THE GARDEN ROUTE: HOMEWARD BOUND

A four day three night trip that was interesting and somewhat fun, but too much time spent in the car. It is called the Garden Route and it takes you to the Western Cape. The drive was too long to get to see animals, elephants, lions, zebras, etc. in a Disney Land type of setting, when I had just seen these animals on a real safari. We kayaked up a small river which was fun. Hiked up to a waterfall. Had some food and wines that were exceptional. We went to Congo Caves and they were beautiful. But the most exciting event was visiting two hospitals in the Town of George. First we went to the public hospital. Now this was scary. The people surrounding us where in a bad way. We definitely thought we were going to catch either Covid or Ebola. Time will tell. We were finally whisked out of there when it became apparent that a private hospital was just up the road. There we were seen immediately and treated professionally by both a nurse and a doctor.

Now you may be asking, why I would visit such lovely places on my vacation, so I will tell you. My eye swelled up and hurt like the dickens. Not that I know what the dickens hurts like, but it was bad. So bad I had no choice but to go to an emergency room. It turns out that either something got into my eye, which I was allergic to, or a bug bit my eye and you know the rest. By the time I got to the emergency room my eye was completely swollen shut, oozing and killing me.

They gave me a cortisone shot in the backside for the allergy. Now if you had been reading my blog since the beginning you will know how much I love shots in the rear. If you have not, then just know I hate them. My eye pressure was taken with this nifty little hand held pressure taker. I got my eye cleaned out and patched up with gauze and tape and given antibiotic drops to put in my eye. I was given a prescription for pain pills as well. The doctor consulted with an Ophthalmologist before releasing me. Then they asked me to come back the next day, just to check to see how I was doing. At no extra charge. And the whole thing took less than 45 minutes and cost sixty five dollars. You heard me $65.00. An unheard of price tag for such service.

Saw the doctor the following day and was told I am on the mend and I believe the doctor, because it looks so much better and the pain is gone. I cannot wear my contacts in that eye, but I am getting by. All in all the trip was fine. Not my all time favorite, but I got to see a lot of South Africa, the good, the bad and the ugly. With one eye only though.

So I am leaving South Africa this Tuesday to come home to get a Pet Scan. It is time to find out if the medicine I have been taking for the last three months are working Hopefully, it is working and then I turn around and go away for another three months after which I can come back again and get another Pet Scan. If not, I will have to start a new medication and still have to wait three months to find our if it is working. So I plan to go away either way. I now have to live my life from Pet Scan to Pet Scan. But live it I shall. I am booked on a flight to Vietnam on the 29th of this month. Eight hectic days to find out what is going on with my health and eight days to work it out so that I can continue to live.

Live everyday as if it is your last, it might just be!!!! Life is not merely surviving!!!