The Rest of the Trip

Every day Marcia has improved significantly and in the last few days has not needed the cane for short trips. Still using the cane for stairs and longer walks.
This is our last day in Costa Rica. I can't say I'll miss the Intercontinental Hotel or San Jose (which is a dump) but I'll miss seeing Marcia every day. We've had a good time and certainly made the most of it!
Here are a few pictures including our trips to the rain forest and the Poas Volcano.

On the Gondola through the Rain Forest

The Gondola

Marcia contemplating the rain forest!

Broccoli Trees in the distance

Ant Crossing?

Eyelash Pit Viper near the cafeteria

Busy day at the cafeteria! Maybe the Pit Viper scared everyone away?

 Flying Gold Fish Plant (Columnea purpurata)

Tiny Orchid. Flower was about 1/8th inch wide.

Still trying to identify the butterfly. Looks like a type of Mason Bee in the other hole.

UPDATE: I identified the butterfly with the help of "What's That Bug?" website. It's a Lyra Metalmark- Lyropteryx lyra cleadas.

Violet-Crowned Wood Nymph

Turquoise Cicada caught in spider web.( Zammara smaragdina)

Our guide, Carlos giving a lesson in botany...again. He was a wealth of information but he told us more than we ever wanted to know about leaves!

Bye, bye rainforest.

Trip to the Poas Volcano

Central Valley in Alajuela province.

Drinking Costa Rican coffee

Oxen cart carrying coffee plants sharing the road with cars.

Marcia gets a special ride to the volcano in an ambulance! There wasn't any shuttle.

I had to ride in the back.

Poas Volcano

 Big leafed plant that looked like a Gunnera.

The seeds of the plant

We saw this guy near our van.

We're leaving the hotel tomorrow at about 5 am. Everyone in Costa Rica has been really nice and kind. No complaints at all. 

Satori, the insurance company that suggested Marcia do her surgery here has been really helpful. Dan, the guy who arranged everything, and Dr. Johnson, the Satori Dr. in US, called Marcia every day to check in. Everything went smoothly with their help.

Really looking forward to being home in my own bed. It's been a long trip away from those who are near and dear, but an amazing adventure! 

Banner Day!

Today was a great day!

This was the last visit from Marcia's nurse, Joanna, and her colleague Monica. Joanna was the nurse who realized that Marcia wasn't well and needed to be readmitted to the hospital. She is a sweet soft spoken woman in whom I had total confidence. She's one of those people. Great nurse!

Monica, Marcia and Joanna

Next up was the hospital for the post op visit with the surgeon, Dr. Oedling, to remove the sutures. Needless to say Marcia was looking forward to it!

  

We were met by Starlene who guided us through requesting medical records and to the Dr. office.

Dr. Oedling thought everything looked good and normal. He commented on how fast she was walking. He said not everyone was as far along at this point in recovery.

 Removing the sutures

After that is was back to the hotel to relax. We sat by the pool and even dangled our feet in the hot tub before the afternoon rainstorm. Boy, that felt good!

It's all uphill from here!

 

Progress is Made!

Yesterday Marcia was able to use the walker for nearly all our excursions out of the room. This is a huge improvement over having to call the bellman to push her in the wheelchair whenever we wanted to go someplace. Although I have to say all of the bellman were very, very sweet. Always asking how she was doing, fetching her pillows for her feet and other obsequious behaviors! She enjoyed all the attention but not being wheeled around.

This morning she was able to open the door by herself while managing the walker.

We chose the outside deck for this morning's coloring session.

It overlooks the garden and pools with lovely cool jazz music piped outside. We each "splurged" and had some pop. It still comes in bottles down here. 

After about 30 minutes the rain started. It was earlier than usual but very pleasant to listen to protected under the translucent roof but then the wind shifted and we started to get wet so we had to move inside. 

Another step forward today was she actually did her own dishes! Look at that smile on her face!

And she refilled her own water bottle with ice! 

I had the bellman take away the awful, humiliating wheelchair! It is no longer needed! Good by!
Marcia used the walker the rest of the morning! Improving by leaps and bounds!
And if that wasn't enough she graduated to using a cane this afternoon!

Look out! She's dangerous with that thing. If you get in her way she gives you a good whack with it! 

What have we done? We've created a monster!

She also practiced her physical therapy by walking 2 flights down and back up by herself only aided by the cane. All this only one week after having her knee replaced!

Our late afternoon coloring session was held in the main lobby listening to the piano.

Post Surgery or Life in a Hotel

Life at the Intercontinental Hotel is not bad. It's a beautiful facility with five restaurants, a lounge, lovely surrounding gardens and plenty of friendly staff. But even Disneyland starts to grow old after awhile. (I'm sure some of you will disagree about Disneyland, but you the idea) After a prolonged stay you begin to see the "cracks" in the shiny veneer. The carpeting from the Reagan administration for instance or the puddle the size of Lake Superior that forms on the bathroom floor every time you take a shower or every TV station being in Spanish. It's the little things. Okay, I realize we are in a Spanish speaking country and that's why the TV is in Spanish. Normally I could care less about the TV but when you are stuck in a room day after day it would be nice to watch something diverting occasionally. The stations we've found in English are CNN, ABC (from Florida) & and several ESPN options. HBO is occasionally in English with Spanish subtitles but then suddenly it will be dubbed!
I shouldn't complain! We both brought books and our tablets. I brought some coloring books & some other arty projects to do. It's like being in a minimum security prison. Like where they sent Bernie Madoff.

