Peru Medical Care!

Day 3 of visiting friends in Arequipa took a twisted turn for the worse. An out of control STAPH infection spread like wildfire in my lower abdomen and in just 24hours was the size of my fist. Thankfully I was with Michelle and Alex or I probably would have just died. The first hospital we tried was trying to charge 25$ just for consultation. So we declined and took a taxi across town to another hospital that was only charging 3$ for admittance. We explained what was happening and what I needed in the ER and I reluctantly sat on the ER table and waited.

I watched as the woman next to me was bleeding from her head, a baby cried in pain from double arm burns, and a criminal sat bleeding in his wheel chair with his tending police officer. The hospital was a bring-your-own-medical supplies type. So Alex had to go out on the street and find a place to buy anestesia, needles, and a cutting tool that were sterile.

The woman bleeding from her head took a turn for the worse as her young son was shaking her and screaming for someone to help her. The doctors slowly rearranged the ER ordering me to someone else´s bloody bed and Alex and Michelle out of the room.

Finally the doctor came over to me and without warning shot me with lidocaine causing the infection to burst open. Then he just began cutting away without saying a word. Blood and puss oozing into a bed pan then said finished. Bandaged it up and gave me a prescription for painkillers I couldn´t afford anyways.

For two days I slept on Alex and Michelle´s floor bleeding and in pain unable to move. Still pussing and bleeding I decided to take a 17 hour overnight bus to Lima where better hospitals or cheaper flights home are. Upon arrivlal I had blood stains all over me. I think that it´s improving so am taking another 17 hour bus journey to Tumbes on the Ecuador border and hoping for the best!