PARROQUIA DE GUADALUPE

Although usually referred to as the Cathedral of Puerto Vallarta, La Parroquia de Guadalupe is a "parroquia" or parish, as it is not the seat of a Bishop.  No, I am not going crazy on churches.  One is just next to my home, but this one is probably the landmark of Puerto Vallarta.  Its tall spire with the crown can be seen all over the town.   So one day last week, my friend Nancy and I decided to take a little tour.  It is located just across the river off the Main Plaza.  Why it was stuck at the end of a tiny street and not on the plaza, or why the plaza wasn't built in front of it ? Well because it is Mexico !

The Virgin of Guadalupe is based on an apparition that appeared only before the lowly Indian peasant, Juan Diego.  She became the Patron Saint of Mexico.  How do you make a saint out of an apparition ?  You would have to ask the Catholic Church.  Supposedly this church was inspired by the famous Our Lady of Gudalupe in Mexico City.  The Festival of the Virgin occurs all over Mexico on the first twelve days of December.  The main procession starts along The Malecon near Woolworths (Yes, we do have a Woolworths with the same soda fountain lunch counter I remember as a child) and then proceeds to the church.  Actually the whole town participates with each school marching as well as many floats depicting the Virgin And Juan Diego. There are also native dancers in brilliant feathered costumes.  For twelve days the two streets by my home are impassable in the evening

The foundations were laid in 1903.  Later in 1917 it was decided to make it larger and the foundations were redone (not really usual for Mexico).  Construction began in earnest in the 20's but wars and other disputes stopped construction so it wasn't until the 40's that they started on the towers.  The famous crown of angels didn't go up until the mid 60's.  The crown was made of cast concrete, but an earthquake in 1995 destroyed it and a new metal one was designed.  I did the best I could to get a good photo of the twin towers plus the large one with the crown, but it is on this little side street.  The Main Square looks out across the bay through the also famous arches.  In the center is a gazebo (almost all plazas have a gazebo)  If you think you see Christmas decorations hanging there, you would be wrong.   They were left over from Independence day (always red, white and green).

The nave and altar piece are far more impressive than the simple one across the street from me.
Lots of carved (or plaster) statues and lots of gold leaf.  You may note the copy of the famous image of the Virgin brought to the Bishop by Juan Diego.  Because it was constructed over such a long period, each succeeding priest put their own stamp on it.  So some of it appears to be neoclassical, but the towers are more renaissance in style.  All in all it is quite beautiful.  Even a little side door has an ornate marble carved arch.

After our little tour, we walked a few blocks further down the Malecon to The Cheeky Monkey.
It is one of the oldest (and cheapest) watering holes along the Malecon.  Located on the second floor it has a wonderful view of the bay.  Two things I really liked are that they serve rolled up cold wash cloths (just like Japan) and the fact that beer and margaritas are only twelve pesos (less than one dollar).  It was a very pleasant charming day.  You should try it.


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HOSPITALS AND LIFE

Yes, I know, we were not going to discuss this again.  Well I changed my mind (I do that a lot)  You will not hear of my various medical problems, nor will I even tell you what the surgery was about.  I knew in July that I would have to return in September for surgery.

The date was set and I was delighted to find a very cheap airline ticket.  Then my doctor's nurse called to say that he could not do surgery that day, and would "October 7th work for me".  I was livid and told her it would not work for I had already booked my tickets.  A week or two later she emailed me again and said the surgery could be done on September 18th.  I could keep the arrival flight, but had to change the return flight (at a cost of $200.00).  I was still not pleased, but it did mean that I could have all the tests done in the U.S. saving me the cost of having them done here.

The first morning I was there, I went to the lab (they picked) and gave four tubes of blood for various tests.  Then I saw the surgeon (I did not like him then, and I still do not).  My regular doctor was out of town for the month and no longer does surgery.  He then sent me for more tests (an EKG, and a chest Xray).  Of course I passed all of them beautifully (so much for my smoking and drinking).  However, one week later the nurse called again to ask if I had the tests done.  I assured her that I had, but for some reason they had not forwarded the results.  She did finally get them.  No explanation of why it took a week.

