Left the office early yesterday as my father called that mom was ill and he was calling rescue. Her blood pressure was through the roof and she was experiencing shortness of breath and tightness in her chest.
I arrived at the hospital just as the Rescue vehicle was packing up and leaving. Mom was already in the ER and was being hooked up to all the telemetry equipment. It was a little after 2 pm.
They stabilized her vitals and we basically waited till about 10 or so til they moved her up to CCU where they will be monitoring her for a few days and where she will probably be having a catherization procedure as the doctor said they found some arterial blockage. I have yet to hear from Dad this morning as to her condition, but I would really appreciate your prayers.
A couple things I want to say, given my experiences yesterday at the ER and its waiting room.
There’s lots of talk in this country about the need for healthcare reform – and that may be so – but not a single person got turned away yesterday and everyone that came in, whether via Rescue vehicle or ambulatory, received quality medical treatment. And, unlike our Cuban counterparts on the island with free universal healthcare, no one had to call any friends or family for any medications or bedsheets or other necessities. And while the patients may have waited an hour or two at the ER, they certainly didnt have to wait for days of weeks in order to be taken in to the hospital for treatment. Our healthcare system may not be perfect, but I will say one thing, I would never, ever, trade it for a “universal free system” like the one in Cuba. Never.
We were at Mercy Hospital here in Miami and from the outside ER waiting area you have a crystal clear view of La Ermita de la Caridad. As I sat there with my old man yesterday, I learned that the church property was vacant when our family arrived and that the church had been built on donations from Cuban exiles and with the architects, engineers and contractors working basically pro-bono. I cant count the number of times Ive been to that church, both as a kid and as an adult. And each and every time I go there, there’s a certain feeeling, something like a serene fulfillment mixed in with that feeling of comfort and peace one gets when they are in their home. It’s difficult for me to describe, really. But, it feels like there’s a part of me in that church. A part of my family. A part of all of us exiles.
Another thing about yesterday’s hospital adventure was that not only is Mercy Hospital located right next to La Ermita de la Caridad on Biscayne Bay, but only in Miami, perhaps only in this particular hospital in Miami, do you not have to worry about eating hospital food while staying with a loved one that hospitalized. You can go down to the lobby and order a bistec de palomilla or carne frita or sopa de malanga, un cortadito and the ever necessesary coladas. Right there, in the hospital lobby, you can sit down and have your fill of Cuban food at the La Carreta cafeteria. Only in Mayami, as they say.
I’ve been told that Venezuelan singer Jose Luis “El Puma” Rodriguez is a supporter of the Hugo Chavez government – a fact I have yet to confirm, mind you – because of all of the “social programs and benefits” the Venezuelan leader will bring to the country for the poor and downtrodden. And that’s all fine and dandy, but when he walked in to the emergency room yesterday because his daughter was “ill”, guess who got carte blanche and whisked away ahead of all those that had been waiting before them?
Now Im off to the hospital and I may be AFK for a few days. Please keep my Mom in your prayers. Prendanle una velita.
Val,
Praying for your mother’s prompt recovery, “con la ayuda de Dios” … think positive 🙂 “la velita” is already burning … God Bless!
I wish you well 🙂 Melek
“A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.” ~ Irish Proverb
Blessings to your mom. I know it is not easy. We are all thinking of you.
I am praying Val, you are all in our thoughts. Take care, abrazos, and don’t worry about Babalu.
Good luck to your Mom, Val!
god bless your mom,val,y que se mejore rapido…
Val is right. Celebrities do receive preferential treatment in this country; here they get to go to the front of the line; but in Cuba, they have their own private hospitals and health care system and receive a level of attention and resources which no ordinary Cuban ever gets. Clean sheets and plentiful food, too; and no spillover from broken toilets or sewage in the halls.
I wonder if anyone can get “El Puma’s” story to “El Gordo y la Flaca?” This is the kind of celebrity news that is just up their alley. I wonder also if after the initial check-up “El Puma” whisked his daughter in his private jet to Havana or Caracas for more advanced treatment? You know, the Cuban doctors in Cuba and Caracas are better than the Cuban doctors in Miami. Just think what miracles they have performed in animating a dead man. Nothing like it since Dr. Frankenstein.
Hope your mom gets well real soon.
First with your father’s recent hospitalization and now with your mother’s, these must indeed be trying days for you and all your family. I wish your mother a prompt recovery, and for you all the confidence and strength that your mother’s love and pride has instilled in you.
having just gone through what you’re going through, hang in there and my prayers are with ya.
All of you Prietos are in my prayers.
Val: There’s lots of talk in this country about the need for healthcare reform – and that may be so – but not a single person got turned away yesterday and everyone that came in, whether via Rescue vehicle or ambulatory, received quality medical treatment.
Good on Mercy Hospital. That’s not always the case.
Val: I would never, ever, trade it for a “universal free system” like the one in Cuba. Never.
Why does a universal system have to resemble Cuba’s?
Val: Another thing about yesterday’s hospital adventure was that not only is Mercy Hospital located right next to La Ermita de la Caridad on Biscayne Bay, but only in Miami, perhaps only in this particular hospital in Miami, do you not have to worry about eating hospital food while staying with a loved one that hospitalized.
