Friday, December 31, 2021

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Recovery Day #188!

Last night I went to bed at 9:15, got up every two hours finally getting up for real at 5am.

I left just after 6am and arrived at Torre Medica #2 in El Tesoro by Didi. I was in the general waiting room next to his Consultorio 1865 by 6:30. The secretary arrived at 6:45 and Dr. Santiago Gomez at 7:10. I went in about 10 minutes later.

He spoke perfect English and was very easy to understand. He looked at my ultrasound result and told me I need a laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with rectus diastasis. It would be a 1 ½ hour out-patient surgery.

He did a physical exam then reported the hernia is larger than the ultrasound revealed. Now it will be a ventral hernial repair followed by a REPA surgery. It will be a 4-hour surgery and may be in-patient if I can’t handle the pain afterward. They will use a 20cm x 20cm mesh to support the area and I will have 1 or 2 drains that will be removed at my second visit 16 days after surgery. It will be 2-5 days before I can start walking and 6 months before I can start exercising. The total cost (on the high side) will be 16,000,000 – 18,000,000 pesos ($4000-$4500). He said there is no problem if I delay my surgery until February. And no taking Omega-3 or Excedrin (aspirin) the last eight days before my surgery.

He gave me his business card: general surgery – gastrointestinal – obesity - advanced laparoscopy

Consulation room: 529-9239 & 320 748-8390

Personal: 311 356-6423.

Since I got out early, I arranged to meet Glenn for breakfast at Ganso y Castor at 9:15. I ordered a Didi car and arrived at the restaurant by 8:45. I had coffee while waiting for Glenn and Bianca to arrive. We had breakfast while discussing various expat problems.

I returned to the apt and a couple minutes later Teresa left to meet Laura and Lenny in El Tesoro.

I closed my online Paypal account and later I’ll open another with my other email address and my brother’s cellphone number.

I left the apt just after noon and walked to the mall. I scanned onto my USB drive my CSC address change request and my Charles Schwab Account Signature Card. I had a burger and fries at Chef Burger followed by a café con leche in Todo Fresa.

Nobraskja texted me that I have two packages and a document to be delivered for 87mil. We agreed I would leave an envelope in the porteria by 7pm.

I bought a couple things in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi. It started raining as I got out of the car.

I uploaded the files from my USB drive to their respective websites so now I’m done with those.

When the rain almost stopped I made a quick trip to the porteria and dropped off the payment envelope for Envios Market.

Lenny, Laura, and Teresa returned at 5:30 and we left again at 7pm to have supper in Wilson’s bar. While there Teresa’s whole family seemed to appear: Vicky, Daniela, James, and others I don’t know or remember. Plus Esmeralda and Alejandro. 

The family...


Laura and Alejandro...



They were all going to take a chivas bus ride to see the Christmas lights but I took a Didi car back to the apt.

The portero handed me my mail as I entered the porteria.

I had 4 pieces of mail:

1)  A Social Security change of address confirmation for my previous address in Weston, Florida.

2)  A notice from General Dynamics that my CSC pension will now come from MetLife sent to my previous address in Weston, Florida.

3)  A book I ordered from Barnes & Noble sent to my new address in Miami, Florida.

4) An Amazon order was sent to my new address in Miami, Florida.

I went to bed at 10pm.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 267,305 ð 301,472 ð 346,767 new cases and 1,243 ð 1,207 ð 1,275 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 4,306 ð 6,326 ð 8,436 new cases with 35 ð 33 ð 35 new deaths. Medellin has 1,184 ð 1,419 ð 1,933 new cases from December 29th to 30th. Envigado has 89  ð 101 ð 146 new cases from December 29th to 30th.

 

T-shirt of the day

I’m not saying I hate you, but I’d unplug your life support to recharge my phone.

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