Our Wild Ride in an Ambulance

Our wild ride to the hospital

Robert and I had quite an adventure last week. We started out thinking he was having a heart attack…but which turned out to be an occluded artery. he spent two nights in a hospital in Guadalajara and now has a new stent in an artery. This is a good thing. And probably explains some of the chest pain he has had off and on. His heart is fine and healthy, and because of the stent is highly unlikely he would have a heart attack in the future.

So around 4:30 on Tuesday, May 30, Robert was calling me telling me his chest was really hurting, George was calling me because he had been talking to Robert, and Delia got ahold of me. I was home sick with a cold and had been sleeping off and on all day. In a very short time Delia came to get me, there was a doctor and a couple nurses and bunch of equipment in his room, and they were deciding whether or not he should go to the hospital. He was calm. The doctor said he was having a heart attack, but a little one. He recommended we call an ambulance and get him to Guadalajara. Delia handled all that and went with us in the ambulance. Sirens all the way. I rode in the back with him and two attendants. I have to say it was probably the most uncomfortable ride I have ever had. The roads are bumpy, the ambulance is old. It was like sitting in the back of a careening pick up truck. Robert was comfortable in his stretcher, but I was holding on for dear life. It was hot and I was sweating. Which is nothing new....I'm sweating all the time here. Maybe something is wrong with my inner thermostat.

When we got to the hospital the doctor was waiting outside for us. He greeted us, and escorted us to the receiving room where he immediately began asking questions and having Robert hooked up to stuff. There had been an electrocardiogram done at La Casa Nostra. They immediately did another one. Dr Matin showed us the difference between the two. the meaning being that there had been changes between the two. Something was definitely going on but he wasn’t sure what. He did an ultrasound and determined that Robert's heart was healthy and undamaged. Delia and I were there to see all the tests, look at Robert’s heart on various monitors, and Dr. Matin clearly explained everything he was seeing. Since Delia is a nurse she understood what she was looking at. Since Robert's heart was healthy and fine, Dr Matin surmised it had to be in the artery. He recommended a catheritization where he would go into his wrist  and send an explorer up to Robert’s heart and could check the arteries. Robert was insistent that he be included in all decision making which was easily and readily accommodated. I asked when it would be done should Robert agree. the answer was “right now.” Robert said yes, they came and got him and we met Dr. Matin in the cath lab. He was ready to go. I was able to stand at the door until he began….then we waited outside. We were invited in to a side room where the doctor showed us pictures of Robert’s artery and showed us where the occlusion was. There was just one. A short time later we were invited in again to see the whole procedure on a monitor and saw that the stent was installed and inflated. Before we knew it we were in Robert’s room. He was alert and awake and knew what had been done. Delia told me that in Mexican hospitals someone needs to be with the patient all the time. She suggested that since I was sick it would be beneficial to hire a woman she knows to sit with Robert throughout the night so that I could go home and sleep. Angie came in and she is a lovely woman. Robert took to her immediately. So Delia’s son and daughter came to get us at about 10:30. We were all hungry so we went out for tacos at a busy outdoor quickie taco place. I probably went to sleep around 12:30.

Several observations: This ER was like the movies. There were people and machines and people on gurneys all over the place. Lots of busy purposeful activity going on all around us. Everyone was kind and direct and seemingly unhurried and extremely efficient. Delia was there for every moment. She really takes care of her residents!! Robert was amazed and impressed that she was there. And I think comforted. She translated for me regarding all the paperwork and payment stuff. I think now, looking back, that when Robert went to the ER on Whidbey that they saw his heart was okay, but didn’t go the extra step to check his arteries. I’m even more impressed with Delia than before, impressed with the medical system, and unimpressed with the ambulance ride. By the way….while in the ambulance Delia was arranging everything with the hospital and the doctor and so on.

His room was really nice, spacious, with plenty of places for visitors to sit or lie down. One interesting thing….theres a door to the outside with a little patio and a couple of chairs out there. People can go outside!! 

Robert's first night in the hospital was uneventful. He slept peacefully all night except for his usual 3:00 a.m pee break. When we saw him on Wednesday he was happy. Almost giddy. I'm guessing drugs had something to do with it. Wednesday night he deteriorated badly and had a night of distress and what he calls "protest." Its hard for me to write about this part of his disease. For some time he has been having times of anger, combativeness, and the belief that people are trying to hurt him or torture him. Hallucinations are one of the symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia. I believe this is what is happening when he is in that state. 

The final bill, which was presented to me on the spot, was @ $7,000.00 U.S. I paid for it with my credit card (lots of Alaska miles) and hoped our Medigap plan would pay for some of it. As it turns out, we have United Health Care as Part B for Medicare. It is called the cadillac (or peace of mind) policy. As it turns out, that in a foreign country they will pay 80% of necessary emergency procedures after a $250 deductible. It will be interesting to see what they deem as necessary. Incidentally, the hospital costs were minimal. Two nights in the hospital came to $350. The rest of the bill is medical procedures and the doctor. 

Post procedure. That's Delia in the checkered shirt, and her daughter Norma. Angie on the right.