Recovering In Arequipa

So what do you do if you get sick and you…you live in…a van? You recover or die I guess are the only two options. And if you plan on recovering having another person to help out would be useful. I rather failed there, because as Layne prepared to have surgery on a big black spot on her leg I came down with something that felt like Covid. I tested myself and it wasn’t but I was knocked flat.

The owner of our campground kindly turned us on to a skin doctor in town and we Ubered to see her in her office at the San Juan de Dios private hospital. It took her five seconds to establish Layne had two skin cancers that needed to be removed. The one on her arm was no big deal but the one on her leg looked more involved. She said neither had the characteristics of serious cancers (biopsy to follow of course). 

Then she set us up with an appointment with the surgeon and told us she was transferring our $26 consultation fee to his office as she hadn’t really done anything. That blew us away there and then but there was more. 

On the streets of Arequipa life went on as normal and we had this surgery appointment hanging over our heads. 

Our travel plans were on hold until we knew what exactly was going on here. We have permission to be in Peru until October 10th so that isn’t a problem and down south it’s still winter barely moving into Spring so we are in no hurry to travel to Patagonia just yet. 

On the other hand I do miss driving and seeing things but this is an excellent place to stop. The weather is perfect in dry season, sunny day follows sunny day with cool nights and no variations. 

It wasn’t an easy time for Rusty who kept finding himself closed in the van when we had to take an Uber to get another medical appointment. We’ve tried leaving him outside in campgrounds but he howls miserably at the gate so putting him in the van is the best answer. He sleeps and it’s where he knows he belongs. 

Before the surgery Layne had to meet a cardiologist to do some tests to make sure she was safe to receive a local anaesthetic  and that was one more appointment. The ability to speak Spanish is very helpful as English is not readily spoken in Peru. The surgeon had some English but we understood each other in Spanish. He explained we could have a small cut for no scar or a wide cut which would heal more easily but would probably leave a scar. He illustrated it thus: 

Last time in the US Layne got a very small cut and it took months to heal and very painfully. Layne opted for the long cut which would allow skin to be folded over the wound making recovery simpler and faster. His patience explaining this stuff was remarkable. 

The fee for everything including an overnight stay for observation, with a crappy breakfast (below) and follow up visits totaled $1200. Not only was that affordable (for us, not necessarily for your average Peruvian) but Layne got excellent care. The surgeon checked her wound and rebandaged it the morning after, the nurse handed him the gauze but he applied it. I’ve never seen that in the US. The long wound was already less painful than Layne’s previous surgeries. 

We have follow up visits scheduled with doctors checking the wound every couple of days to ensure nothing goes wrong. In the US when Layne complained of pain the medical center assured her over the phone that it would pass. It did but it took six months. 

Back to the van with me enfeebled by my cold and snuffling. A wheel chair to the curb where an Uber awaited.

The first follow up was in a public hospital and we got to see free medical care in action for people who couldn’t afford a $26 dollar fee. It was crowded with huge lines of people standing in vast crowds outside each door to admissions or consulting rooms. 

Again the doctor herself checked the wound and put fresh gauze on it and gave us instructions for applying antiseptic over the weekend.

I tried to snag a photo of the crowds and failed rather dismally but it did not look like fun getting an appointment  there. 

Layne was walking well and we stepped outside to wait for the Uber. 

One weird thing was the street filled with funeral parlors. Judging by the cab loaded with new coffins for delivery business must be brisk. 

And if we feel the need we have a design specification to convert our Promaster into a hearse complete with hooks to hang wreaths off the roof:  

And we got a ride home to GANNET2 and Rusty in a Jet Tour X70 a Chinese SUV you’ll never see in the US. It looked like a regular car to me but what do I know? 

We both have felt the level of care throughout this business has been excellent though being able to speak some Spanish, and medical terms are tough, has been very helpful. Laynes recovery is going so well I have tickets booked to fly to Miami on the 10th of September. A four day flying visit to Key West  for a new driver’s license. That trip will cost almost as much as Layne’s surgery. And we could still afford another $26 consultation fee if we had to. We are the lucky ones.