South Amercian healthcare, part dos

When we last tuned into the trials and tribulations of those foolish, er rather, fortunate enough to test the South American healthcare system, we were able to witness the astonishing medical acumen of Uruguayan medical training.

Today we get to continue the chapter regarding adventures in healthcare. Today´s subject is Allison, a nice young lady from Boulder, Colorado, and also my roommate at Jatun Sacha.

Allison had the very poor idea of contracting some kind of intestinal infection, which I think is South American for "We don´t know what the hell it is, so let´s call it that". She began to get ill on Tuesday morning, mostly throwing up and exciting things like that. She has been dating (if that is what we want to call it) one of the guys who works at the reserve. His treatment involved some sort of medicinal plants in a pee tea. Which Allison drank. Others would not do so, but then, you don´t know Allison. But let´s get back to our story.

Fast forward a day later, she is still sick (imagine that) and the folks at the reserve seem really unconcerned by the fact that she can´t get out of bed, is sweating profusely, and throwing up every 20 minutes. So one needs to take matter into their own hands. I convinced the one person who works there and has a car that she needed to be taken to the hospital in Tena. We were able to accopmplish this given my poor Spanish, so I consider that a victory in itself.

She dropped us off there and we attempted to explain to the doctor what her symptons were and she gave a vomiting demonstration. Meanwhile, he is busy watching the Ecuadorian equivalent of America´s funniest home videos, and answering cell phone calls that last 20 minutes. But anyway, he decides she has this infection and must be admitted overnight for anitibotics and rehydration. The nurse and receptionist (not clear on the receptionist´s job as she oscillates between answeing the phone in her business suit and trying to jab needles in people´s arms) take us into a room where the nurse tries about 4 times to get her blood pressure and then hook her up to the IV. While she is vomiting and falling off the table.

She tries twice to get the needle into her hand for the IV, can´t do it, and so asks me to leave. Closing and looking the door behind her. I find this turn of events rather disconcerting as there is quite a bit of rust in the room, I am not sure where the needles came from, and no one seems concerned about washing their hands of wearing gloves. About a half hour later they all come out and take her upstairs to the room she is going to stay in and proceed to put at least 3 different colored medications in her IV. I am not sure what any of them are as no one speaks English and my Spanish lessons so far have not included things one might need to know in hospital speak.

She seemed to be doing better by the time I left yesterday, and now I am off to the hospital to make sure she lived though the night and try to help her figure out what they are going to charge and how all that fun stuff is going to play out.

Thanks for watching and tune in next time when we discuss strange rashes that come from wearing wet clothes all the time, how to get insect bites directly on top of one another, and the possible explinations for the gecko moving out of our room and the ramifications of his decision.