Herman
Arriving on the boat is like New Years, you arrive with new aspirations and goals of what the next next year will bring. We don’t write them on a board, but they are there, in our heads, nagging. If you had to ask, my goal was to look into the future and alleviate any issues and make everything a smooth sail. To that end I looked over systems and lined up back up parts. Colleens was similar to mine, along with the odd exercise routine. Herman made his entrance about now, she was diligently working through a yoga routine she had downloaded and he popped like an alien being from her stomach! Protruding against her skin in an odd lump on her right side. She had me feel Herman to verify that he was in fact an alien and protruding from her belly! She promptly anointed the lump Herman. The next port we went to we got a taxi & went to the Greek Heath clinic. It is the first layer of care in the Greek system. Think of the essence of healthcare and put it in a 1950s elementary school looking building and that is where we found ourselves. We anxiously sat outside with some people getting Covid tests and shots waiting our turn. Eventually we heard yelling in Greek that was louder than the normal yelling in Greek and the helpful intern said they had a “psychiatrical” case, once she was done we could come in. The yelling subsided and we entered the examine room, no forms, no ids, no payment, just what is the matter? There was a doctor (man with the white coat), an assistant (man with scrubs) a facilitator (girl with different color scrubs) and a guy standing at the open window in the yard (in a motorcycle jacket still haven’t figured him out, restaurant delivery guy?). We quickly realized privacy/HIPAA would not be a thing here. The doctor asked her to lay down and pushed her stomach a few times. The doctor immediately got a call, left to sit at the desk in front of the guy in the window and explained loudly in Greek how to take a drug or something. Whereupon the assistant man jumped in and startled jabbing Colleen and asking if this hurt or that. It was decided she needed blood tested so we moved to the next office. Blood was taken and we were told to go to dinner and come back for the results. I could eat, she was told not to. The souvalaki was good and the blood tested good as well. We surmise that eliminated appendicitis and Herman was a Hernia. They told us we should go to the big hospital in Napflion because they could do a scan and sent us on the way. We left feeling like we stole something as they gave us a prescription for the next hospital but no bill or record of our being there at all.
Napflion was a bigger hospital/clinic so they made a show of copying our insurance card (good luck getting money from them) and sent us to the end of the hall. The patients here were in wheel chairs and definitely needed a higher level of care. We took our place and Colleen was ushered in the exam room to be poked and prodded but we were told they could not do the scan and reaffirmed that Herman was a Hernia to the best of their knowledge & we should go to Athens. Again left with no bill.
Often times the first person we run into at the dock solves our problem. When the anchor was bent the guy who grabbed our lines immediately called someone who appeared, fixed it on time, and under budget. So it went with Herman, the guy we rented the car from to go to the clinic had just had a hernia and put us in touch with his doctor who graciously talked Colleen through all the scenarios and put us in touch with Dr Elena. Dr Elena had gone to school at Emory in Atlanta and then residency in NY. We got Homecoming back to the Athen’s area, anchored in a harbor about an hour away from the main center, rented a car & headed in to meet with her. She wanted her own tests done for which we were thankful. I explained our situation & that we had a car for today. She immediately called someone & next thing we knew we were in the hospital across from her office getting a CT scan done. That evening the CT scan was evaluated and Herman was located, right side middle. We scheduled Hermans demise for after Greek Orthodox Easter and just after Gene, Marilyn, Terri, and Jessica came to visit for a week.
It was amazing having them come. We had a wonderful week going east to Delos and its a wonder that Herman didn’t reappear just from the stupid jokes and laughing that we shared. The first day we headed out was decidedly “challenging”. It rained, the wind blew, the boat dove in and out of waves, Marilyn and Jessica never left their bunks! Jessica, Terri, & Gene were troopers & very efficient in the evacuation of their stomachs. After 5-6 hours of going up and down we came into the little harbor of Loutra on the island of Kythnos. We left the howling wind and ducked into the calm of the harbor and there was an audible sigh of relief. We have a rule that you cannot talk about being seasick while under way. The theory being a large component of being sea sick is in your head, so the less you talk about it the less you get it. After tying up at the dock in Loutra, we had plenty to talk about! Some of us went for a walk to get off the boat and find the origin of the natural hot tub spring in the harbor. Terri managed to find a couple of large snails, named them “Butter” and “Garlic” and they have stowed away on our mint and basil plants ever since! The rest of the voyage was smooth and Dr Colleen saw that anyone who was queasy was wearing a special electrical shocking bracelet and was partaking of the wide range of medicines we carry for just such occasions. This was unusual circumstances and we wanted to push through it so we could make it to Delos.