Hanging bird's nest 

Our first outing

Lounge
Deck off Lounge

The Surgery

I was going to do a day by day accounting of what happened but frankly it will be easier to do it all in one fell swoop!

Sept. 16 we were met by the transport at 4:30 am. Yup, that's AM! Not at my best first thing in the morning (Ben can attest to that!). Thank goodness our liaison, Starlene Spencer, was at the hospital to meet us and walk Marcia through check in.

As I said before the Clinica Biblica is a very modern hospital in downtown San Jose.

Huge stained class window that covers 2 floors.

Not the nicest neighborhood but I think they serve a lot of the impoverished San Joseans. From the 3rd floor sky bridge you can see the beautiful mountains that surround the city.

The surgery happened on time at 7 am and by 9 am the surgeon, Dr. Oeding, came out to tell me everything had gone well and he was pleased. Good news! 

I was able to see Marcia about and hour and a half later in her room. 

I hung around for a bit but she was tired and so I headed back to the hotel. 

I had a little dinner in my room and turned in. About 10 pm I awoke with stomach cramps and nausea. Holy shit, Batman! I've got food poisoning! Great. I was up most of the night but managed to meet the van at 10 am.

Day 2- Sept. 17. 

Marcia was awake when I arrived and looking okay considering she had her knee replaced the day before. The nursing staff was fantastic! They carefully monitored her throughout the day and were always cheerful and kind. Can't say enough nice things about them.  

The physical therapist

I slept most of the day on the plastic couch in her room.

One of the nurses brought me a probiotic and hydrating drink. Didn't help much. After six hours I went back to the hotel as Marcia was sleeping a lot and there wasn't much for me to do anyway.

Day 3 Sept. 18
Today is the proposed day for Marcia's release from the hospital. I am really hoping she is well enough to get out. I'm still really under the weather but got to the hospital about 11:30. Marcia looks okay but not great.
Midday there is a knock on the door. "Come in". The door opens and a tiny, old woman with a cane shuffles into the room. "Hello. I am Estella. I am from Ecuador."
I'm thinking, "Uh oh. Grandma got out of her room again! Push the red button."
She asks Marcia, "What is your name?" "And yours?" She asks me. We tell her.
Then she tells us she has come to pray for us. Would we like her to pray us? Um...sure?

I have to admit I was hoping for a miracle and that my intestinal distress would disappear. But no such luck! Still felt like crap after she shuffled out.

Our liaison for this day was Kim. She took me to the pharmacy and helped me get some drugs for my ailment. I'm hopeful the antibiotics and pain reliever will speed recovery.  

Marcia was released about 4:30 and we endured another bumpy ride back to the hotel. Both of us were very queasy and it didn't help to be jostled and bounced around for 20 mins. 

Got Marcia settled in bed and I lay down too. About an hour later Joanna, the nurse, arrived to check her vitals & make sure we knew how to administer medications. The hospital had neglected to pack a syringe to administer one of the medications so Joanna left to get that while I went to the grocery store for some saltines so Marcia had something in her stomach when she took her medications. When I returned both Marcia and Joanna were sitting on the end of the bed waiting for me. 

Marcia said, "I'm going back to the hospital".

"Whaaat?" 

The oxygen in her blood was too low so off she went. Frankly, she hadn't looked good since we had arrived and I was glad she was being readmitted. We packed her into a taxi and I reluctantly opted not to go with her. By this time I was running a temperature and had the shakes. 

This was about 8 PM. At 11:30 she texted me to say she was on oxygen and they had given her a blood transfusion! Whoa! 

But I wasn't worried. She sounded a lot better and I knew she was in the best place she could be. 

Day 4 Sept. 19

I woke up late this morning but felt better. No fever at least. Hoping there is oatmeal in the vast array of tempting breakfast food in the restaurant. But no. I opted for tea...which is a huge challenge in a country known for it's fantastic coffee. It took nearly 20 mins. to get it. Each time I order tea the waitstaff looks confused. Like I'm loco in the cabeza!

Marcia looked much better once she had enough oxygen! The Dr. took her off it about noon but 45 mins. later she was back on. Just couldn't maintain good oxygen level. Bummer. By mid-afternoon it was decided that she should stay another night just to make sure she was stable. We were both glad.

   

Day 5 Sept 20

Much, much better today! Both of us! 

I could tell she was doing well enough to be released since she was joking around. That's like our normal Marcia! 

This is the monitor registering Marcia's vitals. Look on the right side a little ways down. It says 94. That's the blood oxygen level. That's good! When she was readmitted it was 72! Not good! 

She has breathing exercises, plus physical therapy and medications at specific times! She's really demanding. 

The Doctor gave the go ahead to be released about 2:00. 

Starlene met us to help facilitate her departure and within about 15 mins. we were climbing back into the van to return to the hotel. Yay!  

Marcia with Starlene