Log Book
July 2008
July 2008
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| July 2008 |
La Paz and El Sargento
We came back into La Paz, after our adventures up in the Sea of Cortez with Hunter
during the month of June, on July 4. Hunter flew home July 10. On July 13 we moved out
to Joyce Louder’s house in El Sargento to spend a few days with her before she flew back
to San Diego. We needed instructions for paying the electric bill, refilling the water pila
when necessary, checking some construction work and paying laborers, feeding the dog,
what to do if there is a hurricane coming, operating the washing machine, where to get the
oil changed in the car we are borrowing, how to connect our computer to her wireless
network, how to dispose of trash, etc. It’s been a while since we lived on land, with some of
the responsibilities that involves.
We also made many trips back to the boat, fixing some things that broke last month and
getting it ready for some carpentry work we have decided to order done. In preparation
for hurricane season we wrap the sail cover tightly with rope, pickle the watermaker, clean
and stow the dinghy on top of the boat. There are many things in preparation for a
hurricane that can’t be done now and still have room for Pedro the carpenter to work. If
there is a hurricane coming, we will need to return and do additional things, like taking
down the canvas cover on the dodger, removing the solar panels and stowing the jib,
clearing the decks of anything not fastened down and putting it below. There should be
sufficient notice of a possible hurricane to get these things done, although they will have to
be done in very hot weather.
Susie consulted two doctors about knee replacement surgery and selected Dr Gonzalez,
who has 15 years experience and does about 80 knee replacements per year. He chose
for Susie prosthesis of Swiss manufacturer by Mathys, which is made specifically for right
and left knees, in addition to different sizes. Her surgery was scheduled for July 26.
The surgery took place July 26. Instead of general anesthesia, she was administered a
spinal (saddle) block with a drip that remained in her spine for 2 additional days, and
something to make her sleep. She remembered nothing of the surgery. It went well and
the prosthesis is a good fit anatomically. With the pain-blocking drip in her spine until July
28, she was unable to get out of bed until July 29 – her birthday by the way – and sit on
the side of the bed. She has a lot of swelling and stiffness and muscle pain, but the
arthritic pain is gone. July 30 she was able to come home to El Sargento. And on July 31
we went back to La Paz for her first physical therapy appointment. We also went for PT on
Friday and Saturday, resting from driving and therapy all day Sunday.
In general the hospital care was good. The food was sufficient. Nurses were timely with
medications and responses to paging, but they seemed reluctant to change the sheets
while Susie was in the bed and she couldn’t get out for several days. Her sheets (stuck to
her body by this time) and gown were not changed from the time of surgery on Saturday
until Tuesday. Sam complained to someone about this in order to make it happen. (Sam:
Fresh sheets, blankets and towels were brought into the room each day and set on the
couch or chair. I think that the nurses, or whoever was supposed to change the sheets,
were confused about how to do it when the patient is unable to get out of bed and is so
large. Like Susie says, after I found an administrator and explained to him that the sheets
hadn’t been changed in 5 days he then talked to the personnel in Spanish. Although I
didn’t understand much of his Spanish, I think that he explained how to do it.) And on
Tuesday night Sam wondered, to the same administrator, why she had not been given a
bed bath, or at least offered one. So Wednesday morning the bath commandos showed
up.
The Best Bath
Three nurses came into the room about 9 AM. They asked Susie if she wanted a “shower”
and she said emphatically YES. So these women started in. Over their uniforms they
were wearing surgical gowns, surgical booties, surgical nets and masks. They wore on
their hands not just hospital gloves, but those big yellow gloves like one wears for
scrubbing down the bathroom. Susie said they looked like one of those emergency
radioactive wash down teams you see in movies. One woman took a large red dishpan
and filled it with warm bubbly water. Another produced a big sponge and motioned for
Susie to test the water – it was fine. Susie was stripped and the sheets left underneath
her. Commando 1 started at the top – scrubbing Susie’s hair, face, neck, ears, and
starting down. She poured warm soapy water over every thing she washed, scrubbed with
the sponge and rinsed with a cup of fresh water. Commando 2 followed behind and
scooped up wet sheets and dried off with towels both Susie and the bed. Commando 3
then came along and started laying down fresh sheets. It was an absolutely wonderful
bath from head to toe. Susie said it was almost as good as the shower she took when we
got back from 3 weeks at sea (Hawaii to San Francisco) after the Pacific Cup delivery of
the sailboat Bodacious back in 2001. It took them about 20 minutes and it felt so good
and believe me, Susie smelled much better – to herself and everyone else. It was the only
bath she got in the hospital because she was released that afternoon – she just wished
she had gotten a few more during her 5-day stay.
Things are progressing with physical therapy and recovery. Sam does all the shopping,
driving, cooking and serving of food, in addition to helping Susie with exercises and some
personal hygiene. The update for August will probably be an account of recovery.
