Sanoviv: Facebook rocks

I guess I’ll get right to it.

Yesterday, we took an ambulance ride to the ER in Tijuana. Since it’s still possible that one of you will spill the beans about me blogging I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say, we did.

I rode in the front of the ambulance – and that was a situation in itself! There definitely isn’t a “class in how to get out of the way of a siren” here in Mexico – the traffic was like a band of cockroaches, trying to crawl this way and that to get out of the way! The driver didn’t speak much English, but the “twirly finger next to the temple/’loco'” sign I made made him laugh and nod. It was something!

Tijuana is about 30 minutes away back toward the border. We had made the decision to stay in Mexico, because our Sanoviv doctor knew the doctor at this hospital, and knew that she would have a direct link to what happened to hubby here, versus if we had crossed back over to San Diego for the Kaiser system. We were admitted to the Hospital Angeles Tijuana. I’m the first to admit a prejudice thinking “We’re going to a hospital in Tijuana….????” but WOW, this place was really amazing. Our doctor was like a 1950s doctor, listening, really explaining things, solicitous of me, etc. Funnily enough, the Sanoviv doctor had called her directly, and she had been at an English Language intensive workshop weekend! She came in on her day off, and I teased her that she could practice on me – as I didn’t have any Spanish :-) Hubby was ultimately stabilized, and they will be running a battery of tests and a CT today (as yesterday was Sunday).

He’s arguing about how long the Tijuana doctor wants him to be under observation (7 days) – arguing is good. ;-) I could have stayed up there, but we talked about it, and he said that I should see if I could get a ride back to Sanoviv, which I was able to. Staying in a Tijuana hotel near the hospital v. Sanoviv – kind of a no-brainer as long as hubby was okay with it. Luckily Ernie (who had picked us up at the airport) had literally just dropped off a patient when I called, and the Reception was able to “catch” him. So he went back to the border to pick me up. Such a good guy! I found out a bit more about him on our ride back – he had been a roadie from the time he was thirteen when they lived in L.A. (he’s a big powerful guy), working for bands that came up from Mexico especially, as well as any band that might need Security (Tower of Power, etc.). He laughed and said there was one Mexican singer (I forget the name) who would come up to the U.S. and women would literally try to get up on the stage to rip his clothes off (!!). So Ernie’s “job” was to “take the hit” for him of all the women. He laughed a lot at the memory.

When I got back to Sanoviv, Dr. Danielle (who had been his attending here during the crisis) said she had talked to Dr. Michell (at the Tijuana hospital) and she was hoping that I agreed that it would be better to get hubby back down here once he was classified as “stable/able to move.” I agreed wholeheartedly. She said also that no matter how clean and beautiful a big hospital is, it’s a big hospital. As the hospital here is servicing only about 60 or so patients at a time, there is just less of a chance of a “hospital-related” illness, to which I agreed. Hubby feels the same.

I was supposed to start a program here for a week (a “treat” for me from hubby) and wasn’t sure that I should, but he said he wanted me to, especially as this had happened. (It’s a de-stress program – ha!) There’s nothing like having to plunk down a “deposit” that has a lot of zeros in it (don’t worry, it was pesos, but still….) that makes you re-think doing something that’s pretty pricey just for “a treat.” But he insisted. So as I type this, I’m back at Sanoviv and he will text me as soon as he knows what is up. I am sure that they will tell me, too, because they are amazingly “communicative” (is that the word?) here – all the doctors meet about all the patients every evening, they discuss everything that is happening. Then they give that information to the patient and the “companion” (they don’t like the word “caregiver” – they are there to do that…and to “give care to” the companion, too! ;-) ). So I do know that they will let me know as soon as they know.

It was really tough that this happened on a Sunday, because it’s the day at Sanoviv that the fewest “staff” are here. The kitchen staff are off after Dinner, etc. I only say that it was tough because it was tough for me :-) This all happened before Lunch, and though the kitchen staff were able to pack me up a “picnic” to take with me (a chicken breast and some veggies), by the time that I got back, it was pretty late. The Receptionist on duty went into the kitchen though and found me an apple, some nut butter (my favorite) and some mixed nuts. I had that and two of the packets of bone broth I had brought. Then (for the first time here) turned on the TV for company and watched a very silly movie about a comet hitting the Earth, that a young(er) Robert Duvall stops.

