Down for the Count...

Well I'm back after a little hiatus and a two day hospital stay at the end of my month long trip. Ms. Montezuma struck. First with her regular 'fist of fury' which I am sure everyone has encountered, but then decided to turn around and backhand me just for good measure and I went down for the count. I won't go into all the explosive details but let's just say if you have seen 'Bridesmaids' then you know what I am talking about. After battling the stomach virus for two days I eventually passed-out that night (yes...passed-out!) but luckily had a friend staying with me and they were woken up at 2am as I went crashing through the bathroom doors. In the morning my friend went for help. My savior was Alex and Chris from La Boheme Cafe on Paseo De Montejo whom I had made friends with on this trip. Alex came and picked me up in his car and took me to the emergency at Star Medica just next to Altabrisa Mall in the north.

After the I.V. was taken out.

They were great there. It took no time before I was seen by the doctor, put on an I.V. and given medication to help settle my stomach. After about two hours my blood tests were back and I was admitted to a private room where I stayed for two days. The staff were attentive and kind and two of my nurses spoke perfect English, as did my doctor and his assistant. I really do not know what I would have done without the help of my friend Tim and also Alex and LeAnn (our real-estate agent) who both came to the hospital, spoke to the staff initially and had me all signed in and settled into my room before I knew it. My room was modern and sparkling clean with a lovely view out over Merida. The T.V. had plenty of English speaking channels and a large well equipped bathroom. This is only my second stay in a hospital in my life and my room was almost exactly the same as the one in Atlanta, fancy bed and all.
If Alex, Chris and LeAnn are the type of people who make up the expat community in Merida then I am looking forward to being part of it.
Oh, and my whole stay in hospital with medication and everything came to about $1500.00U.S. but it was all covered by my medical insurance back here in the U.S. so I get it all back. I had also taken out travel insurance before I left ($20 through Delta). I figured since I was staying in Merida for the month and if my primary medical did not cover any of it then they did! Awesome...