You are exaggerating, of course. I drove to Miami over the weekend to see my father who was taken into Palmetto Hospital’s ER last week. There was a little coffee stand in the lobby with pastelitos de guayaba y carne and empanadas, etc. There was also a Subway and Italian restaurant adjacent to the hospital. Granted, it’s not the same thing as La Carreta, but it’s no hospital food, either.
BTW, my father’s surgery was covered by state and federal funds. Without the assistance he’d be dead or his SS check withheld for the rest of his life. It’s a form of socialized medicine with government involvement. I wish you guys would write a post some time laying out your positions on libertarianism to remove all doubt concerning government involvement in business, not just the Cuban government’s involvement in business.
Lesly,
So whats your point about the paraplegic man? That that particular hospital sucks ass? Granted. But you certainly cant judge every hospital nor call for wholesale changes to the system based ion solely this case. Truth oif the matter is that the majority of people in this country DO have more than adequate healthcare available. That is a FACT.
As for a Universal system being like Cubas, pehaps youre right. What about the Canadian system? That one work any better for you? Ask a canadian how much they pay in taxes for same and how long they have to wait for certain services. Also ask how many of them come to the US for certain medical procedures.
My mother’s healthcare is also funded to some extent by the state and the feds, however, they dont control every aspect of same. The fact that your dad was able to receive adequate healthcare at palmetto hospital instead of, say, Jackson memorial, says quit a bit about the current system in place. mainly, that in most cases, it works.
And thanks for your kind thoughts about my mom’s health…oh wait, you didnt actually offer any, did you, my liberal friend?
You got it Val. This morning early I went to Mass before coming to work”ASH WEDNESDAY” and I lit that candle for your Mom. Faith and corage. She is gonna be all right.
Lesly:
This unfortunate man, who was found in a gutter on skid row wearing a hospital gown and with a ruptured colostomy bag, probably checked himself out of the hospital or simply walked out. It is obvious, in any case, that he belongs in another kind of hospital. Unfortunately, liberal psychiatists, psychologists and social workers, who don’t believe such a thing as mental illness exists but regard such manifestations as an alternative (and even higher) consciousness of reality, closed down 95 percent of state mental hospitals since 1980. The homeless on our streets are not there because our enonomic system failed them, but because our mental health care system did, thanks to liberals “advocates” for the mentally-ill who are even crazier than they are.
“Also ask how many of them come to the US for certain medical procedures.” Too true, Val. My dad’s an orthopaedic surgeon and two of his previous fellows were Canadians. They said there are waiting lists for Canadians waiting to come to the US to get specialty operations that are done everyday in the US because doctors can’t perform them up in Canada due to too little pay. Best wishes for your Mom.
Best wishes for your mom. I’m sure everything’s gonna be alright.
Manuel A. Tellechea: This unfortunate man, who was found in a gutter on skid row wearing a hospital gown and with a ruptured colostomy bag, probably checked himself out of the hospital or simply walked out.
If that’s the best defense you can come up with for the hospital, Manuel, I don’t need to rebut it.
Manuel A. Tellechea: Unfortunately, liberal psychiatists, psychologists and social workers, who don’t believe such a thing as mental illness exists but regard such manifestations as an alternative (and even higher) consciousness of reality, closed down 95 percent of state mental hospitals since 1980.
And this is a really weird statement, as conservatives can’t stop mentioning how much liberals believe too much in psychology and not enough in handing a smack-down.
In any case, could you provide some sort of statistics backing up your statement that liberals are responsible for closing down 95% of mental hospitals since 1980? I can’t help but think that after you decided to run with the idea that the crazy paraplegic checked himself out it only made sense to blame liberals interested in universal healthcare for destroying mental healthcare assistance.
Val: So whats your point about the paraplegic man? That that particular hospital sucks ass? Granted. But you certainly cant judge every hospital nor call for wholesale changes to the system based ion solely this case.
Well if you read the article you’d know that “Los Angeles officials have accused more than a dozen hospitals, as well as some outside law enforcement agencies, of dumping patients and criminals on downtown’s troubled skid row. The city attorney’s office said it was considering filing charges against several other medical facilities,” so it’s not just this hospital.
I don’t pretend to know how under-funded hospitals across the nation are. I don’t think anyone’s done such a study. However, such examples make me question how great the system is when the insured can “buckle under healthcare costs.” Something’s not right when large medical expenses is the leading cause of bankruptcy filings and voters are asked to make a false choice between bad healthcare and access to courts.
Val: Truth of the matter is that the majority of people in this country DO have more than adequate healthcare available. That is a FACT.
This is speaking through rose-tinted glasses. One anecdote is the number of insured Americans filing for bankruptcy to avoid losing their homes (or were before Republicans passed bankruptcy reform), another anecdote is this story on American Thinker.
Val: What about the Canadian system? That one work any better for you?
In a word, yes.
Val: Ask a Canadian how much they pay in taxes for same and how long they have to wait for certain services. Also ask how many of them come to the US for certain medical procedures.
