How a Mosquito changed my life forever! God does move in mysterious ways! Chapter 5!

Chapter 5: My first ambulance ride:

Never in my 55 years have I had to take an ambulance. This one however was from one hospital in Panama to another. Ruth's friend Maria who is a nurse at the CSS hospital in Panama City told her that she would accompany me and help out at the emergency area. Before I left the hospital in La Chorrera, a nurse decided to put in an IV needle. My veins have been poked and prodded so many times, my arms were like pin cushions. My veins are also and have never been easy to find, even for blood tests. So she went ahead and did what she had to do, although the pain to me was not good. Lets just say that it hurt!

I was on the ambulance gurney getting reading to go downstairs to make the transfer. I was on a ventilator and the heart monitor. Funny thing is they had to take the hospital equipment along with a tank of oxygen into the ambulance. I always thought that ambulances were equipped with all that. Well not here in Panama. We went down to the emergency area and were ready to go in the ambulance. Let me tell you about this ambulance, it was more like a big van, the gurney that I was on would not go in all the way, so out I went and had to change to another and then in again for another try. This time it fit. Ruth's friend and a nurse from this hospital got in. The nurse had to arrange all the things around, the oxygen tank and the heart monitor and whatever else they were bringing. Ruth went along with her friends son in their car. It was a good 50-60 minute ride at about 11 PM at night. I m sure the traffic wasn't so bad at that time, especially going into Panama. (if it was leaving Panama, it would have been a different story). We arrived at the emergency and Ruth's friend went directly to the ER desk doctor (whom she knew and explained the situation.)with all the paperwork from the other hospital A doctor immediately came to check me out and after a bit I was moved to a spot in the corner.
Ok, I really need to explain the organization or lack of it in this ER area. I was there for almost 2 days until I was admitted, which is relatively good, as I heard some were there for 4-5 days waiting. There was just a big open space with a long hallway which was going down to the X-ray area. A large enclosed area off to the side was where the cardiac intensive care unit was. To me it seemed like a strange place to have this unit, but who am I to question their chaos. So back to the emergency area, there were no real spots for all the emergency beds. They were just put wherever there was a space. I was shoved in a corner. Both sides of the hallway had beds lined up. For the time I was there, I heard people calling out for help and there was constant noise, staff members going by most of the day (with their cell phones in their hands) and in my opinion no real method for anything. I saw some people that didn't get any attention other than a sponge bath and diaper change. On the two mornings that I was there, they wanted to clean me, I said no and they seemed puzzled, but I told them to give me what was needed and I would do it myself. I still had some dignity left, haha. Coming from Canada and seeing a well layed out emergency area, I was in awe, but I needed to realize that I was in a third world country. I kept needing to ask the nurses or whoever they were to give me a urine thingy to use. Ruth gave me the name in Spanish, but I cant remember now. They didn't want me to walk at all so this is why I needed it. Different Doctors came around and we had to explain to each one the entire situation as to why the other hospital transferred me there. I said they just did as they felt I would get better care. This hospital is very overcrowded (it's the only CSS hospital in Panama city, population 800,000), so that is the reason for waiting in the emergency so long before getting admitted. They are in the planning stage to build a new one, but that could be years down the road before it is ready. There are other ones, but this is where most people go that are on the CSS system.

To be continued!