I had lived in the Laguna Beach area since 1965 until I moved to Mexico.  I may have mentioned that most of my friends are dead (well, I am very old).  The few that are left could not  accommodate me. Either someone was in their guest room or their home was on the market.  I called my lawyer who had always said that I could stay in his guest house (I sold him the property 25 years ago).  He had a woman staying there (who was not paying rent) so he asked her to move out for a few days.  I felt bad about it but could not afford three weeks in a hotel.  I did go ahead and book a hotel just a few blocks from the hospital for the night before surgery and the night after.
I had to be there at 5:30 in the morning and planned to drive myself there.

I arrived on time and after checking in was taken to a temporary room where the anesthesiologist saw me (He had tried to reach me the night before, but called my phone in Mexico).  Then a nurse came in to insert an IV drip line in the back of my hand.  She made three attempts and could not hit a vein.  Now I have great veins, but I had been told not to even have a drink of water after midnight.  (Up until then, I had been drinking beer).  Another nurse came in and managed to place it in my right hand.  Once the anesthetic was inserted I went right to sleep.  The next thing I knew I was in a hospital room.  Once conscious, I demanded morphine.  It was a double room and the man next to me was checking out.  His entire family was there (and it was a large family) and they made a terrible racket getting him out of the room.  I had just settled back into a semi coma when the cleaning crew came in and made even more racket.  Then another man from emergency was rushed in.  Nurses all over the place and a panicky wife.  The noise went on constantly.  I don't know what they were doing to him but he was getting a lot more attention than I was.  It turned out he was in for a gall bladder operation.

I screamed and demanded something stronger than morphine.  I desperately wanted to go to sleep. The nurse gave me a hard time insisting that I was getting very strong pain medication.  I told her to call the doctor for it was not working.  The commotion next  door went on all day and night.  It was 11:00 at night before it was quiet enough for me to sleep (after a 7:00am surgery).  My doctor never did appear.  He sent an assistant.  I did not like him any better.  The following night he did show up to say that the "surgery went well" and sorry about the six stab wounds in my abdomen. For some reason they did not go in the side as planned.  I told him that I need a shower.

To my amazement, there was no shower in my bathroom (unlike my Mexican hospital room).  I asked the nurse and she said the doctor had to approve a shower.  I told her that he already had and she said she would "check on it".  Nothing happened so with my IV removed I got out of bed and went to the nurses station.  It was directly in front of my room which also contributed to the noise as the nurses were always laughing and talking (about the patients, I am sure).  I had constantly asked them to close the door.  The nurse informed me that the doctor had approved the shower, but I had to wait for someone to go with me.  I told her that I did not want someone "with me" in the shower.  Just give me a towel and I will find it myself.  Reluctantly, she did.

Once showered, I wanted out of there.  I had to wait for the doctor to release me and once he did, I dressed, gathered my stuff and went back to the nurses station.  They said I need to sign the release papers.  Fine, give them to me and I will sign what ever they are.  Once the paper work was done, I just walked out.  No wheel chair, and no one to meet me.  They were glad to get rid of me.  Now, I am sure you think that I must be a terrible patent, and maybe I am.  But I have had enough surgeries and been in enough hospitals to know that if you just lie there quietly and suffer, you will get nothing!   I told any one who would listen how much better, cleaner and nicer the hospitals were in Mexico  

Kathie was to pick me up, but she doesn't get it together in the mornings very well.  She said she could not make it until after noon.  I had my car in the parking lot, so I just drove myself to the hotel.    I did have someone pull my luggage out of the trunk and put it in my room.  I had left it there in the parking lot at the hospital.
                                                                        
Kathie finally arrived at the hotel several hours later, but by then, I had walked across the street to a shopping mall and gotten something to eat.  The next day I went to my lawyers guest house.  He and his "new" wife are from New York and they party until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.  It was fine, I slept like a baby on pain killers and sleeping pills (which I was).  A week later I saw my doctor (for the last time)  He was amazed at how quickly I heal (every doctor I have ever had has said the same thing).  The "Wilsons" are built tough.    He told me no gym for at least three weeks.  We will see !  Then I flew home.  Richard met me at the airport in his new car and I had the "fish taco" man next door carry my bag up the stairs.  He refused a tip.

