The night is dark. The house is big. The bed too. And yours truly sits in the shadows by his lonesome.We´re home alone because La Guapa Señora´s spending the night on a foam pad in a hospital where her sister got an overdue hysterectomy today.
This afternoon a nurse brought the removed, uh, parts into sister´s room. Exactly why is unclear, like many things in Mexico, a land not renowned for clarity.
We missed show-and-tell, but we´ll head down to the dinky hospital mañana with some flowers. The least we can do.
Sister was in much pain this afternoon, we heard. We hope it´s not a situation similar to that which happened to a friend a couple years back in a government clinic up the highway.
She was having an ovarian tumor removed, and her husband heard her screaming for a long spell. The next day a nurse told him that the hospital simply lacked sufficient anesthetic.
Oops.
Sister´s not in a government clinic, but the hospital´s rinky-dink nonetheless. There is no place in Pátzcuaro where we would voluntarily undergo surgery. No way, José.
Far better in Morelia, just 40 minutes away.
But sister, a stunningly provincial woman, knows no better, and she´s paying a stiff price for that. She´s not poor either, which makes her medical selections more silly, more hurtful.
Literally.
So we´re here alone waiting for the Fahrenheit to fall, perhaps a frost tonight, listening to soft music, wondering if something weird will happen, something frankly fascinating.
Tomorrow we´ll sit solitary on the Jesus Patio with black cafecito, one croissantito and orange mermelada, watching ravens overhead and counting dead leaves on the grass.
18 comments:
Well I hope your senora's sister is doing better now. I hope sleeping on a foam pad in the hospital won't hurt your wife's back.
It's your writing and personality that bring the peoples to your blog.
What will he write about next?
Take care.
Pátzcuaro - Earlier I sent a proposal to Husband to visit here over the holiday ...
Thanks, Gloria. But sometimes my personality is problematical.
Ms. Mommy, we´ll be traveling too over the Christmas holidays. La Navidad in Mexico City and New Year´s in Puebla. I´ve never seen Puebla.
Update: Yesterday the nefarious Eggman brought their common child, age 5, to the hospital for a "visit," walking directly by the sign at the entrance that said: No children under age 12.
He had skulked outside in the car until he saw my wife walk down the street to a general store. He crept in with the lad.
Unknown to him, another sister (from Morelia) was still in the hospital room, a sister quite capable and willing to lay into him mercilesly. As he approached the room, he heard voices and wisely decided to wait in the hallway, sending in the child, who really didn´t want to be there.
Meanwhile, my wife returned and, on seeing her approach in the hallway, he quickly ducked into a vacant room, but not before she spotted him.
After a few minutes, the child left the room, but shortly returned on the Eggman´s instructions from his hidey-spot, his lurking hole, to give mama a "blessing." The child crossed himself in her direction, then skedaddled out once again.
I went by this morning with my flowers, the only person to bring flowers, which I did to balance a bit the negative vibrations sailing out from me.
And there in the far corner, in a jar on the floor, sat the, uh, removed parts of the patient. I asked my wife to toss a towel over it due to its great unattractiveness.
This afternoon, my lovely wife must drive the jar and its, yuck, contents to a lab for a biopsy. Yes, the patient or relatives must do that. The hospital is too rinky-dink to provide this service. I will be otherwise engaged in something, whatever.
Am I correct the boy is the nephew, who loves churches, and has been treated to the dentist by his uncle?
From what I can recall, your prevoius posts have been full of praise for the Mexican healthcare system and its superiority over its American counterpart.
Example: http://toptales.blogspot.com/2008/03/zapata-street.html "The health-care system is far superior to what exists in the United States. Surprised? Dunno about Canada."
This post paints a different picture. Have you changed your mind?
Treated to the dentist by both his uncle and his aunt because his parents just don´t bother.
I skedaddle when ahamster is being buried but you have WAY more reason to skedaddle from taking "parts" to a lab! YUK...
Ahhh! Life in paradise.
Sounds to be a far cry from the care and scenario I experienced at Star Medica last year.
Very nice of you to bring flowers, no matter what the reason. All women love to get flowers and they really do cheer us up. Much better than staring at our innards in a jar on the floor! (Good Lord!, that is even more primitive than I would have expected.)
I am curious, did your wife confront the Eggman?
Hope all goes well with your sister-in-law, your lovely wife, and YOU! I am supposing you will be lonesome for a time since the patient will need a lot of help once they return home.
ml
Nah, she left the Eggman in peace. He´s too pathetic to warrant speaking to, though the temptation is big.
Sister is due to head home this afternoon, and I may get my wife back tonight. Or maybe not.
Yeah, you shoulda seen them innards in the jar. A whole lot more material than I would have imagined. Truly gross.
