…where I last left off….I had fallen off the ladder in Cuzco
and after a doctor’s house call which led to a hospital visit and x-rays, which
led to a visit to a larger hospital that was equipped with a cat scan…..which
lead to a diagnosis of a fractured heel that required surgery….I opted for
flying back to Lima (where the hospitals are better) the next day to have the procedure (a metal plate with pins
inserted into my foot).
I was met at the airport in Lima by a very sweet English speaking Doctor along
with an ambulance and her crew of medics.
If you ever travel internationally……GET TRAVELER’S INSURANCE….It’s much
cheaper than health insurance in the U.S. and hopefully, they’ll be reimbursing
me the entire $5,000 and counting out-of-pocket expenses I’ve incurred as well
as all the hospital and surgery costs that they already covered without my
having to pay anything. (I don’t even
kinow what that amount was)…..my insurance for the 6 months that I signed up
for was around $400…..You can do the math!
Anyways, as I said, from the airport in Lima I went straight to the hospital and had
to wait a couple days for the swelling to go down before they could do the
surgery. If it weren’t for Doctor Maria,
who is my English speaking angel (and has since become a surrogate mother of
sorts), I would have had an incredibly difficult time navigating the hospital
and insurance shenanigans as well as
pain management and other needs that would have been hard to communicate….I did
improve my Spanish skills flirting with all the adorable nurses who were
constantly coming in and out of my private room to tend to a variety of
necessary and unnecessary responsibilities that they seemed to have.
So, after about a week in the hospital, I was released and was
ordered to stay in a hotel near the clinic (more like a condo, with a BIG hot
tub in the living room, kitchen, and separate bedroom) for two weeks and then I
finally moved into my beautiful apartment.
Things were difficult, as I endured quite a lot of pain, but
I was slowly improving. I started a
fashion styling class and a pattern making/design course and was able to get
around reasonably well with my crutches and a walking boot (looks like a big
ski boot). I started teaching English 5 nights a week to
a 15 year old student from China,
which pays quite well. Things were
looking up...until...
the day after I went for a check up and the doctor told me I
was improving nicely and could ditch my hateful crutches in just 2 weeks, I
encountered a terrible set back in my recovery which led to my being re-admitted
to the hospital about two weeks ago…which is where I, very sadly, remain to
this day.
...my broken foot developed an infection!!! :*(
