Tuesday
As Dr Dinah, Vonn and Haydee waved me off, there was still talk of the possiblity that I’d be back later. “Hope to see you soon!” they said.
A bumpy ambulance ride brought me to the Hospital Español, where I was wheeled on a stretcher to cubicle 5 in the Emergency Ward.
Immediately hooked up to oxygen, an ECG and an antibiotic drip, there followed a day of tests and more tests. Firstly, they drew blood. Then they wanted a urine sample. Next came a large chap with a machine, “ultrasonico” they said.
During the morning, the Port Agent arrived with two security chaps wheeling our luggage from the ship. Ok, I thought, it looks like we’re likely to be here a while, then.
Half way through the afternoon, I was taken for chest X rays, both front and side, and then in the early evening to a large room for further ultrasound tests. There I lay, surrounded by seven or eight doctors speaking Spanish in strident voices, appearing to be discussing/arguing about something they’d found. Once done, most of them stepped out of the room, leaving the lead Doctor and the one whom I’d seen earlier in the ward, explained to me in English that they had found a small amount of fluid in my lungs. “Don’t worry”, said the head honcho, “we can deal with that easily, using a syringe if necessary” At this point, I wanted to say that my priority was to be well enough to travel home and that any chronic condition they found would be far better treated with more time and consideration by my own Doctors, but somehow, I wasn’t invited to speak and didn’t feel assertive enough to do so.
I was wheeled back to room 5, where my Hero sat waiting. The Doctor I’d seen earlier followed me and said, in quite a clear manner “That idea of removing the fluid with a syringe is not a good idea”. My expression must have made my feelings clear. “There are all sorts of risks, such as puncturing the lung and creating further problems” he went on to say. At last, I felt someone was on my side.
He returned shortly afterwards to say that their provisional diagnosis was pneumonia, which had caused the heart issues. He added that our insurers had not approved the CT scan they had requested and told me off for going to the loo (with a nurse) without the oxygen supply. I tried to sleep, just wanting to have all of this resolved and to receive treatment and not simply one test after another. I felt better, but at the same time, felt I was getting nowhere.
And my Hero tried to sleep in an upright armchair.
I can’t express the emotions I felt when a picture of a bowl of fruit arrived from Arthur, with my favourite blueberries there too. So lovely, I probably cried - which I admit to doing quite frequently. It hadn’t been the easiest of days, but it was not over yet.
