Waiting for the minibus in La Paz with my brand new cast I can not begin to count the number of times I have tripped, stumbled, or collapsed on this trip. I always manage to laugh at my self afterwards and the falls can make for a good laugh for years to come. This Sunday was not a good day. Fall number three left me with two ankles twisted... and one foot fractured. I didn't find that out for almost a full 23 hours, even though I knew it wasn't going to be good. I managed to keep a smile on my face up until I was told I would have a cast on my foot for one month, and all of the remainder of my time in Bolivia.
At 5 am when I woke up in a lot of pain 12 hours after the fall, I started to realize it might be more serious than a pulled muscle. At 9:30 we were dropped of at the clinic that had been recommended by our hotel and a tourist office... Assistencia Publica. It turned out to be a very interesting experience. We had to figure out who was the last person in line and then wait. The other patients watched out for us to make sure we got seen. I got the doctor who was 1 minute from the end of his shift. After pushing into every part of my foot and making me want to cry, he told me he was going to give me injections for three days, told me it wasn't fractured, and left. Luckily, he came back and described he thought it was dislocated, the injections were for pain and inflammation (more common than pills in South America), and he was going to have me get an X Ray to make sure that was all that was wrong.
Getting X Rays was not as easy. Kirsten waited in line, but then found out you had to pay first and get a slip, so she made it into the second group of people to give their reciepts to the doctor. For some reason there were a ton of moms there with young babies getting x rays. We finally figure out that they were getting x rays of their babies and I still need to investigate why. They would get the copy of the x ray and leave smiling without seeing the doctor. When it was my turn, Prisca came in with me and the doctor first had her hold the x ray card in place under my foot and then had her hold my leg in place when they took the x ray. Between two of there for foot injuries, the man in the motorcycle accident had nothing wrong and me, the girl who tripped, had a fractured foot. We were instructed to come back in two hours after lunch for a cast. When we arrived back, we saw a man with the worst cast in the world... his foot was extended fully out instead of in flat standing position and the plaster was bumpy and wierd. I decided I needed to make sure I got a good cast... my foot is important to me. As we had fellow patients describing the way to register (it was complicated) and a man in an even worse cast trying to sell me crutches, I was overcome with guilt knowing the privelege I have to be able to pick the doctor I want.
We headed to MediCentro and I was greeted at the door with a wheelchair, a great relief after hopping around all day and one time hitting my foot on the ground. The doctor agreed that my fifth metatarsal was fractured (known as a Jones fracture, although at the time I thought he was saying John's fracture with an accent). While he cracked jokes and played music from a radio, Kirsten was instructed to go buy the supplies from my cast downstairs. This girl was on errands all day long. Afterwards, I waited while Prisca and Kirsten left the clinic searching for crutches.
At 5 am when I woke up in a lot of pain 12 hours after the fall, I started to realize it might be more serious than a pulled muscle. At 9:30 we were dropped of at the clinic that had been recommended by our hotel and a tourist office... Assistencia Publica. It turned out to be a very interesting experience. We had to figure out who was the last person in line and then wait. The other patients watched out for us to make sure we got seen. I got the doctor who was 1 minute from the end of his shift. After pushing into every part of my foot and making me want to cry, he told me he was going to give me injections for three days, told me it wasn't fractured, and left. Luckily, he came back and described he thought it was dislocated, the injections were for pain and inflammation (more common than pills in South America), and he was going to have me get an X Ray to make sure that was all that was wrong.
Getting X Rays was not as easy. Kirsten waited in line, but then found out you had to pay first and get a slip, so she made it into the second group of people to give their reciepts to the doctor. For some reason there were a ton of moms there with young babies getting x rays. We finally figure out that they were getting x rays of their babies and I still need to investigate why. They would get the copy of the x ray and leave smiling without seeing the doctor. When it was my turn, Prisca came in with me and the doctor first had her hold the x ray card in place under my foot and then had her hold my leg in place when they took the x ray. Between two of there for foot injuries, the man in the motorcycle accident had nothing wrong and me, the girl who tripped, had a fractured foot. We were instructed to come back in two hours after lunch for a cast. When we arrived back, we saw a man with the worst cast in the world... his foot was extended fully out instead of in flat standing position and the plaster was bumpy and wierd. I decided I needed to make sure I got a good cast... my foot is important to me. As we had fellow patients describing the way to register (it was complicated) and a man in an even worse cast trying to sell me crutches, I was overcome with guilt knowing the privelege I have to be able to pick the doctor I want.
We headed to MediCentro and I was greeted at the door with a wheelchair, a great relief after hopping around all day and one time hitting my foot on the ground. The doctor agreed that my fifth metatarsal was fractured (known as a Jones fracture, although at the time I thought he was saying John's fracture with an accent). While he cracked jokes and played music from a radio, Kirsten was instructed to go buy the supplies from my cast downstairs. This girl was on errands all day long. Afterwards, I waited while Prisca and Kirsten left the clinic searching for crutches.
What have I learned? To quote Joanna, one of my English students, walking and talking are a "bad combination." I'm still reflecting on the rest. What I do know is that everyone that I have encountered have been great about the whole thing. We got to engage in two converations with taxi drivers about my foot and then about their lives. The bus ticket sellers got me a seat to sit in and wait for the bus and a woman selling food asked me what happened. We ran into the director of Ecotourism in La Paz just in time for him to help me get in the minibus to get to Coroico.
All of the students have been very caring and helpful. When I walk to class, I am surrounded by at least a couple students that are checking to see how I am doing and trying to help me navigate the paths. Yesterday as I left the English class with the Ecotourism students, I was greeted by scaffolding set up in front of the only exit. It seemed impossible for me on my second day of crutches to hop over the pole while ducking under another one at the same time. One of the workers helped move it. It was still up for the evening English class but I managed to get through it with some help.
The kids in the library were confused about the whole thing because I had a bag around my cast to protect it from the rain (which is really hard to walk in on crutches). I explained that I had a fracture but later realized that they understood broken better. Well, until one girl asked me where my foot was... was it in the house? Then I took the bag off and showed them all, and later there was a small stream of kids coming in to check it out.
So, I will wrap up my time in Bolivia in a different way then planned. No more hikes and a lot less sight-seeing. But I will leave full of love for this place and will want to return to see it all again and experience all that I am going to miss out on.
The kids in the library were confused about the whole thing because I had a bag around my cast to protect it from the rain (which is really hard to walk in on crutches). I explained that I had a fracture but later realized that they understood broken better. Well, until one girl asked me where my foot was... was it in the house? Then I took the bag off and showed them all, and later there was a small stream of kids coming in to check it out.
So, I will wrap up my time in Bolivia in a different way then planned. No more hikes and a lot less sight-seeing. But I will leave full of love for this place and will want to return to see it all again and experience all that I am going to miss out on.
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