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What a month this has been! It's not our usual style of adventure, but sometimes one just has to go with what you get.

Akaisha's freak accident knocked us off our game a bit and for the first couple of weeks, we were both very concerned that she was going to lose her finger. That crisis has passed and we are both very grateful!

Hellish mountainous roads

However, one month later and contrary to our previous travel plans, we are still in Antigua, Guatemala. Thanks to your prayers, the efforts of Doc Billy, the excellent surgeon, the regenerative effects of the hyperbaric chamber, supportive pharmaceuticals and our TENS Unit, she is healing well. Honestly, the hellish mountainous daily drive from Antigua to Guatemala City with us dodging belching trucks and buses, dealing with bumper-to-bumper commuter traffic and motoring through intense tropical rainstorms on winding mountainous roads didn’t help. But it looks like the worst is now behind us.

Weeks of appointments ahead - where do we live?

As you know, we have been house sitting in a lovely home in Antigua. This was meant to be a two month commitment, but due to our unusual circumstances, the homeowner offered for us to stay longer. Not only was this generous, it was an answer to a very real problem we were facing. We had weeks ahead of scheduled therapy and doctor appointments in the capital city - where were we going to live? Having a "real home" to return to each evening helped immensely with the stress level and created a much needed sense of stability. Thank you Michael and Dawn!

Taking responsibility

Being proactive in our healthcare approach and in keeping with our perspective of self-responsibility, we decided last week to cancel the appointment with our surgeon, Dr. Galindo, and allow for another week of healing before returning. Then we emailed him attaching our latest photos of Akaisha's finger, showing him the status of her progress. Dr. Galindo concurred with our analysis and we set up another appointment for the following week.

Can you imagine doing this with as much flexibility and response with your doctor in the States?!

Meanwhile, being attentive to Akaisha’s every moan (that didn’t sound right, I am talking about her finger), I decided I wanted another x-ray to confirm there was no fracture. That's easy to do here in Antigua. We had no scheduled appointment, and once inside the clinic it took about half an hour from start to finish. For the price of 300 Quetzales, or about $38USDollars, we had three different x-ray views of her hand.

It turns out there is a fracture which explains some swelling and distress she was having in her finger. Nothing major - of course I can say that, not being thhe one in pain, but it looks more like a crack that should heal on its own. Still it is a source of discomfort for her.

X-rays showed small fracture - it could have been so much worse!

Three separate issues

So at this point we basically have three issues. One - the nasty cuts/gashes and mangled skin. Two - the fracture. And three - ligament damage.  We have been changing her bandages regularly and exercising her hand in a warm water bath three times a day working on the ligaments, but now we will modify the exercises a bit due to the fracture.

Noticeable healing

 

Still gruesome, but much better!

Everything has come together

She still may need a skin graft and we will learn more as the days progress, but we are confident that full usage is within reach. No pun intended.

We plan on making a complete financial report with all expenses documented for our readers, once this medical adventure is completed.

Even though this event was an unexpected challenge, all resources have come together to manage it. We have a 6-day a week maid who helps with cleaning the house, washing the dishes, changing the sheets, watering plants, shopping for daily necessities, and even cutting up fruit and vegetables as needed. We have a taxi driver take us to and from all of our appointments so we don't have to drive or concern ourselves with vehicle maintenance or parking. Pharmaceuticals are easily obtained from one of the many pharmacies in Antigua. We can walk into a clinic on a moment's notice and request x-rays without an appointment or referral from a doctor. Communication with our bilingual surgeon is prompt and convenient. Prices for treatment, transport and drugs have been reasonable enough to be paid out of pocket.

Even though the Fickle Finger of Fate has given us this demanding situation, we have been blessed.

For more information on this story see:

Accident, Response and Cure

Turning the Corner

Pricing of a Medical Emergency in Guatemala

A Short 3 Months Later

An Inside View

For more information on Medical Tourism, click here

About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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