June 16, 2008
Hyberbolic Chambers
Well, today has been another really hard day, but for much different reasons. Deb is really sick and they have called a doctor to come see her. She was up all night coughing and I am really worried about her.
Dr. Fernando came to the hotel and examined her and said that he thought she might have pulmonary edema….water in her lungs. So he arranged for a lab tech to come to the hotel to take her blood after which she was going to get a chest x-ray. The rest of the group has two bike rides and a hike planned for today, but I am going to stay with Deb.
After the lab tech came, the test results were delivered and Dr. Fernando came back to escort Us to the clinic for the x-ray. Is this service, or what? Finally, chest xray in hand, he gave Deb the results. Pulmonary edema. But, the good news is that it is only stage one. And he thinks that with two days of oxygen, doubled up altitude medicine and sessions in a hyperbaric chamber that she will be fine to meet us in Macchu Pichu!! Is’nt that great?!
So, we settled in for a long day of blood taking and oxygen breathing. I took a cab back to the hotel to gather her things up and when I got back to the clinic, she looked so muc better!! She had color, no fever and, for the first time in a week, no headache! Yay!
Whenshe went in for her first hyperbaric treatment, or as I like to call it, hyper-bolic treatment, I went back to the hotel to meet the group. We are supposed to have a meeting about the Incan Trail and I need to be there for it. I am having very conflicted feelings about going. She is doing great, and between the clinic people and the tour people, she always has someone taking care of her. But I am still not sure that I should leave her. I have decided to have Julia and Sharon look at her and tell me what they think.