How I Spent March Break

Amy and I returned to Toronto from three and a half months of wonderful travel to Guatemala, Mexico and Belize on Friday night.  About a week earlier I noticed a sore on my thigh.  I get these sores sometimes, like a large pimple or boil.  By Friday, it had popped open and was draining.  By Saturday, another area of swelling had begun and I started to feel ill – chills, fever, headache, nausea and weakness.  Sunday morning I went to a walk-in clinic.  He advised me that since I was seeing my family doctor for a scheduled appointment the next day, I could either try to find an open Urgent Care clinic or wait to see my doctor.  He wrote a prescription for antibiotics as a “precaution” which I ignored.  On Monday at 12:30 I went to see my doctor for some blood tests and so on.  She looked at the infected area and told me to go straight to the hospital.

I arrived at Sunnybrook at around 2:15 to and walked into an Emergency Room that was standing room only.  At 5:15 I was brought inside to be seen by the Emerg doctor.  Amy arrived shortly after.  By 7 pm I was admitted into the hospital.  They suspected a serious infection, and by the next morning confirmed Staphylococcus Aureas.  Staph is a very common bacteria that lives on many people’s skin, and nobody really knows what triggers it becoming an active infection, but when it does, it can be very serious, even fatal if untreated.  So they weren’t kidding around.  After a battery of blood tests and visits from many doctors from many departments (Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Infectious Diseases), I was moved into an area called Medical Short Stay.  Medical Short Stay is like a converted Emergency Ward with about twelve patients, a few in actual small rooms with walls, but most in open areas along both walls with rolling dividers that form a kind a circle around the bed.  Amy calls it a “hospital yurt”.

By Tuesday morning, having started intravenous antibiotics, I was actually feeling pretty good, no headaches, fever or symptoms other than pain and discomfort around my thigh and groin area. So I figured things were getting under control and I would be out of there.  Then I was informed that I had tested positive for staph bacteria in my blood, which is much more serious.  Once it’s in the blood, it is devious – it can sneak into other organs and hide, creating colonies of infection there that are much more difficult to clear.  So now they felt I would be in the hospital for several more days while they ran tests on organs and so on.  Oh boy…

At this point I reflected on my situation, and here is what I thought about:

1.       Thank God we arrived in Canada before this erupted.  I can’t imagine what would have happened in Belize, Mexico, or even the U.S., even though we did carry Travel Medical Insurance.

2.       Thank God for the Canadian medical system, flawed as it is, and for Sunnybrook Hospital which has provided stellar care and attention.

3.       Thank God for Canada, period!

4.       Thank God for Amy who has been absolutely wonderful, who I had to kick out on Sunday night, since she would have slept here in a chair the night before starting an intense 3-day Training Workshop she was leading.  She is my rock!

5.       Thank God for family and friends.  I was trying not to let people know thinking that if I was out in a couple of days, there was no need.  Now the good wishes, visits and calls are part of my healing process.  Thank you!

6.       Thank God that my ailment is completely treatable and not too uncomfortable, and that it has not spread to other areas.  I look around this ward, and see people in such worse shape than me.

7.       Thank God that my “accommodations” are reasonably comfortable, that the doctors, nurses and other workers are 90% fabulous.  They even have wireless here!

Oh I could go on and on and on…  I am so thankful!

I have also been scared.  Yesterday morning I was taken for an Echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart area.  They pressed a wand against my chest and moved it around taking detailed pictures of the heart.  They were looking for signs of the infection there.  After the procedure, the doctor said she wasn’t sure, but one of the valves appeared to be a little thickened, so she would request a second test, called a Trans Esophogeal Echocardiagram, where they sedate me, freeze the back of my throat, and insert a tube with an ultrasound probe down my throat to get close to the back of the heart and get clearer images.  I was taken back to my “room”, and had a good cry, fearing that perhaps my heart was infected.  If that was the case, it would involve four to six weeks of intravenous IV, though not necessarily in the hospital, possibly at home with home care workers coming daily to administer.

Amy and I had all our plans.  We would stay in Toronto for a couple of weeks, then pack up the car and drive to B.C. where we will be living.  I guess those plans are on hold.

I cried because I was afraid.  I cried because things seemed to be getting worse.  I cried because all our plans were up in the air.  We don’t even have a home here, having rented our house for the year.  We do have so many wonderful friends who are hosting us and would gladly host us, but hosting me with these issues could be a burden.  I cried because of how my problem impacts on others, especially Amy, who is doing everything that needs to be done with hardly any help from me, as well as trying to help me.

