One Digit Down

Let me open this with: I have a serious aversion to trauma. It knocks me on my ass and I step outside my normal modus operandi and forget everything I've ever known. I have now had 2 very traumatic experiences in 3 days.

Trauma 1:
Late Thursday night, I found my security guard lying on the ground, motionless. I assumed he was dead until I heard a faint noise come out of his mouth. I ran to my landlord�s door and banged on it. He opened the door as usual with a gun �Thank god I don�t observe his �open door� policy.
After he recognized me and realized I wasn�t one of the thugs he�s been hiding from the last few months, he rushed Ramon to CIMA (The private, hospital). Evidentially Ramon has had 3 mild heart attacks and has a severe heart problem no one knew about. He came home the very next day and I was surprised to see him outside my house working as usual not even 2 days later. He told me he�s been eating Yuca roots to �cure� his heart disease and he thinks they�re working�I seem to be the only one whose questioning the medical advice he�s receiving. All-in-all Im just glad he's alive..he's a VIP in my world and besides...It took me several weeks to get over the last dead body I saw.

Trauma 2:
Today, while working in my yard Francisco and I decided to roll a large boulder-ish rock into position in the corner of my new garden. The rock was really too big and too heavy for either of us to roll, but Francisco insisted he could maneuver it. As he was rolling it caveman style, it wobbled off balance and caught his hand in between the rock and the concrete retaining wall. After the scream, I rushed over to help him, I could see the flesh hanging off the bone of his pinky finger. I knew almost immediately he had probably lost a finger. Instantly I yelled to Ramon to help, which he did even though he�s in no position to do so. After I ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off looking for my keys, I rushed Frank to CIMA where they immediately operated and severed 1/3 of his pinky finger. He must now have a series of skin grafts to replace the rest of his finger, it was badly damaged. The doctor told me that Franks wound looked identical to an explosion wound and he was amazed at what caused it. I didn�t want to admit that I was throwing up in my mouth, as I kept seeing it in my mind over and over. I�m almost afraid to go to sleep tonight, I know ill relive it in my dreams. Bloody human flesh and I do not get along whatsoever. I guess we take our body parts for granted until we lose one. Even part of one is hard, as im finding out from Francisco. He is moping around like a deaf mute who just lost a leg and an arm. I guess one less fingernail to manicure can be pretty gay-traumatic?!

I�d like to take this opportunity to throw some public praise out for the CIMA hospital here in Escazu. It�s affiliated with Baylor Medical Center and the doctors and staff there are as good as it gets here in CR. Franks doctor told me today in no uncertain terms that had we taken him to the Public hospital (which is where 90% of Costa Ricans go) they would have undoubtedly taken off his entire finger. This after at least a 3 hour wait in the ER. We walked directly into CIMA, rushed him right into a room, I threw down my credit card and we were in business in less than 2 minutes. The doctor made sure I knew what was going on every step of the way and they personally walked Frank and I out to the car when we were done.

I will NEVER take the healthcare we have access to in the US for granted. While the difference between a � an inch and 2 inches may not seem like a lot, when you're talking in terms of human flesh and bones, it�s monumental.