Ah, just part of the so-lovely culture.
To JCS, whose comment got lost for a while, but better late than never:
I was wondering if anybody would mention this very thing. No, my opinion has not changed a lick.
Health care down here has two levels. Let´s call them the Lower Level and the Upper Level. I have alluded only slightly to this separation in the past. Perhaps I should have been clearer.
The Lower Level, which costs little (in comparison to the U.S.) to nothing (yes, free) is where you will find most patients because most people in Mexico are poor.
What distinguishes the Lower Level from the Upper Level more than anything is supplies and equipment. From what I have seen and heard, even doctors on the Lower Level are generally good. What they lack is equipment.
In Lower Level hospitals, you often have to bring your own sheets and pillows. Nurses are few. It´s your family, staying in the hospital room with you overnight, that does most of your care.
Lower Level is, to a great degree, government-run.
The Upper Level, however, costs significantly more, but still way less than the U.S. system charges. I would tend to think the Upper Level also includes the better doctors. Certainly, the hospitals are far superior. And my Upper Level internest/surgeon in Morelia is better than any doctor I have had in my entire life.
Upper Level is private enterprise.
Except for toe-stubbing and totally routine things, for which I use a Lower Level doctor in Pátzcuaro, mostly to avoid driving the 40 minutes to Morelia, I stick to the Upper Level.
Everybody should unless they are quite poor.
My sister-in-law is strictly a Lower Level sort, even though she can afford the Upper Level. She has never experienced the Upper Level. She simply knows no better.
Her health-care selections are like her husband selections: Third rate.
Whoops, I misspelled internist. I hate that. And this system won´t let you edit. The worst kind of misspelling is when it looks like you did it out of ignorance. When it´s something like inbernist, it´s obviously a typo and less embarrassing.
But internest looks just plain dumb. Do forgive.
So, yes, there is an Upper Level of misspelling. And a Lower Level.
Michael, boy do I have news for you!
4 weeks ago my wife had to fly to California because her brother was in dire straits after his national hospital syndicate(HMO) operated on him twice and the last time sent him home and the local chapter forgot to give him his antibiotic that the surgeon prescribed. He got a roaring staph infection and was gravely teetering.
Thankfully the family stayed and provided him the needed service and supervision that the organization did not.
She stayed at the hospital 24 hours a day for over a week. The inept employees and staff just provide minimal level of service.
Sadly this is pretty much the norm at 50% of the institution there. Yes, just like here if you can afford the best then it will be a little better, but the family did exactly what you describe the family doing here. The main difference was that the sheets and pillow were provided. What was suppose to be a routine 30 day procedure and he would be back to work, will now be a 6 month minimum ordeal.
Equally sad, that what seemed to have been progressing years ago is now down to a common level........
I pray that all stay healthy for awhile and that when the time comes it is a quick, quiet death. (not passing)...
I´ve not encountered the Gringo so-called health system in almost a decade. And never will again.
So, at least parts are like our Lower Level here except I´m sure they still charge millions of dollars for the privilege.
If you have a serious problem, it´s best to head to the Mexican Upper Level.
I just want to say that being greeted by la bonita Sra. "J", the sweetly smiling and charming receptionist/secretary for our Dr. "G" here in Pátzcuaro, begins my cure even before I see the doctor.
I think that the lady patients would prefer el guapo Doctor.
The Doctor practices Upper Level Medicine. He keeps patient records on a computer and he's smart.
Saludos,
Mike
Yeah, he´s our main man here in Patz. Too bad he increased his fee by 50 percent not long ago. Seems a tad excessive an increase in one fell swoop, in my opinion.
Perhaps Dr, "G" is only now charging what the "market will bear".
Medicine, contrary to popular belief is still a business. It is a business that requires a lot of expensive supplies and equipment, not to mention, extensive time and effort to stay current and up to date.
I used to be married to a physician who when he went into private practice was astounded, as was I, at the cost of simply opening his doors, never mind the additional costs of filing insurance, which of course, your doctor does not have. The companies that supply are charging prices that are outrageous.
Maybe Dr. "G" is trying to develop a Mexican "Upper Level" practice that is much deserved in Patzcuaro. The times they are a changing and hopefully for the good.
And to Ken: that sounds about right for much of what is going on here in the U.S. It is worse than pathetic. I much prefer my care at Star Medica in Morelia over anything I have ever received here, period.
It is no wonder that we have so many doctors leaving professional private practice. They are fed up as well. My ex is one of them. He does consulting now.
How is the patient doing today, Michael?
ml
I would put Dr. G midway between Upper and Lower levels, mostly in Upper. There are no Upper Level hospitals in Pátzcuaro, however.
The patient is recovering normally, it seems. Since the Good Die Young, she´s guaranteed an old age.
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