And so – to those of you who are reading this that are also on Facebook – all I can say is … I can’t even. That’s all. You guys are amazing.

When I was at the ER, their wifi was wonky at best. I would be able to get to Facebook, but nothing else, for a bit, then it would die. Then suddenly Facebook messenger would work, but not Facebook. Things like that. (Nothing else worked, just Facebook and messenger, intermittently.) I am sort of tearing up saying this. However, of course if hubby knew that I was sending out ‘distress signals’ that way, as I believe I have said before, Mexican divorces are swift and decisive!

I felt that I had to find a way to call Kaiser to notify them, and from a “Facebook and Insta friend I have never met but love like a sister,” two old Redwood chums, an old grammar school chum, my cousin, a cycling instructor (you know who you are), I was able to get the number to call to put in a claim, plus how to get “out of Mexico to the U.S.” to do the same (again, Google, etc. not working, unable to download photos/.pdfs etc.). Thank goodness that I did do that while I was still at the Tijuana facility (hubby wanted me to wait until I was back at Sanoviv with a land line), because they let me use their phone in Reception to call out, and then the Kaiser person needed info that I didn’t have! I said to him – “Um….do you speak Spanish??” And he laughed and said “Why yes, I do, my name is Ramon, just put them on.” So he talked extensively to the “Intake” person and got all the info that he needed, got me a case number and a case manager, all of which there is just no way I could have done as easily if I had waited to get back to Sanoviv.

There is nothing quite so helpless as when you are trying to find out information that should be super quick and easy to get – and being unable to get it. (I had thought that if the Facebook “plea” didn’t work, I would find an Internet cafe somewhere near the hospital and try to get the info that way.) Then there is nothing quite so “chest constricting in love” as having about 100 people just agree to say prayers and then other folks step up and hop to getting me information, that were “outside of my purview” as it were (Craig, Tommy, Lindsey, Val, Patty, Leslie M., you guys just blew me away, I have say! I am sure I am forgetting others, and for that I am truly sorry). Folks that by and large I haven’t seen since I was a kid that just jumped in and sleuthed everything out. I think I mentioned – I’m still “wet eyed” (really) about it.

My daughter kept my family apprised of what was going on, and waited I am sure with “bated breath” to find out what was going on – though luckily as Facebook messenger worked intermittently, I was able to get little “snippets” out. (Texting didn’t work, nor did the phone itself.)

There’s other things that Facebook folks knew that I didn’t. Like that if you are AAA Premiere, there is a “travel insurance” that just comes with it. (There also is with Amex Platinum, that one we knew, but the AAA Premium has some things the Amex Platinum doesn’t.) I had folks offering up their au pairs to do translations, trying to figure out what they could do, and over all, just saying prayers.

You guys sincerely ROCK.

This morning when I got up, I got a Marco Polo from a dear friend and fellow Hoffman Process person just to check in (Marco Polo doesn’t work all the time either, even here). I did a big involved Marco back to her (and copied a few other Marco-using folks, as it was a super long update). When I was talking to her, a raven flew into the palm tree above me. Ravens are hubby’s totem. It was one of those “bizarre/just right” moments. In fact, I finished the Marco, went to get a cup of tea, came back out, and the raven was being quite vocal – so I was able to film him “bitching away” right above my head. I take that as a good sign. We have seen a ton of pelicans, finches, doves, etc. but this was the first raven. He gave me a bunch of huffy caws, ruffled his feathers, then took off.

So, that’s the update. So much for the work that I had (still have) to do, that I was ‘supposed to get done’ yesterday. It is what it is (right, Leann??)

I will be sure to post this on Facebook as well (of course) – and once again, thank you thank you thank you for putting in a good word with the Big Is about all this.

UPDATE: I got a text from hubby about 1/2 hour ago. He had the symptoms again this morning (full body shaking/muscles seizing, fever, blood pressure spiking and plunging – remember, ya’ll don’t know that) and so they are holding him “3-5 days” to try to figure out what is going on. This is when medicine is really really hard – when you don’t know what’s going on, and it keeps happening. (Where’s Dr. House when we need his grumpy *ss?)