It was so wonderful to be back home and as luck would have it we had two cools days of rain.  But the sun came out and it has been hot ever since. (I do not care),  It was just good to be in my own place again. I had asked Filipe (my favorite bar tender and good friend) to water my plants while I was gone.  Alex normally does it, but he had just had surgery to repair a broken femur from a motorcycle accident.  I gave Filipe the same amount I gave Alex and he was very happy.  To my amazement, he had cleaned the entire house that morning.  (actually his girlfriend/wife did it).  He said he did not want me to come home after surgery and have to clean house.  See how nice people are here ?

So my life is back to normal (well normal for Mexico) and I intend to live it as much and as hard as I can.  My cocktail party will be in November, so I am busy planning and getting stuff for that.  I really do like my life better here and the hospitals are a Hell of a lot better (I just have to pay for them)


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SAUL AND EL VENTILADOR (FAN)

During the nearly three years that I have lived in Mexico, I have met an awful lot of people (enough to have 40 to 50 at my cocktail parties).   About half are Mexican Nationals.  The "gringos" are about half American and half Canadian.  Oddly my closest friends are Mexicans.  Most of the "gringos" are "snow bird" and only live here for 3 to 6 months of the year.  The people who live here year round tend to be a little odd (but then I guess I am am odd duck too).  Elvis would be my closest friend, but no one has been more helpful to me than Saul.

He was in the apartment the first day my Realtor showed it to me.  Although he spoke English, I had a terrible time understanding him.  At first I thought he might be retarded (Sorry ! mental challenged).  But I soon realized that he had a sever speech impediment.  It is sort of like a bad stutter for he struggles for a long time with each word (in English or Spanish).   He offered to help me with the apartment and indicated that he was sort of the maintenance man for the Rizo Family (who own the entire block).  The apartment was a disaster and I knew I would need a lot of help making it livable for me.

The first day I had him meet me there,  I was not happy when he announced that he did not do cleaning, floors, nor did he do painting.  He only did electrical and plumbing.  Well, I had plenty of that for him to do and so I hired Alex to help me with the rest of the work.   I found out that Saul not only knew all about electricity and plumbing but was a genius with anything mechanical.  He took the motor out of the fan in my bedroom and fixed it, then installed two more fans in the living area.  The fan in the bathroom turned out to be beyond repair, so I had him buy a new one.  I had asked the owner to remove the old stove and I would replace it with a new one.  Not only was I afraid it might blow up, but it was so awful I didn't think I could eat anything that was cooked in it.  The refrigerator was just as old and ugly but instead of removing it, I asked them to move it up to the deck and place it in the covered laundry area (I have no idea how they managed to get it up there).   It was only later that I discovered that while it stayed cool, it would not get cold enough to keep beer in it (the main reason I wanted it on the upstairs deck).  Saul discovered that the fan motor was not working properly.  He took it out and rather than buy a new one, fixed it.  As I said, he is a genius with motors.

I also had him install new wiring on the deck so I could have a switch at the top of the stairs that would turn on two lights under my newly built cabana.  I think I mentioned earlier that while the placement of the switch on the wall made it look quite professional, once I looked around the outside wall I discovered there was an uncovered lamp wire running across the outside wall from the laundry area.  If they have building or electric codes here, I am unaware of them  (Obviously so are all the plumbers and electricians).  Over the year, I always found new things for Saul to do and always was quite pleased and surprised at how little he charged me.