A couple of hours later they wheeled me into the room for the second test.  Though it was certainly not pleasant, I was totally into doing it to find out for sure.  After about a half hour, it was done.  The doctor turned to me and said: “I’ll have the report generated by 4 pm today, so hopefully the doctor will speak to you either today or tomorrow.”  She must have seen the expression in my eyes, because she leaned over and quietly said: “Don’t worry, your heart looks fine, it is not infected.”  I don’t know if she was supposed to do that, but she made my day.

In the afternoon, they did some more tests, ultrasound of my abdominal area, looking at all the organs, checking thoroughly for signs of infection.  I was examined head to toe by another doctor, asked lots of questions about other symptoms, histories and so on.  The thoroughness of the investigations is absolutely amazing, and gives me great confidence.  The lead doctor put it this way: “You have a staph infection that has spread to the blood.  We know exactly which bacteria it is, and the absolutely appropriate antibiotic for it.  It is completely treatable and curable, and it is a good thing that you came when you did.  It’s just a question of time.”

You know, I hate taking antibiotics, except for now.

On Friday (day 4) I was given an evening pass for a couple of hours.  Our daughter Julia and her partner Howie were flying in from Cuba, spending a couple of hours at the airport before flying home to Montreal.  So we went to hang out with them.  We hadn’t seen them for four months, so it was a real treat! 

Saturday (day 5), I received a four hour pass and went to shul.  It was a special musical Shabbat, and I was able to participate with the fiddle, as well as reading from the Torah.  I returned to the hospital around 1:30, to finish up arrangements for home care and have a last consult with the doctors before being discharged.  At 6:15, I’m free!  The home care nurse will come this evening to set up my IV for timed release of the antibiotics, and will visit daily to reload.

It’s great to be home, even if it’s a friend’s house!  While I really appreciate the care at Sunnybrook, I am looking forward to an uninterrupted night’s sleep, and an (almost) normal daily life.  Hallelujah!

Belize

We crossed the border at Melchior, Guatemala into Belize.  Within two hours we are in a completely different culture.  First of all, it’s English (and Creole).  I’m still speaking Spanish, have to get used to English again. There is a wide mix of people, black Caribbean, sounding more Jamaican than anything, ladinos, Chinese, Mennonites and lots of other church groups.  Even though Creole is “English”, I honestly can’t understand more than a few words that sound like English.  The architecture is different too with lots of ramshackle wooden houses up on stilts, not as much of the concrete block construction common in Guatemala.  At first I think it is more developed and “together” than Guatemala, but I soon learn it is also very third world with similar problems of poverty, violence and poor education and medical services.  The countryside is beautiful, lowland jungle heading towards the Caribbean coast.

People are friendly, though kind of gruff on the outside compared to the sweet Guatemalan locals.  Voices are loud, the energy is more boisterous (Caribbean?).

We arrived in Caye Caulker on Thursday afternoon.  Two hours on a bus and another hour on a bumpy water taxi.  We walked with all our stuff and finally found a place further down the beach with very basic cabins on the beach.  It’s less expensive than most places here, and it’s okay.

The beach isn’t really a beach, but I did dive in the ocean off the rickety dock.  The water is warm and clean, lots of little fishes swimming around, can’t wait to snorkel/dive here.  This is reputed to be one of the finest diving areas in the world, so we’re looking forward to three days here on the ocean.  We rented bicycles this evening, so we are “free to explore”.

Margaritas at The Split - sundown

 After arranging bicycles, diving and snorkelling, we went to a spot called “The Split” to watch the sunset.  The Split is a place where there is a channel from one part of the island to the other.  There is a small sandy beach and lots of people hanging around and drinking.  We watched the red sun set over the ocean – another spectacular sunset, had margaritas, and hung out with some of the folks there.  Then we went up some back streets to a local restaurant, had conch fingers, salad and fried chicken.  I also had a rum drink with coconut and pineapple, which I later found out is called a Pantyripper (!).

We had a less than peaceful night in the cabin.  The wind is really strong right now, and we are out on the beach so it whistled through the walls and windows, and the big gusts would wake us up.  We may move after tonight to a more quiet spot off the beach.  We woke up this morning, Friday, and had breakfast then rode over to Frenchy’s dive shop.  Unfortunately, because of the heavy winds, diving is cancelled for the day.  We had planned to do a two-tank dive today, just chill tomorrow, then take a sailboat snorkelling tour on Sunday.  Now today is our chill day, and we are hoping the wind dies down for tomorrow.

