October 10 & 11, 2010: We decided to spend a couple more days in here in Santa Barbara for further tourist exploration and a day to putz around the boat. It definitely has been hot these past few days but much better than clouds and rain.

While in San Francisco we obtained a current boat survey and had a few minor items to correct ... such as inspecting our fire extinguishers, adding smoke detector & CO2 alarm and replacing an intake hose on the generator. So replacing the hose was Bob's project of the day which meant a walking trip to West Marine.

What started as a simple project got suspended with a trip to the ER ... Bob had to keep stopping to rest - any kinds of exertion totally wipe him out. We pulled out the blood pressure machine and started taking readings. The pressure was extremely low and so was his heart rate at 35-40 beats a minute. He has been on meds to control his irregular heartbeat and has learned to pace himself for the past 15 years but this episode was very unusual. We called a taxi and got ourselves to the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital ER.

It didn't take long to get escorted to a bed, an EKG taken, blood work drawn and a saline IV started. And then you wait and wait and wait. The blood pressure machine alarm kept sounding an alarm since Bob's pulse rate would drop under 40. Finally after several hours, the docs (we had a team of 'em) determined Bob's kidneys were only functioning at 50% and his meds were not getting flushed out of his system as normal thus dropping his blood pressure and pulse too low ... most likely due to dehydration!

No question Bob was now in the system and a hospital stay was in order; we just didn't know how long and if there was any damage to his organs. I went by taxi back to the boat at 1 am in the dark, the fog and all by my lonesome ... not fun. Fortunately we had chatted with our neighbors and felt I could count on their help if necessary.

October 12, 2010: Since our plans to move onto Ventura today got dashed last night it was now Plan B. We were both sure that Bob would roll the dice and get a ticket out of the hospital jail after a night of fluids and being monitored. He went thru a series of tests this morning to check out the kidneys, liver and heart. So far so good but they wanted one more test ... a stress test by using a nuclear dye. But it was ordered after Bob had breakfast and coffee ... a no go for the test. So it's another day in the hospital. Besides both his blood pressure and pulse were still wacky - now it was too high.

October 13, 2010: You know spending time in the hospital whether a patient or family is not pleasant but we have been totally impressed with care. The doctors, nurses, aides, kitchen staff & volunteers went out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Everyone we spoke to was fascinated about our trip down here and our future travel plans. They even had their own stories to share with us. You could tell everyone enjoyed their job and shared in the patient care no matter what their job skill.

Bob's vitals were still out of line so another night in the hospital was planned. The yellow cab drivers were getting to know me & even inquired about Bob's progress.

October 14, 2010: After pneumonia shot, flu shot and doctor consult, we finally got sprung from the hospital with only a slight change in dosage on one med. We were lucky in some ways as the docs were alluding to installing a pacemaker ... not good for a sailing life style.

Once we got home, dinner and an early bedtime was in order as we were both bushed from this ordeal. Bob's blood pressure and heart rate are back to his "normal".

October 15, 2010: We are using the day to get ready to leave and rest a bit from the last 3 days. Now we need to evaluate our future plans. Managing Bob's health care was one of 3 things I feared the most about this adventure ... leaving U.S. healthcare for the unknown in Mexico. All the "what ifs" are terrorizing me. For now we will continue towards San Diego and try to figure out what is best for us.

Stay tuned for the next chapter ...