We are back at home after a harrowing week that involved emergency first aid and admission of Dennis to the Belize Healthcare Partners (BHCP) private hospital for 3 nights. I will spare you the details, but here are the highlights. We had to get Dennis to a vascular surgeon/angiologist. I should say THE vascular surgeon/angiologist because there is only one in all of Belize. Many of the doctors in Belize are Cuban trained and are excellent; the angiologist is no exception. Dennis and I flew up to Belize City as soon the angiologist was available - did I mention that this happened over a long holiday weekend? Fortunately my emergency first aid held tight for the 2 days before she was back in the country.
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| Waiting our turn to take off. |
Dennis saw the angiologist and she, having seen only 1 case of this particular condition back when she was a resident in Cuba, got him stabilized in her office and scheduled for admission at the same facility. Which was a good thing, because she would not allow him to sit up at all for the next 24 hours and then only sit in bed with feet up for the next 2 days. Once he was admitted, I had to fly back home to take care of the dogs and get someone to care for them for the next days before flying back up to Belize City first thing in the morning.
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| Quick flight back home for me the same day. |
Barnie and Clove are guard dogs, and while they are sweet and loving with us, they tend to attack strangers or people they have taken a dislike to. Fortunately one of our workers gets on well with the dogs and he was able to walk and feed them when I flew back up to Belize City.
Dennis got great care at BHCP. The only complaint either of us has is the minimal level of communication, but I suppose that is the case in most hospitals. At any rate, he was discharged with followup appointments with 3 different specialists because of confounding conditions that need to be addressed. We came home by road, since I was unsure if Dennis could manage the steps to board the plane. It was an enjoyable trip with a very personable and caring driver.
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| Behind the sugar cane truck on the George Price Highway. |
The first followup appointment is with the angiologist, who will assess Dennis's progress and determine if he needs further treatment, either from her or in the US where additional procedures may be available. We only have to go to Dangriga, a 2 hour trip, for that appointment, since she has clinic days at the public hospital there. Much easier than going to Belize City, which would likely involve an overnight stay.
For now, we are home enjoying the company of Barnie and Clove and observing the flora and fauna of our paradise.
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| Adult yellow crowned hight heron. |
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| Shell ginger. |