We came back into La Paz, after our adventures up in the Sea of Cortez with Hunter
during the month of June, on July 4. Hunter flew home July 10. On July 13 we moved out
to Joyce Louder’s house in El Sargento to spend a few days with her before she flew back
to San Diego. We needed instructions for paying the electric bill, refilling the water pila
when necessary, checking some construction work and paying laborers, feeding the dog,
what to do if there is a hurricane coming, operating the washing machine, where to get the
oil changed in the car we are borrowing, how to connect our computer to her wireless
network, how to dispose of trash, etc. It’s been a while since we lived on land, with some of
the responsibilities that involves.
We also made many trips back to the boat, fixing some things that broke last month and
getting it ready for some carpentry work we have decided to order done. In preparation
for hurricane season we wrap the sail cover tightly with rope, pickle the watermaker, clean
and stow the dinghy on top of the boat. There are many things in preparation for a
hurricane that can’t be done now and still have room for Pedro the carpenter to work. If
there is a hurricane coming, we will need to return and do additional things, like taking
down the canvas cover on the dodger, removing the solar panels and stowing the jib,
clearing the decks of anything not fastened down and putting it below. There should be
sufficient notice of a possible hurricane to get these things done, although they will have to
be done in very hot weather.
Susie consulted two doctors about knee replacement surgery and selected Dr Gonzalez,
who has 15 years experience and does about 80 knee replacements per year. He chose
for Susie prosthesis of Swiss manufacturer by Mathys, which is made specifically for right
and left knees, in addition to different sizes. Her surgery was scheduled for July 26.
The surgery took place July 26. Instead of general anesthesia, she was administered a
spinal (saddle) block with a drip that remained in her spine for 2 additional days, and
something to make her sleep. She remembered nothing of the surgery. It went well and
the prosthesis is a good fit anatomically. With the pain-blocking drip in her spine until July
28, she was unable to get out of bed until July 29 – her birthday by the way – and sit on
the side of the bed. She has a lot of swelling and stiffness and muscle pain, but the
arthritic pain is gone. July 30 she was able to come home to El Sargento. And on July 31
we went back to La Paz for her first physical therapy appointment. We also went for PT on
Friday and Saturday, resting from driving and therapy all day Sunday.
In general the hospital care was good. The food was sufficient. Nurses were timely with
medications and responses to paging, but they seemed reluctant to change the sheets
while Susie was in the bed and she couldn’t get out for several days. Her sheets (stuck to
her body by this time) and gown were not changed from the time of surgery on Saturday
until Tuesday. Sam complained to someone about this in order to make it happen. (Sam:
Fresh sheets, blankets and towels were brought into the room each day and set on the
couch or chair. I think that the nurses, or whoever was supposed to change the sheets,
were confused about how to do it when the patient is unable to get out of bed and is so
large. Like Susie says, after I found an administrator and explained to him that the sheets
hadn’t been changed in 5 days he then talked to the personnel in Spanish. Although I
didn’t understand much of his Spanish, I think that he explained how to do it.) And on
Tuesday night Sam wondered, to the same administrator, why she had not been given a
bed bath, or at least offered one. So Wednesday morning the bath commandos showed
up.
The Best Bath
Three nurses came into the room about 9 AM. They asked Susie if she wanted a “shower”
and she said emphatically YES. So these women started in. Over their uniforms they
were wearing surgical gowns, surgical booties, surgical nets and masks. They wore on
their hands not just hospital gloves, but those big yellow gloves like one wears for
scrubbing down the bathroom. Susie said they looked like one of those emergency
radioactive wash down teams you see in movies. One woman took a large red dishpan
and filled it with warm bubbly water. Another produced a big sponge and motioned for
Susie to test the water – it was fine. Susie was stripped and the sheets left underneath
her. Commando 1 started at the top – scrubbing Susie’s hair, face, neck, ears, and
starting down. She poured warm soapy water over every thing she washed, scrubbed with
the sponge and rinsed with a cup of fresh water. Commando 2 followed behind and
scooped up wet sheets and dried off with towels both Susie and the bed. Commando 3
then came along and started laying down fresh sheets. It was an absolutely wonderful
bath from head to toe. Susie said it was almost as good as the shower she took when we
got back from 3 weeks at sea (Hawaii to San Francisco) after the Pacific Cup delivery of
the sailboat Bodacious back in 2001. It took them about 20 minutes and it felt so good
and believe me, Susie smelled much better – to herself and everyone else. It was the only
bath she got in the hospital because she was released that afternoon – she just wished
she had gotten a few more during her 5-day stay.
Things are progressing with physical therapy and recovery. Sam does all the shopping,
driving, cooking and serving of food, in addition to helping Susie with exercises and some
personal hygiene. The update for August will probably be an account of recovery.
| No Photos for July 2008 |