He still works for the Rizo family even though they have owed him back wages from a year ago when their grocery store was shut down by the city for not paying their help.  He also works for anyone he can find that needs him.  He works long hours every day.  I can see the back door to his little shop around the corner (in an abandoned building also owned by the Rizos).   I have seen his lights on as late as 10:30 to 11:00 at night.  He always wears slacks and a short sleeve dress shirt (although the shirt is usually stuck to his body with sweat),  When I need something done that is beyond his expertise, he always knows someone who will do it cheap.  I needed a railing going up to my deck.  My friend had had some iron work done so I asked him first.  He informed me that it would cost thousands of pesos.  I asked Saul and he brought over a little man (who spoke not a word of English).  He measured the space, made the iron balustrade, painted it black and installed it in a few hours for 350 pesos (less than $30.00),

So, when I decided I needed a wall fan under by cabaña I called Saul.  I explained that I wanted a small rotating fan like the ones at Apache's.   Last year I always had a nice breeze on the deck either from the mountains or the sea.  Not this year;  many nights there is not a breath or air.  He quoted a very low price and said it would be done the next day.  It was a week later, but that is Mexico.   When he arrived with it I was shocked.  It looked huge (I think it would have worked just fine on a small prop plane).  It was also white and I was afraid it was just too obtrusive for the ambiance I have tried to created up there.  But he had gone all across town to buy it and carried it back on a bus (and it was cheap), so I let him install it. He had to bring in a new wire for a plug outlet (I never bother to look to see how it got there)   I am still not happy with the look, but it does a nice job of cooling the air.  As I have said many times before, you don't always get exactly what you want here (Let me correct that statement.  You almost never get what you want in Mexico).


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MOSCAS (FLIES), MOSQUITOES, AND OTHER INSECTS

You may recall that during my first year here, I commented on my surprise at the lack of bugs here.  You could never say we were bug free, but considering all the garbage piled on each corner block (trash pick up is very primitive here) and that we are surrounded by jungle, it was amazing how seldom I noticed flies or other insects.  Especially when you consider our weather, which is hot and humid (have you ever been to Florida in the summer?).  Well this year everything changed.

It has been hotter and we have had rain at some time almost every day for months.  First it was the swarms of termites.  It was a constant battle.   Each morning I would wake up to find the floor littered with tiny wings.  What that means is that the varmint has crawled away to find wood.  Now the older homes are all brick or concrete and all windows and outside doors are metal, so they go for the furniture.  They are so invasive that they invade live trees.  There was a large tree in the parking area at my old apartment that collapsed on a tenant's car one night.  When I went out to inspect it you could see that the trunk was totally riddled with termites (and the tree still had green leaves !).  The termites really love my equipauli furniture (pig skin over crude wood frames).  At the hardware store I bought a huge bottle of a foul smelling turpentine like stuff.  You apply it with a paint brush and it soaks into the wood.  It does work, but is a messy laborious task.  For some reason after a the first few weeks of rain the termite stopped swarming (doesn't mean they aren't chewing on some of my furniture however).  The geckos that crawl all over my walls and ceiling do help somewhat (they love to eat termites) but the problem is they also poop everywhere.

The flies this year have been very pesky and are constantly landing on you.  Even though I shower twice a day, your skin is still constantly covered with perspiration.  The ants have caused me some concern.  At first they made homes in my potted plants.  I did find a very toxic white stuff at the local nursery that is pretty effective, but they have moved to the floors.   I clean my own house, mopping the floors and trust me, there isn't a crumb anywhere.   We have three sizes of ants.  We have the regular ones, but also tiny ants that are almost microscopic.  Unless you catch them on something white they are almost invisible.  Also new this year are the huge red aunts.  I really hate those.   Oddly enough we don't seem to have much of a problem with cockroaches (which you would think we would).  I have always scattered about those "roach motel" from Raid and in three years I think I have seen maybe 5 or 6 dead ones.