A friend we met on our bicycle tour

Impressions of Caye Caulker, Belize.  Amy, we aren’t in Guatemala any more!  Such a different vibe, we have to adjust to the gruff style of the locals.  Service is not always with a smile, but once you talk to people, they brighten up and are fine.  Things are also more expensive here than in Guate, especially on the tourist strip.  We don’t see avocados here, where Guate was avocado heaven, but there are lots of nice tropical fruits, good vegetables, lots of fish and conch (no lobster right now), as well as meat, chicken, mutton and pork.

Amy and I on bikes - Caye Caulker

So we are praying for the wind to die down so we can dive tomorrow – this is why we came, after all.  Let’s hope.

Leaving Guatemala

Our window at Pasaj-Cap

Music at Del Lago

Fire Ceremony Pasaj-Cap

We spent our last few days in Guatemala in El Remate.  It is a beautiful village on the edge of Lake Peten Itza, halfway between Flores and Tikal.  Our hotel, Casa Ernesto, is nestled in the jungle, and the lake is across the road.  We watched an incredible sunset and dipped our feet in the cool lake, as the symphony of voices rose as the sun went down.  Frogs, crickets, birds, even some howler monkeys created a swelling chorus.  Above, the almost half moon lined up with Jupiter and Venus.  Did you see that where you are?  Take a look in the western sky after sunset.

Lake Peten Itza, El Remate

El Remate is in the jungle lowlands in the northeast part of Guatemala.  When the sun sets, the banks of clouds look like mountains of white, blue, pink, orange and purple.  The lake is calm, ducks swimming nearby.  Our host Ernesto is out fishing for the Pescado Blanco found only here in Peten and parts of Mexico.  We ate his fish twice while we were here, absolutely delicious, fried with garlic!

Last night we celebrated the end of our time in Guatemala with a special dinner at a restaurant just down the road, called Las Orquideas.  An Italian menu, we had really good pizza (unusual in Guatemala, most of the pizza and cheese is boring), a big salad, wine, dessert (gelato with chocolate y crema) and good coffee.  Probably our most expensive meal in Guatemala, it was under $40.

Tikal Temple at sunrise

I have loved our time in Peten.  We visited the Mayan ruins in Tikal, a national park in the jungle.  The Tikal site itself is huge, you could walk more than 10 km to cover it, and we spent close to seven hours there, from 6:30 am to 2 pm.  At the site of the Seven Temples, both Amy and I lay back on the steps of one of the temples, and fell asleep for a half hour.  Imagine – sleeping with the Mayan kings!  The ruins are hundreds of feet tall and awesome, and the jungle life is teeming with bird sounds and sights, pizotes (like small raccoons), ocelated turkeys (they look like a mix of turkey and peacock, absolutely beautiful), monkeys (I heard them but didn’t see any), and other life forms.  The trees are remarkable too, and when we climbed above them at Templo IV, we could see over the whole site, with ruins popping through the trees in many directions.  Amazing!

On top of Templo IV, Tikal

I swam in the lake twice, warmer than Atitlan (probably cleaner too!).  Our cabin in the woods was private, in a beautiful spot with hammocks on the porch.  Despite what I have heard, there were few mosquitos, no problem this time of year.  We did see a big scorpion crawling on the porch under my hammock, and of course lots of spiders and such.  The weather was fine, very quickly changing, from sunny to suddenly cloudy and windy to rain to mist in the morning.  When the sun is out it gets quite hot, and I can only imagine the temperatures and humidity during the hot rainy season around May – June.

So now we’ve taken the bus into Belize, saying goodbye (for now) to the wonderful Guatemala.  We arrived in San Ignacio, just a few minutes over the border, and booked a room for the night.  We spent the afternoon with Sarah, the sister of our Phil’s partner Karen, and we had a wonderful lunch together, and then went on a tour of the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, where Sarah lives.  The countryside is beautiful, with two rivers snaking through the region.  There is a big river canoe race happening in a week or so, where more than a hundred canoes paddle for four days down the river from here to Belize City.  We will spend the evening with Sarah as well, have dinner, and get ready for our trip to the ocean and diving tomorrow.