Sanoviv: Day One

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1. Flew from Oakland in to San Diego. We, of course, went immediately to the Amex lounge at the airport and tried to eat as much of every single verboten thing at Sanoviv. :-)

2. As soon as we got into San Diego, we were greeted by Ernie from Sanoviv. We sped through the border in the Express “van-bulance” (read: Toyota Sienna) lane. Ernie did note, however, that “This way is always easy, but it can take 4 hours to get back into the U.S.” It seems likely that this is why we were told to “only bring enough meds/supps for the trip” – not for the “Sanoviv portion” but for the border portion coming home. They have apparently confiscated prescriptions, supplements, etc. that came from the U.S., when folks have tried to bring them back. ?That really happens? Ernie said that we had arrived at the perfect time – the border is backed up for hours in and around “commute” time. (Our plane arrived at 1:00.)

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3. We got to see “Trump’s Wall.” Ernie (Mexican heritage American) told us that “All Mexicans tunnel now anyway, this is such a waste.” It’s RIGHT on the ocean – and metal. So it’s already covered with rust. “In a few years, you’ll be able to kick through it. They didn’t even primer it.”

4. We saw where they filmed Titanic/Master & Commander/Pirates of the Caribbean on the road, about 6 KM away. It’s a huge facility, and includes the gigantic “tank” in which the storm scenes were filmed. The Pirates ship is there, floating peacefully, and you can barely see the “town” over the wall. Didn’t act fast enough to take a picture.

5. We also saw an island (“One of the Catalinas” per Ernie) that was owned by Al Capone. He had a big casino out there, and used it to receive/stage/ship alcohol during Prohibition. Ernie’s sister just retired from the FBI, and we discussed how it was a woman in the FBI who figured out how to take Capone down. All the other FBI (men)folk assigned to Capone’s capture had tried just about everything related to all his “business ventures,” but Capone always got off. She one day said, “HEEEEEEEY, is he paying TAXES on all his income???” Ernie said to this day, there is a “code” that you can put on your taxes where it says “Occupation.” Drug dealers apparently call it the “Capone Code,” meaning, you just put that code as our occupation, everyone know it means “ill-gotten gains,” but if you pay your taxes, you can’t be “Capone’d.”

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6. They held a couple of lunches for us – it was one of the few “meat meals” there are in a week, and it was fish! (I’m allergic. No, not shellfish – fish-with-fins-and-gills fish. Shellfish are not allowed here anyway. More on that in a second.) They immediately re-made me the lunch with chicken. It was salad from the garden, the chicken, and mixed veggies, also from the garden.

7. We had a tour – I will try to take some photos tomorrow. Our room is on the 7th floor of the hospital, looking out at the ocean. All the rooms look at the ocean – the “opposite side” of the building is for storage, etc. The “mansion” (main house) was bought by the current owner (Myron Wentz – my rowing coach’s mom’s husband, and how I found out about Sanoviv) from a family named Levi from San Francisco. They had apparently told folks on the tour for years that it was “of Levi-Straus fame” until someone in the know told them “Um, nope, just the Levi family.” Wentz dug up all the dirt after he bought it to get rid of chemicals that had been used on the lawns, etc. The “mansion” still contains the furniture from the Levi family (kinda glitzy), including a fully mirrored bathroom where Mrs. Levi could see her fashions from “all angles,” a library, sitting room, and the like.

8. The Fitness Center is TINY, because they want folks to be outside, and not doing “stressful” things. It is also only open from 9-5, but the two times I tried to get in today just to look, the fitness coach was “consulting” so I was not allowed. I will try to take a photo tomorrow. Basically, looks like there are a couple of ellipticals (yes, as in two), they were set up for a “rebounder class” which had oh, about 10 rebounders (mini-tramps), there’s one of those “I Love Lucy” waist weight shaker things (where you stand up at the machine, put the big white cloth band around your middle behind your back, and turn the machine on??), then there were some dumbbells, some bands with handles, and a few yoga mats. But no “overheads,” so a bit unclear how I’m going to do the pullups required in my workout schedule – wrote my coach. While there are wooden “ladders” on the wall (and in our room), they are flat against the wall. When we had them in high school, there was an overhanging top bar at the top, so that you could (for example) put a TRX around it or bands for pull-ups, but not here. Hm.

9. “Swimming” pool is also tiny, in that it’s enough for maybe two people side by side – there are other pools too, but they are for Thalassotherapy. Walking “trail” is 8x around for a mile. You are discouraged from running. :-) I’m toying with the idea of running/doing farmer’s carries down the length of the hall outside our room. I can also run up the 8 flights of stairs on Cardio day.

10. Sanoviv is at KM (Kilometer) 49 – one kilometer from KM 48 – a famed surf beach. So we see that off to the right from our balcony. And two miles down the road is the oldest and most famous lobster restaurant in the entire area (Puerto Nuevo), which has been “surpassed” in ratings now by Casa de la Langosa. Which, of course, we are verboten from visiting. (I went to Puerto Nuevo when I was going to UCSD and it was a shack – apparently now far more the “established restaurant”). Interestingly, our driver told us that now that the town is “famous” for its lobster, it has to import it in from Australia – the waters are all fished out. !!

