under an hour, and most of that time was spent filling out the paperwork.

Out-of-pocket cost: €323. (Much cheaper than the U.S., but still a number you feel.)

The follow-up appointment was slightly less glamorous. The clinic was crowded, and before I could even see the doctor, I had to pay €130 at a cashier desk staffed by exactly one exhausted human. It took twenty minutes just to hand over my money.

Still, once I got into the room, the doctor was great. Spoke excellent English, explained the MRI clearly, and confirmed the diagnosis:

Apparently, this is the good kind of tear; it was painful, but the sort that usually heals with rest, time, and the right injection. He drained fluid from the joint, gave me a cortisone shot, and sent me off into the world with a knee that suddenly felt like someone else’s knee entirely.

Total cost breakdown (for the curious):

• Orthopedic visit: €100
• MRI: €323
• Follow-up visit: €130
• Total: €553

I’ve submitted all paperwork for reimbursement. We’ll see what insurance decides, but honestly, having the whole situation resolved for under €600 feels miraculous. In the United States, that number probably wouldn’t even cover the first consultation.

The best part: the pain is almost completely gone. There’s still stiffness, and I’m not winning any foot races, but I can walk like a normal human again. No cane, no limping, no wincing every time I sit down.

I can also sleep through the night, which is not a small victory.

With mobility mostly restored, it was time to address the other part of the health system. I was finally able to get over to the clinic where my public doctor’s tests and referrals needed to be scheduled.

And to be honest: it went far better than expected. I only had a 20-minute wait to speak to an administrator, and in one short conversation we accomplished three things:

1. My orthopedic appointment through the national system (originally scheduled for late April!) has now been moved to early February.
2. The X-ray I need from the public doctor is now scheduled for the same morning, just before the appointment.
3. One more specialist appointment is booked for early March.

There’s one test still pending scheduling. I need to wait for a call back from the department concerned, and I was told that it may take a few weeks because of the holidays, but it’s in progress

So, while the private side got me out of pain, the public side now has me back on a realistic medical timeline.

Takeaways (So Far)

Spain’s public system works, albeit slowly, carefully, and with a lot of form-filling. If you’re not in pain and can afford to wait, it’s wonderful, competent, and almost free.

But if the pain scale hits a certain level, the private system fills the gap at a price that won’t destroy your retirement.

Together, they form a pretty remarkable healthcare safety net.

And the Knee? It is no longer the star of our household drama. Rea has reclaimed that role. Lexie too, now that she’s learned to check baskets before sticking her head into them.

We are back to walking around Valencia, exploring, shopping, eating, and generally behaving like people whose joints do what joints are meant to do. In a city made for walking, that’s no small thing.

And for now, that’s enough.

Next medical update: February, unless something else exciting happens. Preferably not involving cats, baskets, or gravity.