Health Issues....

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Click this link if you want to start at the beginning:
FIRST BLOG ENTRY
If you want to start at the beginning of our trip:
START OF TRIP
If you want to see the story of our trip from South Carolina
(where we bought the boat)
 to Lake Ontario Click this link:
  SOUTH CAROLINA

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It has been a crazy week with doctors and dentists!  First, I had a toothache so went to the local dentist who was competent and professional.  Is office was in Bocas Town and we had an appointment for Saturday afternoon.  

Now everyone who knows me knows I am petrified of dentists.  Yet I knew if I didn't go now, it would be months before we would have another chance.  After  a long consultation, Dr. Wong took an x-ray and determined the only option for my tooth would be to pull it.

All I can say is that it HURT LIKE HELL!!!!  Pain medication is very expensive here and not readily available, so with a few shots of Novacane, he took out some monster pliers and yanked it out in one piece...

It seems to be healing well and we can do something about the space in 6 months when we should be near Panama City.

Last week Shelley thought she burned herself on the back of her leg...  It turns out she was bitten by some kind of flea and she contracted Leishmaniasis.  Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is found in parts of the tropics. It is caused by infection from parasites, which are spread by the bite of sand flies. There are three different forms of leishmaniasis in people. The most common form is cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, which is the one we have.

I say we, because over the last week I too have 4 blisters caused by the same thing.  

We went to Changinola for a blood test to confirm it and the test was positive for both  of us.  Fortunately, while we were there Dr. Garcia, the doctor who has been treating my back came to see us at the laboratory.  He told us that before we could begin the treatment (WHICH HE COMPARED TO CHEMOTHERAPHY) we would need blood tests, urinalysis, and and EKG.  All these tests we could get at the local Bocas hospital then bring the results to him and he could start treatment.

Normal treatment is 21 days of IV therapy, which means going to the clinic or hospital every day for 21 days.  He said if our tests worked out he could administer doses once a week which for us would be much more convenient.

So yesterday Shelley and I got up at 6:30 am and took a water taxi to town and then walked to the hospital.  The place was packed!  mostly with young pregnant mothers.

We were told our requisitions from Dr Garcia are no good we need them from their Doctor...
So we sit and wait.... and wait...and wait

Around lunch time a nice Asian nurse ..the only non-Panamanian there..asks our names because she knows we have been there a while.. We tell her and she takes our weights and blood pressure..and gives us the proper hospital forms, which she copied word for word from Dr. Garcia's

She then tells us to wait and the Doctor will call us soon..and she leaves for lunch...

At 2 pm or so ..the doctor finally calls us ..after every other person in there had been helped..looks at our paperwork, and tells us the lab is closed for the day..   What ??

t this point I freak out.. I hunted down the hospital to find the Director of Hospital..who a friend had given us his name..

An employee/nurse first told us he was not there but surprise,  I found him...


He was kind and listen to our tale of woe and asked to to hang on....

A few minutes later he told us to come to lab and stood there and made a lady (who had already refused us) take our blood..then walked us to another office and made a guy who said he did not work after 1230 pm do our ECG of our hearts..He could not find a urine person...

At the end of all of this, he promised our results would be ready on Friday (except our urine tests) and to come directly to his office when we arrive...  We will see...

Remember, we had been told to fast ..so we had nothing, not even water since the night before. So we left the hospital, found some lunch and decided we now know what discrimination feels like.  It doesn't feel good, I assure you...

Lunch after our "Ordeal!

On a happy note, last week we celebrated our friend, Joanne's birthday.  What a great night!

More next week... Cheers!