I was bit by a juvenile cat at a nice restaurant outside of Chania this week. Tore the flesh into little pock marks that do not hurt but are turning a bit inflamed after one day. Can't recall if said cat had his ear punched. So, reading past threads, should I just put some antibiotic cream on it?             UPDATE 8/2: Went to Vittorakis Polyclinic on West side of Platanias at noon. Doctor looked at it, spread some antibiotic cream (for staph), and said that next time to show up on same day of bite. Luckily my last tetanus was 2023. Front desk took care of my travel insurance. I was in and out in 10 minutes. :)

These kind of tests are not available where I live, unless you are very sick. Is there a medical facility you all can recommend?

Hi, About a week ago while I was travelling in Turkey, I was bitten by a dog. I went to a hospital in Fethiye and they gave me a tetanus and rabies vaccination. The rabies vaccine is 3 doses though, I stayed longer in Fethiye to recieve the second one and was assured that I would be able to find a third dose in Crete. However, I am now in Chania, Crete and every person I talk to is either saying they wont/can't give me the shot because I am not a Greek citizen/the vaccine card is in Turkish and they refuse to translate it. I am stressed and I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation of where to go for this vaccination.

Will be in Western Crete, landing in Chania. Looking for a yoga studio or sports store that sells yoga mats. Any suggestions besides cosmos sports??

Thank you.

Has anyone here ever tried the Alterlife Fitness Club in Chania? (either the one near Jumbo/The Mart or the one on Patriarchou Gerasimos)? Do they offer daily/weekly passes that also allow you to attend workout classes?

Συμμετέχω σε μια διεθνή μελέτη για την ψυχική υγεία, σε συνεργασία με το Πανεπιστήμιο Columbia και το Πάντειο. Έχω αναλάβει τη συλλογή δεδομένων για ενήλικες κατοίκους Ελλάδας. Το ερωτηματολόγιο είναι ανώνυμο και διαρκεί 5-7 λεπτά: https://cumc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5dn1sx6nkYH2RFk?Q_Language=EL-GRC 
Αυτή τη στιγμή έχουμε μόνο 3 συμμετοχές από την Κρήτη. Αν ζείτε στην Κρήτη, η συμμετοχή σας μας είναι πολύτιμη για να εκπροσωπηθεί σωστά η περιοχή. Φυσικά, οι συμμετοχές από όλες τις περιοχές της Ελλάδας είναι εξίσου σημαντικές και ευπρόσδεκτες!

Ευχαριστώ πολύ εκ των προτέρων

Hi all, my husband and I are moving the Crete from Zagreb, Croatia next year... We're both in our 40's so health care is a big deciding factor. Here in Croatia heath care cover is mandatory and every resident must pay €1000 euro upfront then €100 a month for cover -- even if unemployed. If you work for a Croatian company, they make the payments on your behalf.

How does the system work in Greece, please?

I am an exclusively breastfeeding mother of a 4 month old baby on a holiday at Crete and have some spear breast milk if anyone needs it.

I’m an active breast milk donor in UK, regularly supplying to Neonatal intensive care units. I follow good practice for cleaning and storing the milk and have been expressing milk to maintain my supply for when I am back to UK (in a week). If anyone needs breastmilk I am happy to give it away, and currently I have ~500ml.

While on vacation in Crete this summer, I had a bad accident and was sent to the ER in Chania public hospital. They asked me when I last had a tetanus booster vaccine - which is 20+ years ago - so they gave me a "tetanus shot", but I was never told any more about what it actually contains.

Most countries, including my own, only use combination vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis... and not only tetanus. I would assume it is common in Greece as well, but would be good to know - because local hospitals / doctors won't let me take the booster vaccine in my home country now - in case I already got the combination, and it may cause some reactions or side effects, apparently.

Anyone know what the common practice in the Greek medical services are for these vaccines? In Norway they tell me that in situations you would need a "tetanus shot" it would always be the combination vacccine.

(and yes, I've tried getting in touch with the hopsital, but I do not speak Greek and was not able to get in touch with them yet - and the few papers I received when discharged did not specify anything about the shot... and was also in Greek, btw)

Hi, I've recently moved to Heraklion to live, and am trying to find people to play padel with. In other places I've used Playtomic to book open matches, but here that doesn't seem to be a thing. Does any one have any contacts or looking to play? I'm around low-advanced/high intermediate level (4.1 Playtomic) Thanks

Hiya, I’m currently staying in Georgioupoli after arriving yesterday. I went swimming today and left when my knee started really hurting. I came out and noticed a massive bump on my knee. It looks like a nettle sting, that’s the best way i can describe it. I now found another one on a different bit of my body. It’s very painful, stinging and burning. Any one knows what it could be? I’ve asked Reception but they shrugged their shoulders at it haha :)

hello, while walking in the water in balos lagoon, i got stung by something in the foot. i started bleeding a little bit. after a little bit my foot started swelling. what could it bee and should i be concerned

Γιατί νιώθω αρκετές φορές μες στη βδομάδα κουρασμένη? Παίζει ρόλο που φτάνω στο τέλος της σύμβασης? Ή μήπως να κοιτάξω να κάνω αιματολογικές εξετάσεις? Χελπ😶

Hello! I'm visiting this wonderful island for a week. Yesterday I was at Sarakinas Gorge and at one point while I was descending via rope I evidently grabbed an insect that was on the rope itself. The pain was shocking and immediate and I shook the thing off my hand and swiftly found what appeared to be a small black stinger embedded in my finger. I could not find the insect afterwards and it did not seem to be a flying type.

