Signora Sheila

So you’re on vacation in Italy, and you a break your leg… That would be the worst case scenario. Fortunately, when I broke my ankle a few years ago, I wasn’t on vacation, I was living here. But what should you do if it happens to you on vacation?

Well, after recently helping an American friend navigate an Italian hospital, it helped me to see how differently things work here. When it happened to me, I wish I’d been more prepared. But I thought I could give you an idea of what to expect!

Navigating the Italian medical system

First of all, should you break your leg in Italy, rest assured that some things are the same. The excruciating pain. The long waits in the emergency room. The X-rays. Isn’t it comforting in this unstable world that some things are pretty much the same everywhere? ;) But as I’ve learned, you’ll probably find many things different.

What can you expect?

The emergency room wait

• It depends on how busy it is, and how many wards they shuffle you to. But the ER usually takes quite a while, to say the least. Which of course is not good for the pain and swelling, or whatever else you’re suffering from!
• First you see a doctor, who sends you off for X-rays or other tests, without ever looking at your foot.
• You take the results back to the ER, and they send you to an orthopedic or other specialist. And still no one has looked at your foot or test results!
• But at least this doctor will examine the fracture. Squeezing and probing, either to make sure it’s broken or to break it for you! After all, they wouldn’t want to risk putting a cast on a healthy foot!

The possibility of a heavy cast

They’ll probably insist on a heavy plaster cast, not a lightweight walking cast. Perhaps due to Italy’s long-standing love affair with plaster. Plastered walls, plaster statues everywhere. Must seem more durable to them. And it certainly is hard and heavy!

I’d been advised to ask for a walking cast instead.

“Waste of money,” the doctor scoffed. “Over €100, and the bones don’t heal as well.” To be fair, I could have insisted on a brace. But his negativity confused me. And €100 seemed like a lot to spend for only 20 days of use! So I ended up in a heavy plaster cast. It felt like I was dragging a bowling ball with my foot.

Bring your own medications

And all this without painkillers or anti-inflammatories. If possible, take some with you or before you leave home.

But they will send you home with medicine to inject into your abdomen! It felt like I was back in the days after World War II. Shots in the stomach?” our friend asked. “For what?” Yeah, I was wondering that too… But it seems they don’t have blood thinners in pill form here. Or maybe they think the shots help the patient understand the seriousness of the situation!

About this time, you feel like you’re in the Pit of Despair, like in the movie The Princess Bride. It almost feels medieval. But you’re not done yet!

Crutches

You’ll need crutches, of course… and a protective shoe for the cast. So head to the pharmacy to buy or rent them. And then, you’re off to your family for the paperwork!

The paperwork

As a tourist, you’ll need to show your insurance papers or whatever health documents your country uses.

Or if you’re moving to Italy, you’ll need to get a Tessera Sanitaria (medical card). So go to the Agenzia delle Entrate (the tax office) and apply for one that looks like the following card.

Then you’ll need a special red and white form (like the one below) for each hospital or specialist visit, and one for each medication you need to get. Not that the forms will get you in to see the specialist!

(Note: Since publication date, these forms have changed. They don’t always have red squares.)

To see a specialist, you go back to the hospital (or send someone else) with the proper red slip, to make and pay for your appointment. And then to the pharmacy (with the right red slips) to get your prescriptions. If send someone else, make sure they take your Tessera Sanitaria.

After all that, you’ll be ready to go to your appointments. And exhausted, you’ll be ready to go home and rest until then!

Lower costs

All I can say is “Thank God our medical costs are lower here than in many places.”

In the end, all this should only cost about €60-70 (at the time of publication). Not including the protective shoe or crutches, but our generous pharmacist (a friend) didn’t charge us for them!

So if you break your leg in Italy, take some before you rush to the hospital. And insist on a brace instead of a cast, unless you have a serious injury.

And if someone wishes you a buon viaggio, never let them wish you good luck with the phrase ‘break a leg’. Or, for that matter, with the Italian good luck wish: “in bocca al lupo,” which means into the wolf’s mouth.

PLEASE don’t break your leg in Italy or anywhere else! And stay away from wolves. Just have a nice, safe trip!

📷 Image credits: ambulance; medical card by NiloGlockl; others are mine