Blowin' Bubbles Our Story ~ 2011-2019: Medical 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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Even in paradise life happens....

For the last month or so, both Shelley and I weren't feeling quite right. We both seemed to have some stomach issues, and Shelley kept getting "attacks" where she would wind up in tremendous pain....

After getting back to Saweni Bay we decided it was time to see a doctor... after seeing the doctor, Shelley was sent for a bunch of tests including a CT scan to check her insides out....

The results were back almost immediately. We both had H.Pyhori, a bacterial infection likely from drinking unclean water. Since we make our own water on the boat, the only other water we have consumed has been at the few Kava ceremonies we have attended since coming to Fiji.... With a 7 day course of pretty strong pills we both seem to be better....

Shelley, it turns out, also had been having gallbladder attacks, causing all kinds of pain. Unfortunately, the only solution for that is to have her gallbladder removed.

In Lautoka, where we are, the only option is to have traditional surgery, which takes quite a while to recover from. The other option, was for us to have the procedure done laparoscopically in the capital city of Suva.

When the local doctor inquired about this last Wednesday, we learned that a surgeon could see us on Friday. With only two days we could not get the boat around Fiji (against the wind) in time, so we decided to take a 5 hour bus ride from Lautoka to Suva.

Before surgery.....

After an uneventful ride, we arrived in Suva and got a hotel room on Thursday night. At 9:30 Friday morning we saw the doctor and buy 2:30 that afternoon, Shelley was having her gallbladder removed.

They took out 4 stones! Each one about 9mm....

After surgery.....

This is where I got to sleep for two nights....

Thanks to Lanny, Ginger and Lisa, they rigged a Bosun's chair to lift Shelley on to the boat....

She is recovering well and we hope to be leaving Fiji in the next few weeks to head north towards the Marshall Islands to wait out cyclone season...

Some of you may wonder what this little medical hiccup cost us...

At this time it goes like this: (in Fijian dollars)

2 doctor visits: $80

Lab tests: $160

Cat Scan: $585

Surgery & 2 day hospital stay: $9900

Medicine: $200

Bus, taxi, hotel & food: $400

Total cost for our bad health day: $11,325 or $7000 Canadian or $5600US

CRAZY!

Unfortunately, because this wasn't an "accident", so most of our out of country insurance won't cover us. That said, we will be applying to our healthcare system at home to cover a part of it...

This is just one of those things we face when we choose this lifestyle....

Some cruising friends have wondered about the healthcare system here in Fiji. Here are some of our observations and thoughts.

The doctors we have encountered are on caliber with any doctor in the USA or Canada. Many are trained in New Zealand or Australia. The cat scan clinic in Lautoka had an up to date piece of equipment and the technician and radiologist were both very competent.

Based on the information we had, the only hospital equipped to perform Shelley's gallbladder surgery laparoscopically was the "private" hospital in Suva. Thus, we knew it would be more expensive going in.

The people at the hospital were all ok. Some were better than others, and clearly nursing here is not as far along as at home. For example, nurses here are not permitted to start an IV. They must call a doctor to do that. As caregivers, they were very good.

The hospital itself is looking very tired. The furniture is old and much of it has something broken on it... Windows were dirty but the important places like the bathrooms were cleaned daily. There was no hot water in Shelley's room during our whole stay, and they only changed her gown after I insisted. Clearly the hospital is about profit, so anything not directly related to the medical care of the patient is overlooked.

They billed for EVERYTHING. Our invoice was 10 pages long and they charged separately for every single little thing including the 10ml of sterile water they used to flush Shelley's IV port... I can't help but wonder what it must cost for the nurses to be recording all those little costs?

In the end, we were pleased with the medical care in Fiji. I suppose like in everything these days, you must be your own advocate (or advocate for someone you love). I am glad that this is over, as I'm sure Shelley is too...

Before all this, we did have some fun in Lautoka at the Sugar Festival. Every year Fijians celebrate the sugar harvest... It was loud, hot and fun...