Well, I suppose we could also ask how many Americans are crossing the border into Canada and Mexico to fill their prescriptions and receive affordable surgery.
Since you brought up Canada here’s JAMA’s take:
Their conclusion:
Val: My mother’s healthcare is also funded to some extent by the state and the feds, however, they dont control every aspect of same.
You’re right, the government doesn’t control every aspect of the same… just enough to give Big Business a break. American Pharma willingly negotiates with foreign states, lowering their exported drug costs to gain access to foreign consumers. Our government doesn’t enter negotiations, but it will subsidize R&D with grants and below-market access to facilities:
That’s what I don’t get. If you’re a free market type, as long as business privately gains from public funds the public is in the dark about total R&D costs and the consequences of government involvement, with people never changing the agenda by voting towards a libertarian market with no government involvement or complete government involvement.
Val: The fact that your dad was able to receive adequate healthcare at Palmetto hospital instead of, say, Jackson Memorial, says quit a bit about the current system in place. Mainly, that in most cases, it works.
Yes Val, it works because there is government intervention.
Val: And thanks for your kind thoughts about my mom’s health…oh wait, you didn’t actually offer any, did you, my liberal friend?
And being hurt about my lack of mentioning your mother you decide to reciprocate by not wish my father well? If this conversation continues I’ll guarantee one thing: you can continue taking my omission personal, but I won’t take your omission personal, even if you are conservative. I’m annoyingly mature this way.
My prayers are with your Mom and your family, Val.
Lesly,
Contrary to your belief, this post was not, is not and will not be a debate on America’s healthcare vs any other in the world. I made an observation about my mother being hospitalized and you, instead of taking it at face value – the fact that I am happy with the medical treatment my mother received and is receiving – chose to turn this into some political shit to suit your agenda.
You were THE ONLY ONE HERE TO NOT OFFER ANY BEST WISHES and as the token liberal here, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE HERE ALWAYS PROFESSING TO CARE SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR FELLOW MAN.
Understand the irony now?
When I called you out on it, you further this stupidity with even more verbal diarheah about even more political bullshit. Ok. we get it, Youre smart. Inteligent. Well read. You deeply care about the poor and downtrodden.
Meanwhile, my mother is still in an intensive care unit and YOU STILL offered no words of support.
But its ok. I dont take your omission personally because I know three things: One, my mom will most assuredly be ok as she is receiving pretty good medical care. Two, no matter how many stats you offer up, no matter how many crocodile tears you shed for the downtrodden and poor, your action here proves that for you, in standard liberal form, use a dire situation for a political gain and with ulterior motives. My mother’s health is not your political fodder. And three, this conversation will not continue because I have now banned you.
There’s just so much hypocrisy Im willing to allow be shoved down my throat.
Val,
I wish the best for your mom. What an irony just a few days ago you were celebrating your dad birthday, but don’t worry she will get well soon. And the two of them will have a lot to celebrate and enjoy for years to come.
Talking about the health care in this country, I was going to share some expiries that I had last month when taking care of my own mother. She passed away less than two weeks ago, but I see Lesly is back turning this thread into an unnecessary political circus so I prefer to keep myself out of the discussion.
Vic,
My condolences on the passing of your mom. QEPD.
To all,
thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Just got off the phone with dad and am told she is much better than yesterday. Ill be heading out to the hospital in about an hour or so.
Lesly, you’re a piece of work. You’re the quintessential compassionate liberal.
My grandma got catheters and balloon angioplasties when she had a heart attack in 1987. You could still see the scars on her legs from the leg veins they used.
She died 2 years ago. That’s 18 more years we had with her. She got to see three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Your mom is going to be OK.
Val,
I’ll be praying for your Mom and lighting a candle for her. She will be just fine with so many prayers going out to her and all the good wishes of your readers and friends. I’ll be praying for your Dad and for you also.
Please keep us informed of her progress.
Valentin,
My thoughts and prayers are with your Mami. Que Dios la proteja y que todo esto sea algo pasajero. Un fuerte abrazo a ti y a Maggie.
All my love to your folks, Val, and you are all in my prayers.
Val, you’ll see that everything will be fine. We’ll pray for your mom. All the best to you and your family.
I was at Mercy last week and was surprised to see that La Carreta was there. At lunch time, there were more than 20 people waiting in line.
Las oraciones van volando por parte de este ex-alumno de LaSalle. Dios vele por tu mama. Todo saldra bien.
More than one family member or friend has been through Mercy Hospital; it’s an institution. They’ll take good care of her.
My thoughts are with your mom, Val. Here’s for a speedy recovery.
And don’t drink too many of those coladas at Mercy, either! 😉
Val, This reminds me so much of my mom’s stay at Mercy Hospital. My heart goes out to your mom and all her family. I’m so glad to read she’s doing better. This also reminds me of one of my many flaws-I don’t pray often enough. Today I did.
Thanks.
Val,
Many prayers for your mom…Lesly was a troll, you need look no further than the sources she used to support her lengthy posts – most left leaning and of dubious credibility. She “cherry picks” in an attempt to advance her agenda.
Want to know something else about liberals, they seldom answer a direct question, such as – do you hate America?