Nothing has caused me more stress than the mosquitoes.  This year they are eating me alive, mostly around the ankles (more blood down there).  The City (or some municipality) sends people though the neighborhoods with bags of little white granules.  They will deposit them anywhere you have any standing water (I have 24 pots and all have saucers).  But you have to be home when they pass.  They were at my first two apartments, but so far this year, I have missed them.  The stores sell all kinds of products for mosquitoes and I have tried all of them.  There are the plug-ins, sprays, lotions and I even tried a home remedy.  You cut a lime in half and then stick cloves in it.  The most effective seems to be the smoke bombs.  It is a swirl of green stuff that you place on a little holder and lite it.   The downside is that it stinks and your home constantly smells like something burning (no I do not smoke inside my home).  One reason I really do not know how effective any of these things are is because you don't know when or where you are being bitten.  The mosquitoes here are tiny (maybe a little larger than a gnat).  They also make no sound.  There is no "Bzzzz" to tell you that one is about to suck your blood.

Besides the usual pests (if you can all any of them usual) we have some really strange things.  You have already seen that spider that was as large as my hand, but take a look at this odd caterpillar.  I check all my plants constantly for any problems and found that something was eating my palm trees (I have six of them)  First I found a huge green grass hoppers that could strip and entire frond in one night.  By hosing the plants and them stepping on the bastards I got rid of them.  But leaves continued to be eaten.  I finally found this odd bug.  I tried to pull it off and was badly stung by it.  At first I thought it bit me, but after spraying the pest until it dropped onto the tile, I discovered that it had horns and its whole body was covered with needle like barbs (I guess no bird would dare try to eat it).  I have so far found five of them all on one palm tree.  You look for little dropping then check the underside of the leaf above.

My holyconia flowers are attracting more wasps than ants.  Now some wasp (or I am assuming it is a wasp) have decided to make nests in my stair case.  I have knocked down at least 10 mud nests.  One night on my way to bed I had just turned off the lights when I saw what looked like jewels on my floor. As I moved toward it, the jewels moved !  I turned the lights back on and found a beetle like bug.  Within a few seconds he closed his brilliant neon like night vision eyes and all that was left was an ugly brown bug.  I stepped on it.  Now we do also have some very colorful butterflies, but one of them produced those horrible caterpillars. Yes, I know that some of you are reading this with your mouths hanging open.  What can I say ?  Not all paradises are perfect !

MEMORY (OR THE LACK OF)

Loss of memory of is just one of the banes of old age.  Anyone over about 70 worries that one day they will wake up with Alzheimer's Disease.  Very few do, but it is a worry.  The inability to retain information is quite common in old people.   It certainly is with me (okay, maybe drug and alcohol abuse contributed to my situation).  I must carefully plan everything and make notes.  I have already told you about my Day Timer Books.  Maybe I wrote about this before (but I do not remember).  This has a great effect on my ability to learn Spanish.  The irregular verbs are murder. The conjugation of some borrow not a single letter from the infinitive.  It is pure memory work (you can see my problem).  Everything on the computer requires a password now.  No way to remember all of them, so when I can I use the same ones (I know that is stupid, but so am I).  If I write the password down, I can never find where I put it.

Bridge at 1:00 on Thursday is pretty much ingrained in my head, but other dates or appointments not written down, will probably be missed.  I would never think of entering a store without a complete shopping list. The list cannot be done at one sitting.  Every time I realize that I am running short or out of something, I must write it down on my list.   Sometimes my "to do list" is carried over from day to day (sometimes for more than a week).  As I told you, I am basically lazy and if it can be put off, it will be put off.

Whenever I plan on leaving the house, what ever I need to take with me will either be tossed on the comforter or lying on the corner of the small dinning table at the top of the stairs.  I only have one pair of sandals with rubber soles.  If it is raining, I must leave them also at the top of the stairs or I will forget to change out of my leather soled ones.  Often as I reach the bottom of the stairs, I will think of something I forgot to take with me.  If I already have something in my hand, half of the time I will lay down what ever is in my hand when I pick up the new object (leaving the former behind),  It is not totally hopeless, but close.  I usually leave the key in the lock on the inside so it is staring at me when I exit.  This does not always work for me.

