Friday, November 21, 2014

Honduras Medical Center

Baby Josue has been a bit under the weather this week.  Other kids in that house have been as well.  They got better.  He did not.  He has practically no immune system and we know not to wait too long to see a doctor.  Karen called this morning and made an appointment with Dr. Diaz for this afternoon.

Luci, Josue and I left at 1:30 for a 3:00 appointment at Honduras Medical Center.  I was driving the GMC pickup, a vehicle much larger than what I am accustomed to driving.  I got to the medical center and parked in the new parking garage.  We were in the waiting room by 2:45.  Dr. Diaz was almost on time.

He ordered a complete blood workup and a chest x-ray.  We were to go have these things done and return to his office.  We went downstairs.  First stop, the lab.  Then we went to caja to pay and back to the lab with the receipt.  Josue was very brave.  He cried just a little bit.  We went to x-ray, then to the caja to pay.  With the receipt, we returned to x-ray.  The chest x-ray was taken and we left with that.  It was going to be an hour before the results for the blood work was ready.  Before we returned to the lab, we took a little detour to Espresso Americana for 3 cookies and 2 granitas.  Josue did not get a granita.  Josue needed a little treat for being so good during those tests.  And, I thought I was starving.  I was not starving.  I live in a country where people starve to death every day.  I had had lunch.  I was not starving. We went back to the lab and waited.  We all enjoyed the cookies.  Josue kept reaching for our granitas.  He got water instead.

After we had the results in hand, it was back upstairs to Dr. Diaz's office.  White blood count was high and a little fluid in the lungs.  For someone with a normal immune system, this would have meant a round of antibiotics.  For someone with no immune system.  This means hospitalization.  Admissions was closed for the day so we had to go to emergency to be admitted.  After I signed my name and put my id number on dozens of pieces of paper, it was back to the caja to pay.  And back to emergency with the receipt.  We were taken upstairs to a room on the pediatric floor.  My i.d was still downstairs in emergency.  Someone brought it up to me.

Everyone was so nice and helpful.

Josue has been hospitalized enough times that he knew where he was and what was happening.  He was terrified.  He cried more then than he did when he was stuck with the needle downstairs.  Getting the iv going was a terrible ordeal.  Luci and I both were trying to hold him down and comfort him at the same time. 

Josue is such a little guy.  And, in that great big bed, he looked especially tiny.  I sent Luci downstairs to get something to eat since she was staying the night with him.  After the iv was going, the oxygen was going, Luci returned from downstairs, and Josue was almost asleep, Luci and I exchanged phone numbers.  I gathered my phone and papers and such and left for Santa Ana.  I will be back in the morning to see Dr. Diaz.  It has been a very long day.  I am tired.  My feet hurt.  My legs hurt.  I am not worried about me.  Please pray for little Josue and that he will soon be well and return home.

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