We saw the old city of Ermoupolis, the taxi dropped us at the top and we wound our way through the ancient city to the port with our reward of dinner and a gelato. We spent the day exploring Delos an ancient city over run with wild flowers, iguanas, and of course cats. In Delos we saw some one who’s name was Cleopatras apartment and looked out form the top of the mountain to Mykonos. We used the spinnaker and had a light sail in the sun, jumping off the front of the boat to cool off, and grabbing the ladder as the boat glided by. Dolphins graced us with there presence playfully jumping and turning at the bow of the boat. Colleen made a special drink for the occasion. We then did a run past the old political prison, which really was depressing and stark. Greece was ruled by a military junta in the 60-70s and they sent there opposition here. Goats went in and out of the huge building, where so many had never left. We backed into the dock at Vouraki and dropped the gangplank. The enterprising restauranteur across from the wall helped us with the lines then brought a tray of Raki shots. Needless to say our fates were sealed and we ate a nice grilled fish there. Terri heard about me eating the eyeball of a fish last season (unsuccessfully) so she gave it a a try and kept it down! (For a few moments) Something about the way they pop and are slimy that makes it difficult to swallow? The next day found us at Porto Rafti near the airport, it was Orthodox Easter eve and like Christmas Eve for us, nothing was open and those that were open just wanted to head home for the Holiday.
Sadly our friends headed to the airport and we headed to pre-op and surgery to take care of Herman. This time we were in a private hospital. The pre-op is done the day before and amazing how thorough they are. More blood work, chest x-ray, thyroid test, EKG, & urine test. Colleen was sufficiently poked and prodded. The next day we headed in and Dr Elena told us how special Colleen is (I said I know) she explained that Herman only occurred in about 1% of Hernias and was a Spigelian Hernia. She assured us it was small, less than 2cm, and wouldn’t be more than 2 hours. She went in about 2:30 pm and did not resurface till 9pm. It was a long few hours as people came and left from the OR. Dr Elena Called me around 6pm to say it was going well but the tear had been a bit bigger than expected and she was sewing up everything. When I finally saw the Doctor her mask was spotted with blood and I could only imagine my poor Colleen under anesthesia and cut open for all that time. Of course it was worse for Colleen as she could barely move and felt like she was going to throw up. She stayed in the hospital sharing a room with 2 other ladies. Again there was no privacy and everyone knows each other’s business. Well they knew ours for sure but we don’t understand Greek so had fun trying to figure why they were there. The next day we moved Colleen to Hotel Nikokakli near the boat as the wind was blowing hard. A stationary room with heat, hot showers, and unlimited WiFi was definitely in order. We/she binge watched shows and took walks per dr orders. She said she felt like the dog “getting walked” 2 times a day. The rain and wind let up after a week and she was ready to come back aboard.
We lay low in sheltered harbors giving everything time to heal. Next week we head to Clemson for Keegans graduation, he has been accepted into a Neuro Science graduate program in Munich, Germany and we are all very excited and proud of him. Homecoming is staying in a marina at the dock under Butter and Garlics’ watchful care. Hopefully they don’t get into too much trouble.
Napflion was a bigger hospital/clinic so they made a show of copying our insurance card (good luck getting money from them) and sent us to the end of the hall. The patients here were in wheel chairs and definitely needed a higher level of care. We took our place and Colleen was ushered in the exam room to be poked and prodded but we were told they could not do the scan and reaffirmed that Herman was a Hernia to the best of their knowledge & we should go to Athens. Again left with no bill.
Often times the first person we run into at the dock solves our problem. When the anchor was bent the guy who grabbed our lines immediately called someone who appeared, fixed it on time, and under budget. So it went with Herman, the guy we rented the car from to go to the clinic had just had a hernia and put us in touch with his doctor who graciously talked Colleen through all the scenarios and put us in touch with Dr Elena. Dr Elena had gone to school at Emory in Atlanta and then residency in NY. We got Homecoming back to the Athen’s area, anchored in a harbor about an hour away from the main center, rented a car & headed in to meet with her. She wanted her own tests done for which we were thankful. I explained our situation & that we had a car for today. She immediately called someone & next thing we knew we were in the hospital across from her office getting a CT scan done. That evening the CT scan was evaluated and Herman was located, right side middle. We scheduled Hermans demise for after Greek Orthodox Easter and just after Gene, Marilyn, Terri, and Jessica came to visit for a week.
