Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Last night I went to bed at 11am and didn’t wake up until 5:40am.  After a quick trip to the bathroom I fell back asleep and woke/got up at 6:50am.

Teresa informed me that we will be without running water from 7am to 3pm today.  It actually went off about 7:45 – enough time for Teresa to take a shower and me to brush my teeth.

The porteria stopped by and dropped off 80mil to pay for our parking spot for June/July.

I heard Teresa playing Sounds of Silence in Spanish on her cellphone.

I packed my gym bag with clothes and left the apt for the gym at 9:20.  I talked briefly with Marcos at the gym.  I completed all my exercises in about 90 minutes.  I spent some time talking to Juan Carlos about the email I received from them the other day.  I understand it was nothing important – like a survey.  I took a shower and returned to the apt.

Teresa soon arrived and we walked to Asados Rogelio where we had their menu of the day.  Then we took a taxi to Nueve eps.  First we paid 3,200 pesos and took a number.  After about a 5 minute wait we went upstairs where we waited another 20 minutes or so.  About 2pm we went into the doctor’s office.  He didn’t speak English but at one point I heard him question Teresa as to whether our bed was too soft.  She said ‘no’.  He gave me a prescription for 40 400mg Dexibuprofeno to be taken twice a day and wrote an order to start physical therapy.

Per google: Dexibuprofen belongs to a family of medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs such as dexibuprofen are used as a painkiller and to control inflammation. They work by reducing the amount of prostaglandins (substances that control inflammation and pain) your body produces. It is used to relieve: pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis (when your joints become worn).

We went back to the waiting room and took another number and after about 15 minutes we were given an appointment to start physical therapy on August 13^th.

We walked to the corner pharmacy and were assisted by the same young lady that spoke English and had given me one of my injections a couple weeks ago.  I paid 28mil for 10 of the tablets.

We walked to La Jugosa where we shared a fresh strawberry juice in water without sugar and then took a taxi back to the apt.

We took about a 45 minute nap.  Again, when I got up my back felt weak and sore until I sat in a straight back chair for 10-15 minutes.

Teresa told me the doctor said I have Artrosis (osteoarthritis).  Per Google: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time.  Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.  Nobody said getting old was going to be easy.

At 5pm I dressed and left the apt.  I met Chuck and John across the street from Merkepaisa (Consumo).  We walked back to the Esso gas station where we caught a taxi to 20 Mission Cerveza.

We got a table with a couple from Denver, Colorado – Sara Lee and Chase.  They are visiting Bogota and Medellin in Colombia and Cuenca, Ecuador searching for their retirement destination.  Glenn (aka Jooks) arrived and I understand he moves into his new apartment in Sabaneta tomorrow.  I had told him that Erwin & Dora return from Germany this weekend and I would soon meet them for coffee and invite him to join us.  I had the half order of ribs and a Coke but since I don’t like their sauce I brought the end of my bottle of Hunt’s BBQ sauce which made my ribs delicious.  My total with tip came to 37mil and I tipped the waitress an extra 3mil.

I said goodbye and I walked down the street to Avenida Las Vegas where I quickly caught a taxi back to the apt.

I took my Dexibuprofen for the first time at 8:30pm.

6,155 steps today.

Joke of the day

In a small fishing village, a fisherman was walking up the wharf carrying two live lobsters, at least three pounds each, one in each hand. It was three weeks after the season had closed!

Whom should he meet at the end of the wharf but the Fisheries Officer who, upon viewing the live and wiggling lobsters, says, "Well me laddie, I got you this time - with two live lobsters three weeks after the season closed!"

The fisherman says, "No my son, you are wrong! These are two trained lobsters that I caught two weeks before the season ended." The Fisheries Officer says, "Trained... like how?"

"Well my son, each day I takes these two from my house down to the wharf and puts them in the water for a swim. While they swim I sits on the wharf and has me a smoke or two. After about 15 minutes I whistles and up comes me two lobsters, and I takes them home!"

"Likely story", the Fisheries Officer says! "Lets take them on down the wharf and see if it's true." So, the fisherman goes ahead of the Fisheries Officer to the end of the wharf where, under supervision, he gently lowers both lobsters into the water.

The fisherman sits on a wharf piling and lights up a smoke, then another! After about 15 minutes the Fisheries Officer says to the fisherman, "How about whistling?"

The fisherman says, "What For?"

The Fisheries Officer says, "To call in the lobsters."

The fisherman says, "What lobsters?"