Last week I decided to visit a bar that is only a half block away from me.  My favorite bar tender was off that night at my usual bar.  Luckily a good friend of mine was sitting at the bar.  He had been in Canada before I left and I had not seen him since my return.  We had a nice chat and after my second beer, I said that I was going home.  As I walked toward my apartment I reached in my pocket for the key.  Not there!  My cargo shorts have six or seven pockets, I checked all of them. I went back in the bar and looked on the floor under my bar stool.  Nothing!

I explained to my friend about my lost key and that the only person who had an extra key was in California that week.  My friend thought I had better call a lock smith.   Then I noticed I had also forgotten to bring my phone.  Whenever I plug it in to recharge, nine out of ten times I will leave it hanging on the wall plug.  If it isn't on the table or on my bed cover, it will be left behind.  I told him that I had left the windows open as it was a very warm night and if I had a ladder I might be able to reach the balcony.  He suggested a lock smith again and said he would go get the number and left the bar.  I wondered if maybe at his home he had the cell phone of a lock smith who worked after 9:00 at night.

He was gone a long time as I sipped on my third beer.  Then the bar phone rang and the bar tender who speaks not a word of English handed me the phone.  It was my friend who had a ladder and said to meet him at my apartment.  I had to pay my bill and under the circumstances figured I should also pay my friends bill as well.  He had obviously been at the bar a lot longer and it seemed to take forever for the bar tender to tally the bill.  I would have said,  "Hurry up please!" but since he did not know English I knew this would just delay the process.

When I got there my friend had what looked like a ladder off a fire truck that he said he got from his landlady.  It barely reached the top of the balcony railing.  He insisted on climbing up (well it is at least 20 years younger than I am).  Shortly he opened the door with my keys in his hand (they were in the inside lock).  I thanked him profusely and told him I was going to have an extra key made and give it to him as he only lives two blocks from me.

Another narrow escape for me due to the kindness of friends.  It does make me rethink just how safe I am here since my windows are open all day for fresh air until I go to bed.  Had the fish restaurant next door been open, I am sure one of them would have ventured over to ask what was going on.  But the taco man across the street nor the dozen or so clients thought that a ladder to the second floor was anything unusual at all. Maybe in Mexico it is not that unusual.


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WELCOME TO MY WORLD

Yes, I am back from my medical sojourn to California.  Let's just say that I am better and I think that will be the last that is said about my medical history (unless I change my mind).

Since most of my blog centers around the problems I encounter living here (and there are many),  I decided to try to describe some of the more pleasant experiences of my life.  If it sounds a little mundane and boring to you, well that is what the "problems' are for (to add some spice into my life).  You do have to be tough and you must be open to new ways of living and experiencing life.  It may not be for everyone, but at my advanced age, it suits me just fine.  Many people ask me what I do all day, so I will take your through a typical day.

My morning begins with coffee and a cigarette on my balcony where I watch the early stirrings of life in Puerto Vallarta.  People going off to work, little kids patiently wait for buses to take them to school (some are accompanied by their mothers).  Most mornings a truck arrives full of freshly picked tomatoes, onions and peppers to sell them to the two restaurants on my street.  Then a man arrives with one of those stick brooms and a scoop.  He managed to get most of the leaves and the debris left over from the previous nights revelries.  It is not as effective as the power hoses used in Paris, but it helps.  If I am up quite early I will catch a homeless man carefully fold up a large piece of cardboard and place in the the V of the tree across the street.  It was months before I realized why that piece of cardboard was always in the tree.

 Later when I am capable of managing the 17 steps to my deck, I will finish my coffee up there, while checking on my potted plants (I now have 25 of them).  A lot of my time is spent tending to all my plants and I do love them all.  You may notice how my haliconia has grown and I took  a photo of two new hibiscus plants whose blooms resemble camellias. 