It was amazing having them come. We had a wonderful week going east to Delos and its a wonder that Herman didn’t reappear just from the stupid jokes and laughing that we shared. The first day we headed out was decidedly “challenging”. It rained, the wind blew, the boat dove in and out of waves, Marilyn and Jessica never left their bunks! Jessica, Terri, & Gene were troopers & very efficient in the evacuation of their stomachs. After 5-6 hours of going up and down we came into the little harbor of Loutra on the island of Kythnos. We left the howling wind and ducked into the calm of the harbor and there was an audible sigh of relief. We have a rule that you cannot talk about being seasick while under way. The theory being a large component of being sea sick is in your head, so the less you talk about it the less you get it. After tying up at the dock in Loutra, we had plenty to talk about! Some of us went for a walk to get off the boat and find the origin of the natural hot tub spring in the harbor. Terri managed to find a couple of large snails, named them “Butter” and “Garlic” and they have stowed away on our mint and basil plants ever since! The rest of the voyage was smooth and Dr Colleen saw that anyone who was queasy was wearing a special electrical shocking bracelet and was partaking of the wide range of medicines we carry for just such occasions. This was unusual circumstances and we wanted to push through it so we could make it to Delos.
We saw the old city of Ermoupolis, the taxi dropped us at the top and we wound our way through the ancient city to the port with our reward of dinner and a gelato. We spent the day exploring Delos an ancient city over run with wild flowers, iguanas, and of course cats. In Delos we saw some one who’s name was Cleopatras apartment and looked out form the top of the mountain to Mykonos. We used the spinnaker and had a light sail in the sun, jumping off the front of the boat to cool off, and grabbing the ladder as the boat glided by. Dolphins graced us with there presence playfully jumping and turning at the bow of the boat. Colleen made a special drink for the occasion. We then did a run past the old political prison, which really was depressing and stark. Greece was ruled by a military junta in the 60-70s and they sent there opposition here. Goats went in and out of the huge building, where so many had never left. We backed into the dock at Vouraki and dropped the gangplank. The enterprising restauranteur across from the wall helped us with the lines then brought a tray of Raki shots. Needless to say our fates were sealed and we ate a nice grilled fish there. Terri heard about me eating the eyeball of a fish last season (unsuccessfully) so she gave it a a try and kept it down! (For a few moments) Something about the way they pop and are slimy that makes it difficult to swallow? The next day found us at Porto Rafti near the airport, it was Orthodox Easter eve and like Christmas Eve for us, nothing was open and those that were open just wanted to head home for the Holiday.
Sadly our friends headed to the airport and we headed to pre-op and surgery to take care of Herman. This time we were in a private hospital. The pre-op is done the day before and amazing how thorough they are. More blood work, chest x-ray, thyroid test, EKG, & urine test. Colleen was sufficiently poked and prodded. The next day we headed in and Dr Elena told us how special Colleen is (I said I know) she explained that Herman only occurred in about 1% of Hernias and was a Spigelian Hernia. She assured us it was small, less than 2cm, and wouldn’t be more than 2 hours. She went in about 2:30 pm and did not resurface till 9pm. It was a long few hours as people came and left from the OR. Dr Elena Called me around 6pm to say it was going well but the tear had been a bit bigger than expected and she was sewing up everything. When I finally saw the Doctor her mask was spotted with blood and I could only imagine my poor Colleen under anesthesia and cut open for all that time. Of course it was worse for Colleen as she could barely move and felt like she was going to throw up. She stayed in the hospital sharing a room with 2 other ladies. Again there was no privacy and everyone knows each other’s business. Well they knew ours for sure but we don’t understand Greek so had fun trying to figure why they were there. The next day we moved Colleen to Hotel Nikokakli near the boat as the wind was blowing hard. A stationary room with heat, hot showers, and unlimited WiFi was definitely in order. We/she binge watched shows and took walks per dr orders. She said she felt like the dog “getting walked” 2 times a day. The rain and wind let up after a week and she was ready to come back aboard.
We lay low in sheltered harbors giving everything time to heal. Next week we head to Clemson for Keegans graduation, he has been accepted into a Neuro Science graduate program in Munich, Germany and we are all very excited and proud of him. Homecoming is staying in a marina at the dock under Butter and Garlics’ watchful care. Hopefully they don’t get into too much trouble.
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