6/28/2011 - actually 6/27/2011

NOTE: This is the last of the previously-written blog entries. After this, we'll be in "real" time again. For the record, as I said yesterday, Lulu is all better now. We went out to dinner for our 34th anniversary last Sunday and she had a big ol' plate of pasta with shrimp. Yesterday, in Loreto, she had 3 nice fish tacos. Thanks to all for your concern and suggestions. So, with that said, here's the last of the entries about what we were doing a little over a week ago:

Monday, 6/27:

I made a point of being up early enough today to listen to the cruisers' net on the VHF. One of the features is the "local assistance" section. This is where you can call in and ask if anyone can help with finding this or that.

I called in to try to get a recommendation for an English-speaking doctor in Loreto. Everybody kept coming back to the same guy: Dr. Fernando. I got his cell phone number from one cruiser but others just said that he usually spends his morning at the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) office "a block or two in on the main drag, on the left". OK.

We got in the dinghy and headed over to Wind Raven on our way to shore. We had some stuff to return to Jay. Once he found out where we were going, he put in a call to Dale on s/v Moxie. Dale, who has a car here, offered us a ride to Loreto and, since a round trip cab ride (granted, they wait for you at your various stops) runs about $48.00 (US), we jumped at the offer. Jay needed to get a new battery for his windlass so he planned to go along, too.

We met Dale and his wife, Linda, at the dinghy dock. It was great because they have been here long enough to know where everything is in Loreto. They drove us right to the Cruz Roja office and explained to us how the doctor's services are all done for a donation ("whatever you can spare"). Dale gave us a good idea of what we should donate for a single patient visit (around $250 pesos - $20(US)) and then made sure the doctor was there before leaving us and going on about their other errands.

Dr. Frenando was with another (gringo) patient when we arrived but we hung around outside until he was done. The office is a very small room with a metal desk, one stool for the patient, and an examining table in the corner. The back door is open to the medics' day room and the front door is open to the street. The doctor is looking quite comfortable in his sweatpants and t-shirt. He asked Lulu some questions about her ailment, poked, prodded and "stethoscoped". Ultimately he decided that he was pretty sure she had a mild case of salmonella (I told her that raw chicken was not a good ingredient for sushi...just kidding of course) and prescribed a round of antibiotics as well as some sort of medication for her headaches. We thanked him, gave him $250 pesos and headed to the farmacía. About $30 (US) later, we were all set.

I bought everyone lunch as a thank you and then Dale took us on a sight-seeing trip through Loreto. Not on purpose, that's just how he gets from one place to the next; via the road less travelled.

We're already seeing an improvement in Lulu's health, appetite, etc., so we're hoping for the best. If the antibiotics don't work, we'll go back for some blood tests but Dr. Fernando seemed pretty sure it was Salmonella. Keep your fingers crossed.

7/6/2011: okay, you can uncross your fingers now. -SRY