Day 1

We wake up and hop in the shower. Mom is always the first up, so she hopped in first. There is no hot water. She tries everything, but ends up having to take a cold shower. When she gets out and goes to turn on the hot water at the sink there is no water at all. Apparently, someone had turned off the hot water completely. As soon as she turned that knob the hot water started flowing. I felt bad that Mom had to take a cold shower, but not bad enough to not thoroughly enjoy my hot shower.

After getting ready we go downstairs for the best complimentary breakfast I have ever had at a hotel. Omelet bar, fresh fruit and juice, mimosas, pastries, and anything else you could imagine! I felt bad Dr. Cantu told Mom she could only eat a mild breakfast before her procedure, but not bad enough to not eat mine in front of her. 

Check out wasn't until 12:00, 1:00pm at the latest, the receptionist apologetically tells me. NOON! The last place I stayed at we had to check out by 10:00am! So, after breakfast, we took a nap.

Melchor came to the hotel to pick us up again. I didn't realize the first time, probably because we were too preoccupied taking in the sights of the city, but Mexico is a dangerous place to drive. I really don't know why they bother painting lines on the road and putting up traffic lights and signs...giant waste of time if you ask me. lmao

Once at the hospital we must endure even more shocked stares by the magnitude of stuff we brought! Oops. They tell us that they have a storage place for all our bags after we've gotten what we need from them. Then they tell me that if there is an empty room in the clinic, I can have it. The room is small, but nice. Laminate wood floors, a bathroom with a walk-in shower, separate vanity, pleather futon, large recliner, a small closet, mini fridge. 

Dr. Cantu comes in and begins Mom's 2 hour booster. He stays with her the whole time. Dr Cantu and I talk while she is under. I told him I wanted to practice my Spanish, so he would only speak to me in Spanish a lot of the time. A veces esta muy difficil porque no intienda las palabras, but I'm getting better. He was constantly tending to Mom. Her mouth kept hanging open and each time he would walk over and shut it. I asked him why. He showed me that, when her mouth was open, her breathing was much more shallow. I told him I had an idea...I took her headband and fashioned it over the top of her head and under her chin. It helped a little. Dr Cantu was pleased with it. He still ended up having to put a tube down her throat to open her airway though. I held my breath the entire time, worried something bad would happen with her heart, but it never did. Mom and I were both amazed because she had been having heart problems every time she would get boosters at Rollins', and they were half the dose!

Dr. Balli comes in while mom is under for her first treatment and tells me he wants me to make a list of all the foods we like to snack on back home. I felt like a demanding diva, but I finally made a list.

Baby Carrots

Hummus

Hard boiled eggs

V8 Splash

Cherry tomatoes

Deli Turkey

Saltine Crackers

KIND bars (or oat/nut bars in general)

Almonds

Bottled water

He tells me that none of these should be a problem to get and clarifies: How long do you like your eggs boiled? Cold or hot? What flavor hummus? Raw almonds or salted and roasted?

After her infusion has finished, Dr. Cantu gives me his personal cell phone number and tells me to call or text him anytime day or night if we need anything. If I had a penny for each time I've said "you'll never see that in the states",while in Mexico, I would have a lot of pennies. Everyone here is so sweet and accommodating. 

When Mom wakes up she has forgotten where she is and she is obsessed with knowing what time it is. She asks me every 5min "Amanda, what time is it?" She is really thirsty. Visibly thirsty. I can barely see her lips because they have retracted into her mouth. She asks me for water and chapstick every 5min as well. Then she has to go to the bathroom. I tell her that she is way too drugged to walk to the toilet and that I will need to get a bedpan. She barely goes at all. Then, 5 min later, she forgets that she went and insists on going again (she did this twice). She says that she can't go in the bedpan and HAS to get up and go to the toilet. She was right...apparently she is bedpan shy...mission finally accomplished.

Since we were new and hadn't settled in and gotten menus yet, Dr. Valle ordered our dinner for us. "Jessica's" soup (chicken, rice, broth, carrots, avocado, and lime) and a big salad (apples, cheese, strawberries, candied walnuts, and a fresh strawberry vinaigrette). It was DELICIOUS! Both Mom and I couldn't stop oohing and ahhing over it. 

I tried to hook up the Roku to no avail. First, no one could figure out the internet password. Then, when we finally figured out the password, the internet was too slow. Dr Balli said he would have a technician come and try to get a better signal. If not, it's telenovela's for the next couple months :-(

Mom was in a lot of pain after dinner. Her feet, hands, and legs were burning and it felt like someone was crushing her bones. I texted Dr Cantu to see if he could call in some pain medicine. Within 20 min the nurse walked in with pain medicine. Once again, something you'll never see in the states. Of course this is CRPS we're talking about and the medication didn't touch the pain. She managed to go to sleep.