Rick's Heart Scare - 9 BPM

Prologue 

Rick and I were talking one night when suddenly, his head dropped and his body
jerked uncontrollably for several seconds.

That was blackout #3. 

He scheduled a doctor's appt. ASAP.

Act 1: 

The doctor found he had a resting heart rate of 29 beats/minute. Rick wasn't getting enough oxygen which caused the blackouts.

Off to the cardiologist we go. 

His EKG was almost flatlined. (See below) 

I thought the cardiologist was going to whisk us to the hospital right then. 

"You need a pacemaker, right away." He said. 

"Not tonight." He said. "But tomorrow." 

At 11 p.m., he sent the costs of the surgery. 

Pacemaker - $2,237.00 

Hospital and cardiology team - $8200.00

(Imagine my face in my hands. I'm pretty sure I imagined myself tearing my hair like a 19th c. character in a novel.) 

Act 2: 

We spent Thursday in a state of mild panic. Rick price shopped pacemakers and hospitals. We debated the merits of going to a town 3.5 hours away (to save a little) for the surgery or taking the ferry to Cozumel to their hospital. 

He spoke to two other cardiologists via WhatsApp. 

All said the same thing. He needed a pacemaker ASAP. 

By 5 p.m., we'd arranged surgery for Friday morning an hour away in Cancun with the original cardiologist.

We asked our friend Angel to drive us. (We didn't think about his name then, but later, it seemed like a good omen.) 

Act 3: 

We checked into the "special AirBnB" aka: Galenia Hospital around 8:30 a.m.

There was a very comfortable turquoise couch with orange pillows that I forgot to take a picture of because ...well, there was a lot going on. 

Everyone was very nice. All the doctors are bilingual and they even arranged for an interpreter to be on hand in case we needed him. 

Rick went into surgery around 12 and was out by 2:00 p.m. 

The cardiologist told me his heart was down to 9 beats/minute at the start of surgery.

In other words, Rick may not have lasted the day.

We spent the night in the hospital so they could monitor him. 

They took another EKG on Saturday morning. 

Wow! 

It doesn't take a medical degree to see the difference! 

So now, we're home in Playa del Carmen, resting. 

The doctor says Rick will be able to go scuba diving and play tennis in two weeks.

Not that he plays tennis nor dives often. But you understand. 

It was a routine operation. 

That's the good news.

However, we don't have the cash to cover this unexpected emergency and we hope that you can help.

We appreciate your concern, your good wishes, and if you're able to contribute even a little, it helps. We need to pay the Cardiologist's bill on Monday, Oct. 5 and the rest comes due later in the month. 

Thank you, muchas gracias, we hope to see you soon. 

Much love, 

Jen & Rick