11. Thursdays are “liquid” days – that means tomorrow. H already asked if he could put tequila in the green drink. ;-)

12. The day starts at 6:00 a.m. – those of you who know Herbert are now laughing bent over belly-laughs. They turn your TV on as an alarm clock! (There is also a bell system that rings when meals are being served – reminds me a bit of the “calls to prayer” in Turkey!) Internet access is restricted even on wifi or on the Ethernet – you can’t get to Netflix, Xfinity or YouTube for example, download books, etc. (Thank goodness I did that before we left). Lights out at 9:00 p.m. and they really mean it – all systems are cut. LOL! They said that folks used to stay up late and then be late to their appointments, which is not okay. I was told about 50 times that “as the caregiver” my “job” is to get hubby to his appointments on time. Oooo-kay!

13. There are a lot of folks here from China. They have a whole interpreter service, etc. Not sure why I found that interesting, but I did. Most folks were finishing lunch when we arrived (14 tables of 4 chairs a piece, so about 60 total “visitors” at once). There are a lot of folks here who obviously are going through chemo, etc. (Many bald heads.) We all have name tags – mine is yellow (Caregiver), hubby’s is Orange (Cancer), and we’ve spoken to a few folks where we have seen Red (Stem Cell Treatment), Green (Lyme), etc. Everyone is a patient or a caregiver. In the past, “big groups” could use Sanoviv as a retreat center, but they shut that down after so many patients complained. (As Wentz, the founder, also founded USANA, apparently it was an annual trip for big sellers, etc. No more. In fact, you have to sign a document that states that you will not “try to sell anything to anyone” or “proselytize” or “talk about your business.” Ha!)

14. Tomorrow is going to be a BIG DAY. We already have the schedule. Hubby has a TON of appointments with all his doctors. I will be attending the Nutrition and Oncology ones, but he’s on his own for Chiropractor, Psychiatrist, Dentist, Ultrasound, Maxpulse Stress Test. He gets blood drawn first thing, and given his first big bag of supplements (yes, really. Big bag. All in little timed baggies). Then we get hot lemon/cayenne water, and will both do the meditation and energy medicine class. After a (liquid) breakfast, I go and do “grounding” by walking on the grass, he starts his “not with me” visits. After wheat grass, a doctor’s appointment, a whole food smoothie and another doctor’s appointment, there is lunch, then a class on food prep, and after that he has an hour in the “Quiet Room” (more on that in a second), when I will be doing my day’s workout. As I said, though, my “job” is to get him to every appointment on time. So we’re still trying to figure out what time I have alone and when I’m to be with him.

15. Every bathroom has the required SQUATTY POTTY!

16. The ‘Quiet Room’ has all manner of energy-related devices. When we had our tour, they called it the “Bridge” (as in, of the Starship Enterprise), because there are a bunch of beds facing out to a huge bank of floor to ceiling windows looking out on the ocean. The treatments are: Biotron with Magnets (helps oxygenate the cells, regenerate tissue), Photon Laser (stimulates alpha brain waves, regenerates tissue after surgery), Ondamed (pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs)/biofeedback – you can also charge the water in your water bottle with it), Rife (specific frequency electrical impulses that work to release toxins at the nerve-cell level), Equiscope (electro-stim microcurrent that reads the cell membrane’s electro-impedance and corrects it, charging the cell capacitance to ideal function and works on meridians, chakras, etc. – helpful with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), Super Tuning (magnetic waves, laser color and sound stim which scans your energy field to figure out where the body requires grounding and energy support, the machine personalizes the therapy to you), Auriculotherapy (needle-fine microcurrent stim that does ear acupuncture, pellets are placed in the ear to prolong the treatment for 5-7 days), Bemer (stimulates the smallest capillaries’ microcirculation, reducing inflammation). No, I did not remember all that. I took notes, silly. ;-)

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17. It’s required to wear the tan sweatsuits and tank tops with your name on a nametag. Nope, you can’t take them home. They launder them every day if you put them in the laundry basket they provide. They pick them up and replace them when they make up your room. For you to wash your undies etc. there is a laundry down the hall, free, stocked with the only laundry detergent they allow. You get to keep the “white label” Birkenstock sandals, the shoulder bag, the dry brush, and the water bottle that they give you – if you want to buy a shirt or jacket or tank top to take home, there is a gift shop. There are shorts, too, but (as a friend who has been here warned me), it is cool and grey here. Reminds me of Lima, Peru.

18. There are people here who follow the strict rules we were given, and there are those who do not. The cell phone “sneaking” is rampant! It seems that some folks have service outside of the computer room, because you see them hunched behind walls, around corners of the garden, etc. (I have to say, it’s kinda funny.) About 1/4 of the people here (maybe more) are Chinese, and they are by far the biggest users. When asked to stop, they look up and speak Chinese. No, I’m not being mean – it’s quite fascinating. They’ll put it away, wait for the staff to disappear, then pull it back out. You also see polished toenails, jewelry, etc. I tend to think that these people are caregivers, as some of the therapies specifically restrict nail polish and the like. There’s one gal from Texas that rode down the elevator with us who had 3 jingling diamond tennis bracelets and bright blue toenails. High bleached blonde hair, too.

19. My friend gave me cards to open up during the trip (they’re numbered, so I’m calling them my ADVENTurous calendar). Opened the first one today – laughed out loud! GOOD JOB, Claire ;-) Here’s the card, sitting on the “chi machine” in our room, which we haven’t quite had the nerve to try out yet. ;-)

20. We have a lecture after dinner today on the Mind-Body Connection, by someone in the Psychiatric division. But for now, that’s all I can think of ;-) Dinner in about 45 minutes.