After freshening up a little, I will walk to two blocks to my coffee shop.  It is nothing to look at and most people would just pass it by.  But they have very good coffee and fresh organic food.  They are also very pleasant and I know almost everyone who stops there.  While sipping my iced latte, I plan my day (or days).  I have a small "Day Timer" that I use and write everything down.  Yes, I know that is very old fashioned.  I should use an Ipod, or at least a Blackberry.  You must realize that computers were not invented until I was already middle aged.  I also make up shopping lists.  Because of all the books I read, often I will walk another few blocks to another coffee shop that has a much wider selection of used books.
It is located next to Plaza Cardenas.  Sometimes I will walk through the park on my way home.  Last year the Garden Society replanted it.  It will take another year, but after all the rain, it is looking pretty.

With my day planned I start off.  If I need money (and too often I do), it is necessary to cross the river to the bank that is affiliated with my bank.  It is also one of the safest ATM's in the area.  Shopping means lots of stops.  Guadalajara Pharmacy is good for most house hold supplies, but carries no produce (they do have a small deli, however).  If you want fruit (I go through lots of bananas and they are cheap) there is a small store that sells fruit and nuts, but no vegetables.  For those I either stop at Los Mercados (where the white people shop).  It is more expensive but the produce is better than either the open market or the few items the corner Tiendas carry.  About twice a month, I will have to take a bus to Walmart or Costco.  If I buy more than my back pack will carry, I take a taxi home (about $5.00).

I read a lot and love my little reading area with my equipauli chairs and lamp table (sometimes I just lie in bed and read).  Of course there is the gym.  It seems that every few months, I have to start all over again. I try to go at least 3 times a week (usually 4, and sometimes 5).  Every Thursday, I play duplicate bridge.  It gets quite competitive during the season when we will have as many as 14 tables.   I almost always have lunch out.  I don't mind eating alone for lunch but do not like to for dinner.  I will either eat something at home (sometimes take out) or something I have cooked, or just skip it if I had a late lunch.  Yes, I do go to a bar most evenings, but limit myself to two drinks (at the bar anyway).

At least once a week I will go to the beach.  Many people just sit under the palapas, but I like to get some sun as well.  I always have a few drinks and sometimes food.  The water is shallow, but the surf can be rough, so normally I just walk from one end of the beach to the pier at the other end.  Since it is summer and low season here, there are very few people on the beach (or anywhere else).   The water now is warmer than bath water.

 I have also started my Spanish lessons with a new tutor.  For some reason he likes to give his lessons at the Page in the Sun Coffee Shop.  Maybe he thinks all the book shelves are conducive to study.  I pick up several books a week there and one day my tutor asked me how many books I read a week.  I proudly told him that I read three or four books a week and he said,  "And how many hours to you spend studying Spanish"  OUCH!!

Whether I go out to a bar or dinner, I also begin (and end) my evenings up on my deck with a cocktail (or two).  I recheck my plants and just love sitting there under my cabana.  Now that we are getting the summer rains, I really love to sit there and watch the rain pour down around me.   Yes, it is hot and humid during the summer months, but the rain does help a lot.  In some ways I like summer better than winter for Puerto Vallarta does become a small little village.  As I walk through the streets here, I will see someone I know on almost very block.  It is a quiet simple life that suits me in my old age.


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MEDASIST RE-ASSESSED

You probably did not expect a new posting on Mexican Medicine so soon, did you.  Well, neither did I, but these posts are written mostly as stuff happens.  I also don't like to talk about my personal life and especially not my illnesses (too many old people do that).  But this was too good to resist, so here I am again.

My stay at Medasist last December was about what was determined to be a bad attack on my pancreas.  I do remember when I asked "How did this happen?"  One of the doctor said it might have been caused by my gall bladder.  When I was in the States the following March, I told my doctor but he did not seem to think that any further tests were necessary (HMO !!)  I have had some very bad symptoms since (like really horrible pain) but not bad enough to go back to that hospital.  Then the last time, I decided that I would have to return to the States and get a full physical.  But first I needed something for the pain.  I first went to the local clinic.  She (yes, most of my doctors here are female) told me she was pretty sure it was not the pancreas, but my gall bladder.  She gave me some medicine which helped a little, but in any case I felt I must get back to California.

