Sunday 7:45 am.
Another night of agonizing pain. It is clear that my previous diagnosis of an intestinal infection 4 days earlier is incorrect. My wife and I begin to try to contact the local clinics for help. The first answer is to make an appointment for the following day. The next is not answering. Finally we reach Dr. S. Hernandez, from Chapala Med, but he is in Guadalajara. He listens to my story and promises to have a colleague phone me. Within 20 minutes, I receive a call from Dra. Cherry. I tell her the details of the problem and she agrees to meet us at Chapala Med in 30 minutes. After she examines me, she concludes that we must go to a hospital in Guadalajara. She calls a taxi and accompanies us to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, I am run through a battery of tests and observations. Dra. Cherry orients my wife to the hospital, helps to get me admitted, acts as a translator when necessary, and as our advocate, provides comfort and assurances. She stays with us until she is relieved by Dr. Hernandez at 3:30 pm. I head into emergency exploratory surgery. My gall bladder is removed.
I spend a few more days in the hospital, recovering. All the physicians check on me daily. I am now continuing to progress and improve, with excellent follow-up care, provided by Chapala Med.