Overnight it has become more severe and swollen. Wondering if any locals have any suggestions for products for pain/swelling reduction and/or advice as to what may have bit me. Thanks very much.

UPDATE: I went to Asklepeion Crete in Heraklion. I was treated immediately and for a very affordable price. The doctor diagnosed me with an infection and prescribed me medicine. He also took me personally to the pharmacy and explained the dosing regimen in detail.

As usual I am both surprised and impressed by the general kindness and positive disposition of the people I have met on this land. Coming from the United States I have a much more acute sense of US culture as self centered, aggressively capitalistic, and transactional in nature. Here it feels like a much more ancient and traditional sense of community exists in spite of the eroding influences of modernity.

Hei lovely people, fo you have a suggestion what works best against Moskitos? I seem to react very violently to those zebra-style moskitos you got here. (bites get as big as a piece of the finger) I've tried those UV-Light things but they do nothing.

Hi:) Thinking of relocating to Crete, I have a European passport and my husband has a Greek golden visa. I take daily a medicine called Rinvoq and I'm trying to figure out how to make sure it's available in Crete, what are the procedures to recieve it and who should I contact in order to make sure it will be available to me and for what price.

Anyone has experience with the subject? Thank you

Hello! Where could I find ashwagandha in Heraklion?

Accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water today while snorkelling in the lake. It seemed clear enough on the surface, but I'm now wondering if there's a likely chance of catching anything nasty? Is there any history of large amounts of pathogens living in the lake or diseases spreading from it?

Hey all,

I’m currently visiting Crete and I absolutely love it. My girlfriend and I were visiting a beach near Almyrida and there were a couple of stray cats. My girlfriend was petting one of them and it even sat in her lap for some time. After I while it got scared of something I think, because it suddenly jumped away. While jumping away, one of her nails scratched my knee a little bit. It’s a tiny wound, that bled a tiny bit in the beginning.

I have OCD, so I was immediately scared that something would happen.. I searched online ( I know that’s a bad idea) but I came across a lot of websites that warn about rabies and how it can even be transmitted through scratches.

I’m from Belgium, where we don’t really have stray cats or dogs, so I’m really not sure how (un)common it is for this to happen.

It happened yesterday, when we got to the appartment, I showered and cleaned it with soap and water and afterwards disinfected it too.

Should I do something else like go to a doctor here? Today we are going to stay in a hotel for the last days of our trip and I was wondering if I should seek some medical advice there if possible.

I’m sorry if this question is asked in the wrong sub, but I’m just looking from advice from people from here that know the risks.

Thanks in advance!

Υπάρχει ένας γάτος στην γειτονιά μου που τον έχω μεγαλώσει από γατάκι, αμέσως μετά που πέθανε η μάνα του. Δεν τον έχω βάλει μέσα στο σπίτι μου γιατί δεν έχω τα λεφτά ώστε να τον φροντίσω. Τώρα τελευταία τον έχουν γαμησει οι τριγύρω γάτοι και νομίζω έχει χάσει είτε κομμάτι είτε ολόκληρη την όραση του στο ένα μάτι του. Υπαρχει κάποιος τρόπος να τον φροντίσω χωρίς να ξοδέψω χρήματα?

Θυμάμαι χαρακτηριστικά πριν κάποια χρόνια μπορεί να περιμένα ώρες για εξετάσεις και δεν έβρισκα ποτέ ραντεβού με γιατρό στο δημόσιο. Ακόμη και με ραντεβού πολλές φορές γινόταν τέτοιος χαμός στο νοσοκομείο που ακόμη και να πήγαινες νωρίς οι υπάλληλοι είχαν τέτοια φόρτιση που δεν μπορούσαν να εξυπηρετήσουν.

Παρά το γεγονός ότι τα νοσοκομεία λειτουργούν με απίστευτη υποστελέχωση ακόμα, πλέον η εξυπηρέτηση έχει βελτιωθεί κάπως. Μια θεωρία που έχω είναι πως σταμάτησε ο κόσμος να πηγαίνει σε τέτοιο βαθμό στις δημόσιες δομές που πλέον παρά την υποστελέχωση μπορούν να εξυπηρετήσουν.

Ακόμη και για τα πιο απλά πράγματα οι περισσότεροι που ξέρω θα αναζητήσουν ιδιωτική συνταγογράφηση και εξετάσεις σε ιδιωτικά κέντρα. Ίσως για αυτό τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια όταν θέλω ραντεβού για εξετάσεις σε νοσοκομείο βρίσκω ακόμη και την επόμενη μέρα. Και όταν θέλω ραντεβού με γιατρό σε περιφερειακό γιατρείο (αλλιώς αγροτικό) την ίδια εβδομάδα.

Πραγματικά περίεργο αυτό που συμβαίνει αλλά έχω να πω πως για πρωτοβάθμια ζητήματα υγείας όπως ραντεβού με παθολόγο, συνταγογράφηση και εξετάσεις το δημόσιο σύστημα εξυπηρετεί αρκετά καλά. Βέβαια επείγοντα περιστατικά ακόμα δεν είναι διαχειρίσημα. Εκεί δεν γίνεται να πέσει ο όγκος εργασίας φαίνεται.

Hello My sister was admitted to the ICU at rethymno hospital, but did not get any records when she left, and her doctor said he needed them to continue her treatment.

Does anybody know what she have to do to get these papers? We have tried sending e-mail, but without reply yet.

Thanks in advance.