I put a call into my doctor there (of course you don't get to speak to a doctor, just a nurse).  I explained my problem and said I would like him to set up a meeting with a specialist.  She said that he would have to exam me first before any referral and that might take a month.  I told her that it was just not possible for me to wait a month just for the first appointment.  Could she speak to the doctor and see if I could not get in right away to see a specialist?  She said,  "That is NOT the way it works !"  (I think her name was Nurse Rachett.)  That was on a Friday.

I tried again the following Monday and this time got a human who did speak to my doctor and came back with the number of a specialist.  When I called to make an appointment I realized that this was The Fourth of July Week.  Not only were there no empty seats on flights, but the doctors offices were closing on Wednesday.  I went for the following week.  This nurse was extremely helpful and pleasant and suggested that I try to get a hold of my insurance company so it would be preapproved.  (Good Luck, I thought after my last experience with them)  Then she also suggested that I have a sonogram done before flying off.  Good idea !  I went to see my Dr. Lupita and she set it up for the following morning.

My doctor here was also concerned for I was turning jaundiced.  I called back to the specialist to say that I did have an appointment for a sonogram and mentioned I was now jaundiced.  She asked a lot of other questions, left the phone and came back and said I should speak to my primary care doctor.  I did not call him, but apparently she did and he called me to say that I should not risk the flight and to have to surgery done in Mexico immediately.  In some ways this was a relief, if I could talk the hospital into waiting six months for my insurance .to pay anything.  I decided to call my insurance company  There were about 6 numbers on my card, but sadly it is all push button phone.  If you keep insisting on speaking to someone, you get the same woman who has nothing to do with the insurance company but is paid to answer medical questions.  After I wound up with her three times from three different numbers, I gave up.

At 8;30 the following morning they were all ready for me, a nurse took some blood, then a technician led me to a room for the sonogram.  His English was quite limited, but he did understand when I asked if he could see a stone in my gall bladder.  He said "No stone, gall bladder good"  Somehow this was not good news to me.  I tried to ask what was wrong and he mentioned "grasse" or fat on my kidney.

Then he proclaimed that I had two kidneys (like this was supposed to make me feel better).  Then he asked me to wait ten minutes and he took me to another room where they put me through a CT Scan.  No one could explain why or what was going on and I was told that I could not see Dr. Lupita until 1:00 when the test results would be back.

The lab tests showed that my pancreas and gall bladder with were within normal range.   The liver count was slightly elevated (not a surprise), but nothing else unusual.  The CT Scan and sonogram showed no stones in the gall bladder.  So basically they have no clue what has called my illness.  The doctor proudly pushed the result (all in Spanish) in front of me like I should be pleased.  I was not.

 This should have been good news, but I wanted an answer.  So I decided there was nothing to do but to fly back home and have a complete physical done there.  I had the results of my tests faxed to my doctor (unfortunately in Spanish) but hopefully he can figure it.  So I booked a one way flight for the following week.  All my doctors are on vacation this week.  The first chance I had to call was Monday.  At one doctor's office I left a message for an appointment and made an appointment to see my primary care doctor.  The first office called back to say my doctor was out of the country until August.   Then a nurse for my primary care doctor called to say that it was still risky for me to travel and the doctor suggested I stay here for more tests. MORE TESTS ??  I had blood tests, a sonogram, a CT Scan, (all of which the hospital said they faxed to him.  What more did he want.  I called back and said,  "Tell the doctor I am coming anyway.

  My friend here said,  "Well, it is good they found nothing wrong with you"  My answer was "Just because they found nothing wrong doesn't mean there isn't.  I still feel like SHIT and I have no intention of finish my declining years in pain and misery.  I don't care if I am old !¨"  So off I go California.  Stay tuned but it may be a while before another posting..


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